A Conversation with Kate Walsh

President, National Council on Teacher Quality
February 2011

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) advocates for reforms in teacher policies at the federal, state, and local levels in order to increase the number of effective teachers. The Council recognizes the absence of much of the evidence necessary to make a compelling case for change and seeks to fill that void with a research agenda that has direct and practical implications for policy. The Council is committed to increasing awareness about institutions that have the greatest impact on teacher quality: teacher preparation programs, school districts and teachers unions.

How important is a well-trained, motivated teacher to a child’s education?
We do know that, outside of the family, a quality teacher has a greater influence on a student’s achievement than anything else. The best hope, say, for a child raised in poverty, or any child for that matter, is to have a series of effective teachers.

So what exactly makes a good teacher? And what makes students want to learn from one?
For starters, great teachers know their subject matter and they connect with kids. They’re able to convey their enthusiasm and passion. But they do it in a way that accounts for how their students think and what they know.

My 13-year-old’s teacher has motivated her to love math, a subject she’s never really enjoyed. How does he do it?
Your daughter is lucky. If you can name a couple of teachers who had that same kind of influence on you, you're fortunate. Most of us have not had the experience of an incredibly powerful teacher more than a few times. So, we must do more to increase the odds of getting excellent teachers in front of kids.

Tell me about the Council’s policy work?
We determine what laws and regulations states have in place that will attract higher numbers of talented people into the profession and then keep them there. With teachers' unions, we work to determine how agreements and state laws either encourage or discourage great teachers. We also focus on schools of education to try and better understand what it is that they're doing to prepare teachers to enter the classroom with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective.

What do students lose if they have a teacher who does not adequately understand the subject they teach, or who does not genuinely care about their students?
Imagine an eager beaver set of triplets entering the first grade. And let's say these boys all have equal academic ability. If, year in year out, the first triplet is assigned to an incredible teacher, by the end of eighth grade that boy will be reading at the 12th grade level. If you put the second boy in front of a series of average teachers, by the eighth grade he'll be reading at eighth grade level. And if the third boy’s teachers are really weak, by the eighth grade he’ll only be reading at the fourth grade level.

Does society understand what it takes to be a teacher?
One of our greatest challenges is getting people to understand that to be a good teacher requires far more than just loving children. Having a gift for kids is not enough. Far from it. To be a good teacher, people must know that they have to master a subject and know how to actually teach it to kids.

How important is Carnegie Corporation’s support of your work?
Carnegie has made a really significant investment in our organization in the best possible way: they've provided general operating funds. This vote of confidence is tremendously uplifting. The Corporation believes that without good teachers, some kids would be doomed to remain poor and under educated. Carnegie believes that if we do not educate, we run the risk of a citizenry that is incapable of upholding democracy.