A student’s long-term success depends on many things that have little to do with the classroom, including health, safety and a place to call home. Let's be clear: parents have a bigger influence on their children than schools do.

But when it comes to school, nothing matters more than the teacher. The next few lessons explore models of educational change related to improving the effectiveness of teachers and teaching.

What helps a teacher to be effective? The answer covers many different aspects of the profession, including who is recruited into teaching, how teachers are prepared, how they are compensated, what they do to improve their practice once they are in the classroom, and how their work is evaluated. This section of Ed100 takes on each of these topics separately, but of course none of them really stands alone. Rather, they all represent important aspects of what it takes to make sure that every child is taught by a qualified, effective professional.

What's in this Chapter?

We convinced Jeff to narrate a short video preview of each lesson. We hope you get a kick out of the awkward expressions we captured him in...

3.1 Recruitment: Who Teaches, and Why?

With increased professional options for women, the teaching profession has struggled to attract the strongest candidates. It hasn't helped that pay has fallen so far behind. These charts will blow your mind.

3.2 Preparation and Certification: How To Make a Teacher

Do teacher credentials help? What's the point of requiring them?

3.3 Retention: How to Retain a Teacher

It is often said that half of new teachers depart the profession within five years. This is a myth. Here's why teachers stay.

3.4 Teacher Placement: Who Teaches Where?

"Would you like to teach / where the challenge is greatest / and help kids reach / the ranks of the A list?" No? Would it matter if you were paid a little extra?

3.5 Teacher Development: How Do Teachers Improve?

Most districts offer pay incentives for teachers to participate in ongoing training and earn additional degrees. Does it work? | "Step and column / up it goes / regardless what / the research shows"

3.6 Teacher Collaboration: How do educators work together?

Top schools set aside time for teachers to collaborate. There’s a reason why it's hard for California schools to to that. It's a shame - the world's top school systems make it a priority.

3.7 Benefits: The Benefits of Teaching

Every kind of organization is struggling to fund health benefits. School districts are no exception. If they blow it, who picks up the pieces?

3.8 Teacher Pay: How much are teachers paid?

Pay systems for teachers are changing. It's controversial.

3.9 Teacher Evaluation: How Do Teachers Know If They Are Succeeding?

"How do you measure a teacher? / By whether their students are readers? / By tested scores / or something more? / How do you measure a teacher?" | It turns out there are some practical options...

3.10 Tenure and Seniority: Teacher Tenure - Good? Evil?

Why are young teachers so often laid off? And why is it so hard to dismiss a teacher who really (ahem) needs to go? Here's what's changing... maybe.

3.11 Pensions: How Good is a Teacher's Pension?

How good are teacher pensions?