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Assessing Change in Access to Teacher Quality in Illinois
This study was supported by a grant from The Joyce Foundation (Funded December 2006–June 2008).
Jennifer B. Presley, Bradford R. White and Karen J. DeAngelis. In 2005, the Illinois Education Research Council published the results of its work on the distribution of teacher quality. The IERC constructed a Teacher Quality Index that allowed us to examine differences in the cadre of teachers who were in schools with different student characteristics. The work also provided a useful comparison between similar schools in different parts of the state, including Chicago. Those results were based on 140,000 teachers in Illinois public schools in 2002-2003. In this follow-up project we updated the Teacher Quality Index for teachers in the Illinois Public Schools in 2005-2006.

In this follow-up project, we replicated the Teacher Quality Index using the most recent data available for teachers – those who were working in the Illinois Public Schools in 2005-2006. Adding this longitudinal element to our TQI work had several advantages:
  • We were able to see whether average teacher quality had increased (or decreased) in three years, and the types and locations of schools where such increases (or decreases) occurred.
  • The analysis provided an empirical measure to assess changes in Illinois students’ access to teacher quality from 2002-2003 to 2005-2006, and to identify the types and locations of schools where these changes occurred.
  • We were able to examine changes in school performance in relation to the baseline teacher quality index and changes in the teacher quality index.
 
Teacher Quality & Essential School Supports: Untangling Their Interrelationship for School Improvement
This study was supported with a grant from the Spencer Foundation (Funded April 2007–March 2008)
Karen J. DeAngelis and Jennifer B. Presley with Stephen Ponisciak from the Consortium on Chicago School Research. The Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) partnered with the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) at the University of Chicago to conduct a study that brings together two strands of research – one on teacher quality, the other on school environment/effectiveness – to determine if and how these characteristics of schools relate to each other and to student achievement. For this project, the CCSR generously agreed to share with the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC) their school-level indicators of Essential Supports created from their Spring 2003 teacher and administrator surveys. We combined their five Essential Supports indicators with the IERC’s 2002-03 school Teacher Quality Index (TQI) for an analysis of the relationship among TQI, Essential Supports, and student achievement in the Chicago Public Schools. More specifically, the following research question was addressed: What is the relationship between school teacher quality and school environment and what, in turn, is the relative importance of each for student performance? With only one year of TQI and Essential Supports data, we were not able to untangle the direction of any relationship between teachers’ academic qualifications and schools’ environments. Nonetheless, the results from this initial study added a new dimension to existing research on school effectiveness and suggest a subsequent longitudinal analysis may be warranted.
 
Study of Teacher Induction in the Midwest
This study was supported by a grant from The Joyce Foundation. (Funded January 2006–December 2007).
Brenda K. Klostermann and Jennifer B. Presley. The IERC joined with SRI International and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to conduct a research study to understand the types of induction support provided to new teachers in Illinois and Ohio, and to tease out those program characteristics that impact teacher retention, teacher practices, and student achievement. State policy contexts in which the induction programs operate were also examined. A multi-method research design including analysis of existing state-level databases, interviews with state-level personnel, and case studies with 11 districts were utilized. Interviews with district personnel, focus groups with new teachers and mentors, and classroom observations informed our analyses. An in-depth focus on a subset of districts also analyzed teacher retention rates and student achievement data. The research findings will inform policy-makers and could help program developers focus their resources on program elements that are tied most closely to desired outcomes.
 
Planning for the Chicago Early Childhood Teacher Pipeline Study
This study was supported by an IBHE Higher Education Cooperative Act grant (Funded October 2006–March 2007).
Jennifer B. Presley, Brenda K. Klostermann and Marilyn Marshall (University of Illinois). Following the results of the “The Illinois Early Education Teacher Study,” a planning group from Chicago institutions of higher education was convened to formulate the best approach to examine what barriers prevented current students in Chicago-area early childhood teacher preparation programs from proceeding to program admission and completion, as well as to much more thoroughly understand how these institutions officially report on current enrollees and graduates. Focus groups with students, program chairs, Deans’ office, and institutional researchers were conducted to inform the discussions. The results of this work were instrumental in the subsequent research design for which additional funding was received from The Joyce Foundation and the McCormick Foundation. When the subsequent research project is completed (Fall 2009), we expect to be able to make recommendations regarding institutional reporting of consistent data, identify barriers to students’ progress with suggested solutions, and better measure the supply of early childhood education students moving through Chicago’s higher education pipeline. In addition, we will be able to identify barriers to student transfer out of the new AAT programs.
 
Teacher Mobility in Illinois
Karen J. DeAngelis and Jennifer B. Presley. The goal of this study was to assess the extent of new teacher turnover from schools, districts, and the public school teaching profession in Illinois. Using data from the Illinois State Board of Education’s Teacher Service Record (TSR) and Teacher Certification Information System (TCIS) databases for the period 1986/87 through 2005/06, we tracked several cohorts of full-time teachers for five years following their initial entry into teaching to account for their movements, including reentry to the Illinois Public Schools, over time. Differences in turnover rates by teachers’ personal characteristics, such as gender, race/ethnicity, age at entry, and ACT scores, and by school characteristics, such as locale, percent low-income students, and percent minority students, were examined. The findings from this study have contributed to policy discussions concerning teacher personnel practices in Illinois. Report available (IERC 2007-1)
 
The Distribution of Teacher Characteristics in Illinois
Karen J. DeAngelis. Research from other states has shown that the quality of teachers, as measured by characteristics like certification, years of experience and quality of the undergraduate institution attended, differs significantly across school districts within a state. The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of teacher characteristics across and within districts in Illinois. A historical file of Teacher Service Record (TSR) and Teacher Certification Information System (TCIS) data will be employed.
 
Evaluation of A Common Vision: Teacher Quality Enhancement in the Middle Grades in Illinois
Brenda K. Klostermann and Jennifer B. Presley. Using a case study approach, this study evaluated the implementation and execution of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s federally funded grant, A Common Vision: Teacher Quality Enhancement in the Middle Grades in Illinois. The grant was designed to improve the preparation and recruitment of high-quality middle-grade educators through a statewide collaborative effort. Four individual sites that received funding through this grant were examined in terms of how they planned and organized in order to attain the goals of the grant, and what aspects of organizational culture and leadership behavior contributed to success. The evaluation also assessed the effectiveness of the statewide P-16 collaboration among those involved with the grant. (Funded: September 2002-November 2004).
 

Funding and Enrollment in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis.
Jennifer B. Presley. This study sought to assess how well Illinois supports its higher education system compared to other states. Given that higher education is not compulsory like elementary and secondary education, the study considered the state’s effort to provide higher education in two ways - first we looked at the opportunity Illinois provided within its higher education system to serve its students, and second we looked at how Illinois funds higher education. Report Available (IERC 2003-3)
 

Preparing School Principals: A National Perspective on Policy and Program Innovation
Elizabeth L. Hale and Hunter N. Moorman. This report was published jointly by the Institute for Educational Leadership (Washington, D.C.) and the IERC as part of its Issues in Education series. The report focused on two areas in which state policies and programs can have particular influence on school leadership: licensure, certification and accreditation requirements; and administrator training and professional development. Report available (IEL/IERC_2003)
 
Examining Leaks in the Teacher Supply Pipeline
Jennifer B. Presley with Charles E. Trott & Michael Peddle. In collaboration with the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University, the IERC was awarded a HECA grant in August 2001 to study the following two questions: (1) What are the reasons that many newly certified teachers are not taking teaching jobs in Illinois public schools? (2) Why are teachers leaving Illinois public schools during their first five years? Two telephone surveys to a total of 1,600 have been completed. Two final reports are included under publications – Teacher Supply in Illinois: Evidence from the Illinois Teacher Study (December 2002), and Teacher Induction in Illinois: Evidence from the Illinois Teacher Study (IERC-2003-2)
 
In the Pipeline: The Early Career Paths of Administrative Certificate Holders in Illinois
Karen J. DeAngelis. This study sought to understand why so many people get Illinois administrative certification, but why so few actually became administrators. A survey of 300 randomly selected individuals from among those who received Illinois administrative certification in the year 1999/2000 was conducted during the 2001/2002 academic year; 219 individuals agreed to participate. Respondents were asked about their motivations for pursuing administrative certification, what they thought of their programs, whether they had subsequently pursued an administrative position, and if not, why not. Report available (IERC 2003-1)
 
Students’ Access to Teacher Quality in Illinois
Jennifer B. Presley and Bradford R. White. The IERC worked with Illinois State University and The Education Trust on a Joyce Foundation-funded project to investigate students’ access to teacher quality in three states (Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and three large, low-income, high minority school districts within those states (Chicago Public Schools, the Cleveland Municipal School District, and Milwaukee Public Schools). This work built on the Teacher Quality Index created by the IERC as part of our project, The Distribution of Teacher Characteristics in Illinois, and looked at new ways of analyzing, communicating, and utilizing these data. The project progressed in three phases:
  • Phase I: Collection and analysis of data regarding the current distribution of teacher quality attributes across the three states and districts
  • Phase II: Exploration of the internal (school- and district-level) and external (state-level and higher education) factors that may contribute to the teacher distribution patterns observed in Phase I
  • Phase III: Policy recommendations for state and local action
 
The Illinois Early Education Teacher Study
Jennifer B. Presley and Brenda K. Klostermann. Given the critical role that teachers play in providing high-quality early learning experiences and in producing school readiness outcomes for children, concerns are mounting regarding whether Illinois’ workforce can provide enough qualified early education teachers. The aim of this study was to determine the adequacy of the supply of qualified teachers for early education (3-5 years of age) programs in Illinois given recent changes in state and federal policies affecting the demand for such individuals. We reviewed existing child care and public school data and research reports on the Illinois early childhood workforce. To help understand the multiple career pathways of early childhood certificants, we surveyed a random sample of individuals not teaching in the public school system but who had received Early Childhood (Type 04) certificates to understand where those individuals were working and under what circumstances those who had left early childhood might return to the field. The findings were analyzed in the context of policy initiatives aimed at influencing the supply of qualified early childhood personnel. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute for Early Education Research with funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts. (Funded: March 2004-March 2006). Two reports stemming from this research are Pipelines and pools: Meeting the demands for early childhood teachers in Illinois and The Illinois early childhood teacher reserve pool study.
 
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