High quality teachers and leaders are essential to increasing student achievement and educational opportunity. However, research shows that urban and high-poverty schools are far less likely than their suburban and higher-income counterparts to have quality teachers. Strengthening and deepening the human capital of schools, particularly the lowest performing institutions, demands:  recruitment of highly qualified individuals with strong academic preparation in their subject area; preparation, professional development and ongoing assessment and evaluation of teachers and leaders; retention of high-performing teachers and leaders.

Our grant making in this area promotes progress toward:

• Clear data on the efficacy of teacher-training programs and identification of high-performing programs measured by student achievement
• Performance-driving practices that are isolated and codified
• More programs adopting research-based practices
• New design or alternative certification programs leading to better outcomes and other programs implementing them
• Data systems being used to tie teacher performance to student achievement
• Policy recommendations for using this data in teacher support, compensation and tenure decisions.