Nothing has a bigger impact on students’ prospects in school than a high quality teacher. In fact, research has indicated that a low income child who has a high quality teacher five years in a row will have learning gains, on average, high enough to completely eliminate the achievement gap with their more affluent peers. There is also an emerging consensus that an effective school leader has a strong determining factor on children’s school experience. Developing effective teachers and school leadership is why we started the Reach Institute and remains the central focus of our work.
How teacher and leadership candidates are trained can make all the difference in developing teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to propel their students ahead. Particularly for high-needs students, a successful school experience should not be left to chance.