Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit educational organization with offices in Illinois and Washington, D.C., has been awarded a five-year contract by the U.S. Department of Education to establish a new National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.
The center's mission is to ensure a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. Toward this end, the center will provide guidance for strengthening the quality of teaching--especially in high-poverty, low-performing, and hard-to-staff schools--as well as schools that serve students with special needs.
The center's web site provides interactive databases, comprehensive research studies, publications, and other resources that address the topics of teacher preparation; recruitment and retention; certification and licensure; accountability and advancement; and No Child Left Behind.
A section called "Emerging Strategies and Best Practices" contains information on issues such as performance-based pay, other financial incentives, improving the workplace environment of teachers, mentoring and supporting new teachers, and more.