CALDER Announces Launch of CALDER-R&R

The Center for Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is pleased to announce the launch of CALDER—Teacher Research & Retention, or CALDER-R&R. This new CALDER project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), is an IES R&D Center focused on K12 teacher recruitment and retention.

"Teacher recruitment and retention have always been hot topics in public education," said Dan Goldhaber, the director of CALDER R&R. "But now, there's a real sense of urgency on these issues. We're not just worried about the profession's health—we're also dealing with the lasting impact of COVID-19 on students. So, we need to know: How can states and districts not only bring in and keep great teachers but also make sure students have access to them? How do we tailor policies to work in different situations? And what do these choices mean for student learning and equity? These are the key issues we'll be digging into at CALDER R&R."

About CALDER R&R

Building off CALDER’s long history of informing policy with rigorous, empirical research, CALDER R&R will examine policies addressing teacher shortages across the employment pipeline, from pre-service through in-service, including:

• Financial support for teacher candidates in exchange for work commitments
• The influence of labor market information on teacher candidates’ decisions about their subject
  area specialization and job search
• Grow-your-own initiatives designed to address teacher shortages in high-need districts and to
  increase teacher diversity
• Licensure reforms, including temporary licensure and changes to licensure cut scores
• Compensation reforms, including salary floors, pay-for-performance, and financial incentives for
  teachers in low-income schools or specific shortage subject areas
• The effect of teacher working conditions, including the four-day school week, Advanced
• Teaching roles, and conditions negotiated in collective bargaining agreements

CALDER R&R’s research will examine teacher recruitment and retention policies in nine states—Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington—and four school districts in the Metro Atlanta area.