How They Do It Abroad
By Linda Darling Hammond

It is not surprising that high achieving counties have innovative methods to report, recruit, and retain their teachers.

In an article written for TIME, professor of education at Stanford University, Linda Darling Hammond, notes that these countries-Finland, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada--all put considerable resources towards teacher training and support. The countries prepare teachers extensively, pay them well, give them time for professional learning, and provide effective teachers for all students.

Specific best practices undertaken by one or more of the countries listed above are:

1. Giving two to three years of graduate-level preparation for teaching for new educators at the government expense plus a living stipend

2. Providing professional development that focuses on how to teach students who learn in different ways, including those with special needs

3. Recruiting teachers from the top third of every graduating high school class into a fully paid four year teacher education program or one to two year graduate program.

4. Paying beginning teachers a salary higher than beginning doctors

5. Paying for 100 hours of professional development each year for all teachers and giving teachers 20 hours a week to work with other teachers and visit one another's classrooms.

6. With government aid, giving teachers access to career ladders including curriculum specialists, mentors for other teachers, or school principals.

As Darling Hammond notes, "With these kinds of investments, it is possible to ensure that every teacher has access to the knowledge he or she needs to teach effectively and that every child has access to competent teachers. Such a goal is critical for the U.S. if it is indeed to leave no child behind. "

To read the article in full, click on the following link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713557,00.html