Co-convened by UNITE-LA and LAUSD, and engaging key IHE teacher training programs
Launched in 2010, the L.A. Educator Pathways Partnership (LAEPP) was a longstanding data sharing and research collaboration between L.A. Unified and the region’s primary teacher training programs. LAEPP drove increased understanding of teacher preparation, high quality teaching and learning, and the importance of school context to teacher stability and retention. Original partners included eight IHEs, along with LAUSD. Six prominent IHEs actively participated in the data sharing, research, and continuous improvement effort: CSULA, CSUN, CSUDH, UCLA, USC, and LMU.
LAEPP led efforts to shift practices, resource flows, and relationships/connections through data-driven continuous improvement efforts aimed to better prepare and retain Los Angeles’ teacher workforce, with the ultimate goal of improving teaching and learning. Some key successes include:
- Led the execution of unique bilateral data-use agreements (DUAs) between IHE teacher training programs and LAUSD; overcame multiple bureaucratic challenges to maintain, adapt, and renew these critical DUAs.
- The DUAs called for a third-party data analysis consultant (Education Analytics), engaged and directed by UNITE-LA to investigate and carry out data mapping across the IHEs and guide the creation of uniform teacher training datasets from each IHE, which were then shared with LAUSD. LAUSD matched their new teacher data with the IHE data on recent graduates and provided LAUSD teacher evaluation, teacher stability, retention, and school context variables for each graduate.
- The LAEPP collaboratively developed research questions to be answered by analyses of the matched dataset, and the consultant then provided institutes of higher education and universities with a comprehensive look at post-graduate teacher performance and retention of teaching candidates.
- Led discussions around strategies to prepare new teachers for potential leadership instability.
- Broadened training efforts to equip special education pathway teachers with skills necessary for meeting the needs of English learners.
- Enabled new data sharing on teacher subject area exams and conducted analyses of STEM middle and high school teachers.
- Gathered and documented knowledge about LAUSD hiring needs and enabled conversations between the district and IHEs to ensure credential programs effectively fill existing gaps.
- Identified areas for improvement and discussed solutions to student teacher placements and the role of master/mentor teachers.