Promoting More Equitable Access to Effective Teachers: Problems and Root Causes

In 2015 the U.S. Department of Education announced that all 50 states would bel required to develop equity plans to ensure that all students have access to excellent educators. As part of this effort we brought together state and district officials to identify some of the leading causes for why equity can be so difficult to attain. Participants identified six root causes that states and districts should address, which are summarized in this publication: 1) Ineffective leadership; 2) Adverse working conditions; 3) Lack of upward mobility for teachers; 4) Inadequate compensation; 5) Effectiveness-blind human capital management; and 6) Productivity of peer teachers.

This brief is a companion to our brief Promoting More Equitable Access to Effective Teachers: Strategic Options for States to Improve Placement and Movement, which outlines strategies states can use to address the issue of inequitable access to effective teachers.