The voices of our best teachers are rarely included in ongoing debates about the future of the teaching profession. To bring teachers' voices to the center of the policy discussion, the Teacher Leaders Network convened a study team of 12 teacher leaders to develop a vision of what teaching might look like in 2030. After more than a year of exploring the thinking of policy pundits, researcher, reformers, demographers, and futurists, the team has identified a number of trends described in this article. Among its predictions: The education system of the future will demand intensely individualized learning; novice teachers will be teamed with expert teacher leaders; drive-by professional development will be replaced by new technologies that spread teacher expertise; and structures that recognize flexible teacher roles will expedite more authentic and comprehensive teacher compensation.

The Teachers of 2030

Renee Moore

Barnett Berry

Teacher leadership

Most education researchers and policymakers agree that good teachers are essential to student success. What is less clear is what makes a good teacher. What working conditions are most likely to lead teachers to success? The National Center for Teaching Quality has been surveying teachers to find out what working conditions matter most to them. In this article, Berry, Wade, and Trantham share some of the survey findings and describe how one school has used working-conditions survey data in its improvement efforts. In a partnership with Peace College, Millbrook Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, under Trantham's principalship, instituted professional learning communities and reduced duty assignments that took teachers away from teaching and learning. Teachers have responded positively to these changes. More data are needed, however, before researcher can determine whether these improvements in working conditions for teachers can improve student achievement.

Using Data, Changing Teaching

Teacher engagement and motivation

School improvement and reform

Data management and analysis

School and district management

Professional development

“Our culture underestimates teachers—not only the complexity of their work, but also their potential to contribute substantively to the dialogue about school reform,” write the authors of this article. Online teacher networks have the potential to transform traditional concepts of teacher leadership, enabling teachers to bond together into powerful professional learning communities. The authors describe the operations of the Teacher Leaders Network, a virtual network of about 300 accomplished teachers who engage in structured discussion about teaching and learning issues. The Network, they write, “publicly demonstrates the capacity of teacher leaders to change teaching, learning, and education policy.”

Lessons from Networking

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Study Learning Lesson Education Knowledge Concept; Shutterstock ID 465108233

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Technology

One of the most important aspects of NCLB is its demand that states ensure a “highly qualified” teacher for every student. This provision draws much-needed attention to the importance of ensuring equitable student access to high-quality teachers, write the authors. Some aspects of the provision have raised legitimate concerns—including the questionable criteria by which it defines “highly qualified,” the rigidity of its content-knowledge requirements for teachers of multiple subjects, and the inadequacy of supports for developing an adequate supply of teachers. To address the last concern, the authors propose an ambitious national initiative to improve teacher quality. They describe recommended federal programs to increase teacher supply, improve support for new teachers, provide better pay and working conditions, and nationalize the teacher labor market. The social savings resulting from a strong teacher force would, in the long run, far outweigh the estimated costs of these initiatives.

Highly Qualified Teachers for All

Linda Darling-Hammond

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Barnett Berry

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Articles by Barnett

The Teachers of 2030

Using Data, Changing Teaching

Lessons from Networking

Highly Qualified Teachers for All

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