Although scientifically based reading instruction is essential, it’s often unclear whether educator prep programs equip teachers to make sound instructional choices or which programs are strong models. To address this, the National Council on Teacher Quality’s Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction examined nearly 700 programs to assess how well they prepare future elementary teachers in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The analysis evaluates coursework, readings, assignments, assessments, instructional hours, and practice opportunities for each component.
This tool can help state leaders and advocates discern which educator prep programs in their state are strong and which need additional support. The review also includes the following:
- Promising practices from real educator prep programs, including examples of strong syllabi
- Recommended actions for teacher prep programs, state leaders, district leaders, advocates, and parents
- State-specific profiles that summarize the quality of teacher prep in reading instruction, as well as relevant state literacy policies, and whether or not they are strong
- A searchable database of reading instructional materials that includes ratings on how well textbooks and educational resources align with the science of reading