Giving Compass' Take:

· A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality shows that many states do not require out-of-state transferring teachers to undergo background checks or prove their effectiveness, but instead require additional courseworks making the process more difficult.  

· What problems does the NCTQ point out? How can these teacher transfer protocols be improved across the board? 

· Here's how schools can support new teachers and struggling students. 

The NCTQ’s ongoing Teacher Prep Review project measures both traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs, but some of the organization’s methods have been criticized in both K-12 and higher education circles.

But the muddled process teachers must navigate to transfer between states makes even less sense given the chronic teacher shortages districts in many states face. The often arduous process of taking additional classes to teach in a new state is both an expensive out-of-pocket cost and time-consuming. These teachers — who already have credentials in other states — are sidelined while they work through another credentialing process.

In California, researchers recommend easing restrictions that require additional testing and coursework for teachers from other states who want to transfer in. Some states, however, are using other methods to attract more teachers. Florida, for example, is considering a plan to bump up starting teacher pay from $37,636 to $47,500 a year in an effort to recruit would-be teachers who might otherwise find better-paying job opportunities in other fields.

Read the full article about teacher transfer protocols by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.