Overview
Why does NCTQ focus on Clinical Practice?
High-quality clinical practice is the cornerstone of effective teacher preparation. Aspiring teachers need structured, scaffolded experiences that increase in complexity over time—helping candidates build confidence, hone their skills, and learn from expert mentors before assuming full responsibility for a classroom.1
Much of new teachers' success depends on whether they had a strong clinical practice experience, including the opportunity to learn from a highly effective cooperating teacher.2 A strong experience can make a new teacher as effective as one in their second or third year in the classroom—a big gain for those teachers and, more importantly, for their students.3
Many teacher preparation programs fail to provide candidates with enough high-quality practice opportunities, despite the evidence suggesting their importance.4 This is particularly concerning because students of color and students living in poverty are assigned first-year teachers more often than their more affluent and white peers.5 Teacher prep programs must work with their district partners to ensure that every candidate has access to strong clinical practice.
Clinical Practice Action Guide
Review the six essential elements of a strong clinical practice experience; use the self-assessment tool to help you identify where to start; and read case studies from prep programs, school districts, and states that are getting it right.
Preparing for the long run
Just like the success of a first-time marathon runner depends on a solid training plan and plenty of coaching, aspiring teachers need well-structured clinical practice to succeed on day one.
NCTQ's Efforts to Strengthen Clinical Practice
NCTQ first examined how teacher preparation programs address clinical practice in 2013 and most recently in 2020. Over that period, programs made little progress in improving the clinical practice experiences for candidates. NCTQ's Clinical Practice Framework represents an aspirational model for clinical practice backed by research and experts in the field. It acknowledges the roles states, districts, and prep programs need to play to create better clinical experiences for aspiring teachers.
NCTQ is revising its Teacher Prep Review: Clinical Practice standard to reflect the key actions set forth for prep programs in the Clinical Practice Framework and conducting a pilot test in 2026.
Endnotes
Putman, H. (2024). Clinical practice framework research rationale. National Council on Teacher Quality. https://www.nctq.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Clinical_Practice_Lit_Review_-_Aligned_to_Framework_Updated_Aug_2024.pdf
Goldhaber, D., Krieg, J., Naito, N., & Theobald, R. (2020). Making the most of student teaching: The importance of mentors and scope for change. Education Finance and Policy, 15(3), 581-591.
Goldhaber, D., Krieg, J., Naito, N., & Theobald, R. (2020).
For example, NCTQ found that 62% of alternative programs fast-track their candidates straight into classrooms without first providing a full-time clinical placement. See Ellis, C. & Noble, R. (2025). What's the alternative? How some alternative certification programs are shortchanging teachers and students. National Council on Teacher Quality. https://www.nctq.org/research-insights/whats-the-alternative-how-some-alternative-certification-programs-are-shortchanging-teachers-and-students/
Goldhaber, D., Quince, V., & Theobald, R. (2018a). Has it always been this way? Tracing the evolution of teacher quality gaps in US public schools. American Educational Research Journal, 55(1), 171-201; Goldhaber, D., Lavery, L., & Theobald, R. (2015). Uneven Playing Field? Assessing the Teacher Quality Gap Between Advantaged and Disadvantaged Students. Educational Researcher, 44(5), 293-307; Clotfelter, C., Ladd, H., Vigdor, J., & Wheeler, J. (2007) High-Poverty Schools and the Distribution of Teachers and Principals. CALDER Working Paper
