2007 ETS Teacher Quality Client Conference
ETS Conference Highlights Innovative Ways to Improve Teacher Quality and Preparation
On April 25-27, 2007, ETS held its annual Teacher Quality Client Conference at the Chauncey Conference Center in Princeton, N.J. The theme of this year's conference was "Innovating for Change."
Attendees from 30 states focused on teacher quality, research and strategies that encourage innovation, and ways to help states secure qualified teachers through effective certification and licensure.
The conference began with a tour of the Ewing, N.J., facilities that handle customer service, packing, and shipping and receiving duties. The remainder of the conference explored a variety of topics impacting teacher quality and preparation, including:
- Updates on the No Child Left Behind Act
- Innovative initiatives in teacher education
- Sessions on special education and the highly qualified teacher
- ETS's America's Perfect Storm research
- Updates on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the NTF, the NEAA and the
National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality - Panel discussions with several state representatives
- Remarks from 2006 National Teacher of the Year, Kim Oliver
- Praxis™ program updates
- And much more
Improving Teacher Quality, Preparation
Attendees also focused on a forthcoming ETS research report on teacher preparation. Drew Gitomer, Distinguished ETS Presidential Appointee, discussed preliminary findings from a study ETS expects to release in June, The Academic Quality of Teachers — Have Policy Changes Had an Impact? When the study is released, you may download it from www.ets.org.
The study included a database of 153,000 teaching candidates from 21 states, and sought to determine the effect policy changes — involving accreditation, No Child Left Behind legislation, alternate teaching routes and other issues — have had on teacher quality.
At the conference, attendees also had the chance to network with colleagues from other states and to share their innovative ideas, research, stories and strategies for improving teacher quality.
To learn more about the 2007 ETS Teacher Quality Client Conference, and to download presentations from the conference, visit www.ets.org/TQ2007.