2022 in Review: Building a Movement to Make Pedagogy a Priority in Teacher Preparation

At Deans for Impact, we stand committed to elevating teachers and teaching and equipping all future teachers with the scientifically-based tools to create rigorous, equitable, and inclusive learning environments where all students thrive.

In a year marked by mounting teacher shortages, divisive political debates over schooling, and short-term fixes that undermine the value of quality teaching, we worked to champion high-quality, accessible pathways into teaching that are practice-based and focused on equitable instruction.

We supported leaders to create cultures of instructional improvement, helped teacher-educators leverage high-quality instructional materials and evidence-based early literacy practices, and catalyzed policy changes for more accessible and affordable pathways into teaching.

As we reflect on the past year, we have immense gratitude for the partners working with and alongside us towards our mission. Read on for more of our 2022 impact.

Download our 2022 in Review (PDF)

Providing leaders with the tools and resources to address today’s most pressing challenges in teacher preparation

▸ We welcomed a seventh cohort of educator-preparation program leaders into Impact Academy, our year-long fellowship that supports leaders to advance equitable practices and outcomes in the preparation of future teachers.

• 20 fellows
• 15+ states represented
• 10,000 future teachers prepared, 46% of whom identify as teachers of color

▸ We concluded our Common Indicators System Network, a six-year effort with 26 educator-preparation programs representing diverse contexts from across the country to foster collaborative learning and action on data-driven continuous improvement.

Equipping teacher-educators with evidence-based practices to better serve students’ diverse learning needs

▸ We led a network to strengthen aspiring teachers’ instructional effectiveness by supporting them to analyze, identify, and use high-quality instructional materials.

• 24 hours of new module content on high-quality instructional materials
• Average individual teacher-candidate growth score of +25 percentage points from pre-/post-assessments (significance at the 95% confidence level)
• Network participants graduate about 20% of Tennessee’s new teachers annually

▸ We launched a network to build strong, scientifically-grounded foundational skills in early readers.

• 13 hours of new module content on evidence-based early literacy practices
• 3 programs serving the East Texas community
• Development of a new assessment of candidate instructional decision-making related to the science of teaching reading

▸ We entered our fourth year of facilitating the Learning by Scientific Design (LbSD) Network, working with participating programs to redesign coursework and practice-based experiences to foster equitable instruction grounded in principles of learning science.

• 195 faculty and clinical educators supported
• Among clinical educators, pre/post growth of +32 percentage points on learning-science assessment items
• 95,000+ views (this year alone) of our Science of Learning publication

Advancing policy efforts to attract, prepare, and support a diverse educator workforce

▸ We launched the Aspiring Teachers as Tutors Network, a national collaborative of 22 tutoring initiatives representing 13 states that share a vision for increasing the number of aspiring teachers serving as tutors for K-12 students and improving teacher-candidates’ instructional skills through field experiences and training.

▸ We co-founded the national Pathways Alliance coalition and are currently co-chairing a teacher-apprenticeship workgroup responsible for drafting National Guideline Standards for approval by the U.S. Department of Labor. As members of the alliance, we helped to draft a national definition of teacher residencies.

▸ We served as advisors to the Louisiana Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Recovery Taskforce, aimed at highlighting work around policy that can lead to a more diverse workforce.

▸ We joined two national coalitions committed to supporting students to thrive in school:

• Learn from History, a broad-based coalition working to ensure that all children can learn accurate, thorough, and fact-based history in our schools.
• National Partnership for Student Success, a public-private partnership that connects students to the supports that will help them succeed.