From the ECS State Policy Database: Background Checks - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

From the ECS State Policy Database: Teaching Quality - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

From the ECS State Policy Database: Teaching Quality--Teacher Attitudes - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

From the ECS State Policy Database: Teaching Quality--Teacher Contracts (Not Tenure) - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

From the ECS State Policy Database: Teaching Quality--Teacher Rights - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Iowa's Statewide Professional Development Model PDF - Iowa's approach to professional development is distinctive because it is statewide and comprehensive; it addresses development of school leaders as well as teachers; it fosters engagement of all teachers, not just those who choose to participate; and it centers around student learning. (Dinah Frey, ECS, November 2010)...

What Governors Need to Know: Highlights of State Education Systems PDF - This multistate compilation includes states' number of operating districts, average students per district, per-student spending, free or reduced-price lunch eligible students, percent of K-12 revenue from state sources, state and local school revenue, full-day kindergarten requirements, compulsory school ages and more. (Kyle Zinth and Melodye Bush, Education Commission of the States, updated December 2010)...

New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching - The New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching was established in 2010 to build a foundation for the development of a system to support effective teaching. There were 60 representatives from a wide range of stakeholder groups. This report contains details from this effort and represents Phase I of the New Hampshire Department of Education's initiative to create systems that lead to teaching effectiveness across the state. (New Hampshire Department of Education, October 2011)...

Unlikely Allies: Unions and Districts in the Battle for School Reform - This report profiles the unique collaboration between two district and union leaders to turn around low-performing schools in Providence, Rhode Island. (Education Sector, January 2011)...

Devil in the Details: An Analysis of State Teacher Dismissal Laws - The push for dismissal reform comes as districts across the country focus on improving human capital systems. Districts recognize that an inability to dismiss poor-performing teachers undermines efforts to ensure that every student is taught by a highly effective instructor. As districts begin implementing more effective evaluation systems that better identify both low- and high-performing teachers, changes will have to be made to dismissal processes to exit those teachers in a fair and efficient manner. (Saba Bireda, Center for American Progress, June 2010)...