Conclusion
Educator preparation programs play an important role in advancing effective
teaching during an educator’s first years in the classroom. Ongoing findings from
research must continue to inform policies that Tennessee could consider. Moreover,
additional research must be conducted on the use of licensure tests and performance assessments, especially as they relate to the impact on recruiting a teaching
workforce that reflects the current and emerging racial and ethnic diversity of the
state’s student population. Although this brief demonstrates that much of the research around improving educator preparation remains in development, promising
practices exist both in Tennessee and across the country. To advance teaching, policymakers, education preparation providers, and other key stakeholders must seize
on this existing body of research and promising practices to guide improvements in
educator preparation.
About SCORE
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) drives collaboration on
policy and practice to ensure student success across Tennessee. We are an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan advocacy and research institution, founded in
2009 by Senator Bill Frist, MD, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. SCORE works
collaboratively to support K-12 education throughout Tennessee, and we measure
our success by the academic growth of Tennessee’s students.
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