The following is a list of recent resources for those focused on the professional improvement of teachers, principals, and other educational leaders.

Voucher Programs provides a comprehensive look at eligibility requirements, accountability and funding for voucher programs across the states, and includes research findings and legal challenges for this private school choice option.

Great Principals Keep Great Teachers  There are many reasons that teachers leave a school, but none so common as poor leadership and toxic school culture, both of which are frequently linked to the principal. There is not enough discussion about the importance of strong school leaders to be both cheerleaders for teachers to remain on their campuses and pitch person to attract talent. Administrators should change tactics if they are losing strong staff and want to keep them instead (Barnes, Indy/ED).

ESSA: Mapping opportunities for the arts This report highlights the ways states and districts can engage the arts in the ongoing work of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and now includes chapters on the following topics: Accountability, Assessments, Stakeholder Engagement, State Plans, Tiers of Evidence, Title I, Part A, and a Well-Rounded Education.

Science and Engineering State Profiles  This interactive website provides access to state-level data on science and engineering personnel, finances, and state rankings; displaying up to seven state profiles of the user’s choice. Illinois ranks sixth among states in the number of science and engineering doctorates awarded in 2015. In research and development funding, Florida ranked 16th in state expenditures, but 14th in federal spending obligations for 2015. Florida has the fifth-largest population and the fifth-largest civilian labor for of all states.  (National Science Foundation)

How ESSA State Plans Address Teacher Shortages  The first deadline for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plans recently passed, and American Institutes for Research’s Ellen Sherratt has already dug in deep for an analysis on how states are addressing teacher shortages. In her blog, Sherratt shares the top ten ideas for addressing teacher shortages in the state plans. The list includes marketing the teaching profession in a PSA-type style, strengthening the pre-college teacher pipeline, and  excitingly, promoting teacher leadership, to name a few of the top ten. If your state has not submitted its plan yet, you may want to take a peek at the strategies the first 17 states opted to use (AIR.org).