Executive Summary

(2025)

This executive summary accompanies a National Academy of Education consensus report that examines how to evaluate and improve teacher preparation programs (TPPs) to ensure all students have access to well-prepared, culturally responsive teachers. The report identifies three primary purposes of TPP evaluation: supporting program improvement, holding programs accountable, and providing consumer information. It analyzes the diverse landscape of U.S. teacher preparation, including traditional university-based programs, alternative routes, and innovative models like teacher residencies, while documenting challenges such as declining enrollment, underrepresentation of BIPOC teachers, and inequitable distribution of prepared teachers. Based on research evidence, the report identifies six key features of high-quality TPPs: program coherence and alignment, appropriate curriculum content, effective instructional methods, comprehensive clinical experiences, strategic candidate recruitment and support, and diverse, well-prepared faculty. It evaluates various assessment measures including teacher performance assessments, surveys, classroom observations, and labor market outcomes, while acknowledging their limitations. The report provides 20 recommendations in four areas: (1) improving TPP approval and accreditation by maintaining common high-quality standards across all pathways; (2) enhancing TPP self-study through collaborative networks and evidence-based improvement processes; (3) providing system supports for evaluation including funding and data infrastructure; and (4) creating broader supports for the teaching profession including financial assistance for candidates and competitive compensation for teachers. The report emphasizes that improving TPPs requires coordinated action from federal and state governments, institutions, and philanthropic organizations to address both program quality and systemic barriers to accessing high-quality preparation.

National Academy of Education. (2025). Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs: Executive Summary. K. M. Zeichner, L. Darling-Hammond, A. I. Berman, D. Dong, & G. Sykes (Eds.). National Academy of Education. 10.31094/2025/2