Evaluating Teacher Quality Partnerships: The Importance of Teacher Workforce Data in Advancing Educator Preparation and Policy

• In Event: A Rallying Cry: Sustaining Equity-Centered Teacher Preparation in Light of TQP Grant Terminations

Abstract

As an educational non-profit research organization, we have been working in the TQP grant space since the first TQP-funded teacher residency in the country in Chicago. Our team serves as the critical evaluation partner for the grants, studying implementation and outcomes of specific grant projects. Our team gathers original data from residents, mentor teachers, university faculty and supervisors, and district leadership through surveys and in-depth interviews and focus groups to identify areas of strength and spaces for improvement. We work with the residency programs to gather necessary extant data to report on the required performance measures, including recruitment and certification numbers, along with one-year and three-year retention rates for program completers. We also capture demographic data on program participants to understand the extent to which the grants are diversifying the teacher workforce and meeting the needs of the local student population. Our work is longitudinal, comprehensive, and deeply rooted in the learning needs of the grant projects.

Over the years, we have partnered with numerous universities, districts, and county offices of education to prepare TQP grant proposals, writing a detailed evaluation plan specifically aligned to the proposed programming, along with a logic model that delineates a theory of change. Funded programs leverage data gathered from the evaluation to continue to build support for their work, either through securing additional funding or showing the value-added to additional partners to expand the reach (Proposal Authors, 2023). When the TQP grants were cancelled, our organization was partnered with 8 grant projects, awarded from 2020-24, totaling close to $4 million in cancelled contracts.

From the loss in funding, came disruptions to ongoing data collection efforts, causing gaps in program-level and grant-wide datasets. For 2020 grantees, that meant losing the last year of data, the year when program goals may be realized and summative data show the impact of the 5-year grant project.
A loss in data presents significant challenges for teacher workforce research and policy-making. Access to longitudinal data on what programs work, under which conditions, and for which populations is critical for evidence-based decision making. The lack of data for TQP grantees makes it difficult to track program trends, successes, innovations, and continued challenges that may necessitate policy changes. In the long term, reduced teacher workforce data collection and access will make it challenging to understand the extent of teacher shortages, teacher retention and attrition rates, and teacher qualifications. Without identifying areas of need, funds may not be directed to where they are most urgently required (Lambert, 2025).

As a non-profit that works with multiple educator preparation programs across the country, we continue to explore ways to bring together programs to share their experiences, including scheduling calls and organizing a webinar with TQP grantees on how they pivoted after federal funding disruptions. We are brainstorming solutions to support educator preparation programs, advocating for private foundation funding and exploring a consortium approach to strengthen teacher preparation efforts. We remain steadfast in our dedication, recognizing that strategic funding and comprehensive data collection are essential for effective educator preparation programs.

Authors

• Jaclyn J. Tejwani, WestEd

• Selena Cartznes, WestEd