RE: Question 1:K-12 Teachers-What's in the Plan

Background: In addition to attention to teacher preparation, certification and diversity (Recommendation 4), the draft Master Plan suggests that the state, regional entities, and local school districts should upgrade professional development activities (Recommendation 6) and that the state should provide incentives for the development of career ladders and compensation for teachers to reward exceptional teachers for staying in the classroom (Recommendation 7). Further, Recommendation 5 states that the State should focus more resources and attention on hard-to-staff schools, and 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 suggest providing additional resources to attract and retain the finest educators for schools with high concentrations of students living in poverty. This includes a focus during teacher preparation and professional development on teaching children who bring particular challenges to the learning process, and teaching in urban settings; and providing short-term grant funding to create professional development schools that operate as partnerships between institutions of postsecondary education and low-performing schools. (A number of other recommendations also relate to education personnel, e.g. number 11, on compensation; 18 and 19, on education leaders; and 26, on professional development for effective use of technology.)