Evidence Use Spotlight: Claire Abbott

"These findings allowed us to make an informed, evidence-based decision."

 





What is your job title? Director of Educator Effectiveness

What is the organization you work for? Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Tell us about a policy or practice that was informed by research.

I vividly recall the day that we introduced the Emergency teaching license in Massachusetts. It was spring 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had shut everything down, and overnight, thousands of aspiring teachers found themselves without a physical classroom to complete their student teaching, nor a testing site to take and pass the required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL). We were on the verge of a sudden teacher shortage, and the Emergency license was an immediate way to get teachers into classrooms while they finished remaining licensure requirements.  

The Emergency license was popular from the very beginning. Student teachers on the cusp of licensure were able to find immediate employment. Paraprofessionals stepped into hard-to-staff teaching roles to meet hiring needs, and districts in the less populous central and western parts of the state turned to the Emergency license as a grow-your-own recruiting tool. In that first year alone, the state issued more Emergency licenses than traditional Provisional and Initial licenses combined.  

That Fall, my own 9-year-old son met his real-life hero in the form of an Emergency licensed teacher named Mr. Hood. Previously a paraprofessional, Mr. Hood made his fourth-grade classroom a safe and welcoming place while Theo struggled with crippling anxiety. I watched the effects of this pandemic-induced Emergency license in real time, and I was grateful for it.  

And yet, when the state granted the last Emergency license at 11:59 p.m. on November 7, 2023, I was relieved. Did it curb a state-wide educator shortage brought on by the pandemic? Yes, and then some. Should it become a permanent fixture of our state licensure system? Actually, decisively, no. How did I know? Research. 

Do you have any early results or indicators of impact of using research to inform policy or practice?

Within weeks of passing the Emergency license, our office secured the first of two research partners to monitor and track its impact. Over the next four years, researchers from BU-Wheelock’s Education Policy Center (WEPC) and the Center for Analysis of Longitudinal  Data in Education Research (CALDER) would examine the initial impact of the Emergency license, as well as how it performed in subsequent years relative to teacher quality and student outcomes. The first analysis conducted by researchers at WEPC revealed intriguing trends about the license. When compared to traditionally licensed first-year teachers, Emergency licensed teachers in that first year were, on average, more likely to be teachers of color, just as likely to be retained, and appeared to be performing similarly when it came to student test scores.  

All signs seemed to be pointing toward a new way of thinking about teacher licensure – one that would fling the door wide open to thousands of potentially talented, diverse teachers who were just waiting in the wings.  

We would ultimately learn that those first Emergency license holders were somewhat unique. They were, on average, already on the path to becoming teachers – many were aspiring teachers on the verge of licensure who couldn’t take that last MTEL, or student teachers who couldn’t finish their practicum due to the pandemic. Given how close they were to licensure, perhaps it’s not surprising that these early emergency licensed teachers appeared to be just as effective as traditionally licensed new teachers. According to later analyses by CALDER researchers, Emergency licensed teachers in subsequent years were less likely to have met any training or licensing requirements. Compared to other new teachers in similar schools and classrooms, their students were also scoring significantly lower on standardized tests in math and science; and overall, these teachers were rated less effective on the state’s educator evaluation system. 

The Emergency license was not a viable, long-term solution to the teacher pipeline, but it shone an important light on talented and diverse teachers waiting in the wings. While the evidence suggests that loosening licensure can help maintain teacher supply in times of crisis, removing barriers to entry is an incomplete strategy for strengthening the teacher workforce. These findings allowed us to make an informed, evidence-based decision to end the Emergency license. It gave us valuable insight into the potential pipeline into teaching and also informed our efforts to support Emergency-licensed teachers with the assistance and training they needed to simultaneously remain in the classroom and progress to their next teaching license. Massachusetts is now working to expand access to teaching through innovative, evidence-based programs including registered teacher apprenticeships, alternative assessments for licensure, and new pathways into the profession.

 

What resources are valuable to you and your work?

AEFP resources mentioned in this story:

AEFP Live Handbook