State of the States 2021: Teacher Preparation Policy

Children across the country face unprecedented levels of missed instruction as a result of the pandemic. As millions of students and teachers continue remote learning, experiment with hybrid models, and ultimately return to their classrooms, the nation has a greater need than ever for teachers who have the skills to address the challenges ahead. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has only further exacerbated the stark inequities of the American education system. All children deserve access to well-prepared teachers with a strong foundation in their subject area, the instructional skills to accelerate learning, and the understanding to support and inspire. As the regulating authority over teacher preparation, states play an essential role in ensuring that their teacher prep programs are delivering new teachers who meet state standards. This analysis considers state trends in many of the most essential aspects of delivering classroom-ready teachers, including the qualifications for being admitted into teacher preparation and earning a teaching license, with a focus on states' shifting testing regimes. It also examines recent activity to diversify the teacher workforce as well as to improve the quality of clinical practice. These data are based on policy information that was collected and confirmed in spring 2020. This report is the second in a series from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) examining the current status of states' teacher policies. The focus is on state oversight of teacher preparation programs and licensure test requirements, particularly traditional preparation programs. [For the first report in the series, see "Teacher & Principal Evaluation Policy. State of the States 2019" (ED598961).]