¡ Outcomes: Do Preparation Pathways Matter for Student Achievement and Teacher Recruitment and Retention? ¡ Research-to-Policy: Strategies for Setting Effective Policy

Creating a pipeline of great teachers for all schools and students in your state is a crucial policy goal. Strengthening teacher pipelines requires states to examine multiple policy areas, including certification requirements, educator evaluation, compensation and career ladders, educator environment (e.g., working conditions), and the range of pathways that teachers take to enter the profession. In this Policy Snapshot from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center), we bring into focus one policy area that governors, state legislatures, and state education agencies consider when weighing options for strengthening teacher pipelines: alternative routes to teaching. To help inform state-level deliberations regarding this topic, we reviewed and synthesized current research and conducted a policy scan to examine common practices across states. The results are summarized in the following sections