Teacher Career Advancement Initiatives: Lessons Learned from Eight Case Studies

Posted: Mar 7, 2016

Posted By: Catherine Fisk Natale, Lynn Gaddis, Kathryn McKnight, Katherine Bassett

The purpose of this report is to describe what we learned from studying eight teacher career advancement initiatives implemented across a variety of contexts, including urban, suburban, and rural districts; high poverty and affluent districts; and in schools/districts both with and without strong union presence. We describe key principles for developing successful, sustainable teacher career advancement initiatives. This report is the product of a three-year study conducted by the Center for Educator Learning and Effectiveness at Pearson and the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) in partnership with the National Education Association and Public Impact and with assistance from the American Federation of Teachers. It represents the second phase of our research into how the teaching profession needs to evolve to meet 21st century career expectations for a new generation of teachers and learners. This report provides our findings from case studies of schools and districts with established career advancement initiatives as well as several in the early stages of implementation.