Repairing the Leak

We’re all familiar with surveys. We use them whenever we seek information from groups of people, and they are our go-to data collection strategy for evaluating professional development. We may call them questionnaires or feedback forms, but the purpose remains the same - for leaders to gain insight into how educators are experiencing and learning from professional development, changing teaching practices in the classroom and impacting student learning.

The Institute surveyed hundreds of hiring managers across the country, from school districts of all sizes and in all settings, to explore their perceptions of the teacher pipeline and the strategies they use to hire new educators. Our discoveries are published in the new report, Repairing the Leak: How “Cultural Fit” Rusts the Teacher Pipeline.

Quality education must be delivered to all students – no matter where they are born or where they live. Through Issue 4 of The Line, I hope you are challenged by listening to diverse voices, convicted by lingering opportunity gaps and inspired by educators and education leaders everywhere who are not giving up.

On October 30, 2018, a group of education and community leaders gathered at Prairie Knights Casino on Standing Rock Reservation, an hour south of Bismarck, North Dakota. One of the most rural states in the union, North Dakota has a population of just 750,000 and a strong and vibrant Native American culture – a perfect backdrop to focus on rural education and equity for all students.