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Publications and Reports

CTAC’s reports focus on cutting edge issues in education and community development. Our research and evaluation studies inform practice and guide policy decision-making at local, state and national levels.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) designated more than $50 million in state reserve funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to support the recruitment and retention of effective and diverse teachers. The teacher recruitment and retention grants helped local education agencies, educator preparation programs, and community colleges across the state to strengthen their existing strategies and experiment with innovative approaches for recruiting and retaining teachers.

Based on learnings from four phases of a comprehensive evaluation, CTAC collaborated with DESE to develop a first-ever Teacher Recruitment and Retention Playbook featuring eight cornerstones: (1) Effective teacher recruitment and retention requires the support of a state system; (2) Statewide campaigns are needed to elevate the teaching profession; (3) Effective teacher recruitment and retention requires collaboration and constituency building; (4) Funding is essential and must be targeted; (5) The tools of public policy need to be used strategically; (6) Funding and policy choices trigger decisions related to teacher development; (7) A state system needs to recognize the critical importance of teacher voice; and (8) Teacher retention requires the alignment of three factors: recruitment, development, and compensation.

These eight cornerstones are the foundations of a system that ensures a supply of new teachers coming into the profession and the retention of high-quality teachers. As research confirms, high-quality teachers are the most important school-level variable in student achievement; therefore, supporting teachers is the best investment a state can make in its future citizens and workforce.

State Action on Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Missouri Takes the Lead

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) invested more than $50 million dollars of relief funds into grants to improve educator recruitment and retention. Through the grants, DESE helped local education agencies, educator preparation programs, and community colleges across the state strengthen their existing strategies and experiment with innovative approaches for recruiting and retaining teachers.

All grant recipients participated in a four-phase evaluation process to gauge the effectiveness of the grant program. The data confirmed with 95 percent confidence that the recruitment and retention grants resulted in positive growth in Grow Your Own (GYO) program enrollment and GYO graduation. GYO programs are designed to increase the supply of new teachers into the profession by identifying students and other support staff already in the school setting who have an interest in the teaching profession. The grant evaluation data also confirmed an increase in GYO graduates ultimately being certified to teach and hired by an LEA.

Principal Leadership at a Challenging Time: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to examine the perceptions of participants and help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education learn from educators across the state about the implementation of the program, both preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary purpose of MLDS is to develop and nurture effective school leaders throughout the state. MLDS supports principals at four levels, from Aspiring (pre-certificated), to Emerging (initial career entry), to Developing (practicing), and ultimately to the Transformational Principal.

The report indicates that dominant recommendation by principals, superintendents, and specialists is to build on current program strengths and extend customized services that address emerging, pandemic-related needs. Data from both interviews and survey responses show clearly that the first year of full implementation of the program was well-received by the field, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report identifies key issues and provides recommendations for making targeted refinements to MLDS.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Principals Today: A Formative Review of the Missouri Leadership Development System

CTAC conducted an independent, formative review of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to learn from educators regarding the implementation of MLDS and to support the state in making evidence-based refinements to the program. The primary goal of MLDS is to develop and support effective school leaders throughout the state at each level of experience in their career—from Aspiring (pre-certificated), to Emerging (initial career entry), through Developing (practicing), and ultimately to the Transformational Principal. The report examines and presents perceptions of program participants of the MLDS competencies, learning experiences, and treatments in strengthening their practice and improving student learning, factors enhancing or impeding the progress of implementation, and benefits and value. It also identifies key issues and provides recommendations for making targeted refinements to the program. This report was made possible by the support of the Central Comprehensive Center.

Improving Teacher Practice: Debunking the Myth of the Performance Plateau

The CEOs of two of America’s leading education consultancies join forces to argue for school districts to play a more active role in teacher development. The “disheartening” but tenacious myth that new teachers improve for a few years and then coast is dangerous because it causes HR departments to focus on the wrong things, write Bryan Goodwin and William Slotnik. Newer studies have debunked the “performance plateau” and should lead districts in the direction of career-long development for career-long improvement. They propose a four-part plan for making it happen, and point out that a handful of districts have already started.