As part of Idaho’s Education Week, today the Housing Education Committee heard a presentation from Michelle Extrom, Education Program Director for the National Conference of State Legislatures on Educator Effectiveness. IEA President Penni Cyr attended, and reported that “many of their proposals were right in line with IEA’s Education Excellence Task Force report.” The report was released this month and included 80 research-based suggestions for improving education.
The IEA and the report from NCSL urge greater emphasis on quality professional development and the creation of a tiered system for teacher licensure. Both recommend a comprehensive mentoring system and measures to reduce turnover, which costs school budgets staggering amounts. A third of Idaho teachers have less than five years of classroom experience.
Exstrom explained to the committee that across the US, 1.27 million teachers are set to retire in the next ten years, and that turnover costs an estimated $7 billion per year. She recommended including stakeholders in creating and implementing a system that rewards effective teaching and hold leaders accountable for improving statewide working conditions.
