News & Resources

SEAs and LEAs continue to face challenges regarding teacher shortages and an educator workforce that does not reflect the diversity of the students they serve. This website of curated, evidence-based resources aims to provide education leaders with actionable tools and strategies to address these challenges and improve the recruitment, preparation and retention of educators from diverse backgrounds. Access the website and filter by audience, educator pathway stage, and specific areas of interest to best address your contextual needs.

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Elementary and secondary district leaders seeking to recruit teachers and diversify their teaching workforce will find useful, research-based strategies in this brief from the Region 4 Comprehensive Center. The brief focuses on ways to develop work-based learning programs in secondary schools that engage students in considering teacher careers. Drawing on insights from 14 programs, this brief summarizes five useful strategies of teacher-focused work-based learning programs, including targeted courses, cohort model and peer supports, strategic counseling, dual enrollment, and field experiences. It also provides helpful background into the historic challenges around recruiting and retaining teachers of color.

Download the Resource Brief (PDF)

School leadership is a critical factor in school improvement. The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) and Region 4 Comprehensive Center (R4CC) have strengthened school leadership through implementation of the Delaware Leadership Network and the Delaware Principal Supervisor Leadership Program. These two major efforts, collaboratively designed and delivered, have helped shift mindsets from principals as managers to principals as instructional leaders. DDOE, with R4CC support, clarified a statewide strategy for strengthening school leadership and is building off these two initial efforts.

Read about this collaborative effort and its outcomes in “Strengthening School Leadership in Delaware: A Profile of Collaboration and Impact.”

R4CC is partnering with staff from the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), the Red Clay Consolidated School District, and the Christina School District in supporting school leaders through the Delaware Leadership Network. This blog post provides an overview of work for the 2020-21 school year.

R4CC designed a series of tools intended to help districts and schools identify a student assessment system or test that generates the information they need, in the time they need it, and that is valid and reliable. The tools are designed to minimize subjectivity, allowing reviewers to assess the strengths and weaknesses of potential vendors in light of the specific needs of the agency and other constraints that influence vendor selection.

Commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population, the R4CC produced a four-part series of policy briefs focused on bilingual education, including bilingual teacher shortages, in contexts across the United States.

R4CC worked with staff from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to refine its approach to work-based learning opportunities from elementary school through post-secondary. The research-based continuum and accompanying infographic provides information on best practices and the roles that school, business, and community leaders can play in providing equitable access to these learning opportunities for all students.

The R4CC worked with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to conduct a career and technical education (CTE) alignment study. The study analyzed local data on high-wage and in-demand jobs and alignment with local secondary CTE programming. State and local CTE leaders can leverage information about CTE program alignment to make important decisions about which programs to offer to improve outcomes for students and also to better serve the needs of the labor market. To learn more about this project, see this blog and the full alignment report.