14 Levers for Quality Teacher Preparation

What does candidate readiness require from educator preparation?

Educator readiness is built across the preparation system.


Readiness is not built in one course, one clinical experience, or one assessment. It is built across the preparation system. Educator readiness depends on how programs define expectations, sequence development across coursework and clinical experiences, develop and support teacher educators, provide coaching and feedback, use evidence to improve, and work alongside P-12 partners.

Shared Vision of Quality Teaching & Learning Intentional Performance Gateways Formalized Coaching & Feedback Structures Ongoing Faculty & Clinical Supervisor Development & Calibration Strategic Candidate Pipelines & Workforce Alignment
Common Frameworks for Teacher Educators & Candidates Practice-Based Developmental Experiences Ongoing Candidate Supports & Interventions Data-Driven Decision-Making & Continuous Improvement Structures and Systems to Scale & Sustain Quality
Explicit Candidate Developmental Trajectory High-Impact Teacher Educator Practices Performance-Based Mentor Teacher Recruitment, Selection & Training Collaborative Partnerships & Shared Ownership
Shared Vision of Quality Teaching & Learning Intentional Performance Gateways Formalized Coaching & Feedback Structures Ongoing Faculty & Clinical Supervisor Development & Calibration Strategic Candidate Pipelines & Workforce Alignment
Common Frameworks for Teacher Educators & Candidates Practice-Based Developmental Experiences Ongoing Candidate Supports & Interventions Data-Driven Decision-Making & Continuous Improvement Structures and Systems to Scale & Sustain Quality
Explicit Candidate Developmental Trajectory High-Impact Teacher Educator Practices Performance-Based Mentor Teacher Recruitment, Selection & Training Collaborative Partnerships & Shared Ownership

One system. Designed to work together.

EdPrep Performance Framework

A nationally recognized definition of quality for teacher preparation.

The EdPrep Performance Framework defines the systems, practices, and conditions required for high-quality teacher preparation. Across four connected performance areas, it establishes clear expectations for quality and provides a common language for how quality teacher preparation is designed, experienced, and improved.

14 Levers for Quality Teacher Preparation

A practical view of the connected parts of the preparation system.

The 14 Levers for Quality Teacher Preparation identify the connected program elements that shape educator development and readiness. They help programs and partners build from their strengths, identify where greater alignment and effort could strengthen development, and focus improvement where it matters most.

Define What Readiness Requires

Shared Vision of Quality Teaching & Learning Creates shared direction for what candidates should know and be able to do and how the program will develop them toward readiness. Explore Lever 1 · Oct. 6, 2026 Common Frameworks for Teacher Educators & Candidates Makes performance expectations clear and usable across coursework, clinical experiences, coaching, feedback, and assessment. Explore Lever 2 · Oct. 22, 2026 Explicit Candidate Developmental Trajectory Clarifies how candidate performance should grow from foundational to increasingly advanced levels. Explore Lever 3 · Nov. 5, 2026 Intentional Performance Gateways Uses demonstrated performance at key transition points to determine readiness for greater responsibility. Explore Lever 4 · Nov. 19, 2026

Develop Candidate Practice and Performance

Practice-Based Developmental Experiences Gives candidates deliberate opportunities to study teaching, rehearse, enact with P-12 students, receive feedback, and refine. Explore Lever 5 · Dec. 3, 2026 High-Impact Teacher Educator Practices Makes teaching visible and learnable through practices such as labeling, modeling, rehearsal, and aligned feedback. Explore Lever 6 · Dec. 17, 2026 Formalized Coaching & Feedback Structures Moves evidence from candidate practice into focused refinement, supported practice, implementation, and follow-up. Explore Lever 7 · Jan. 7, 2027 Ongoing Candidate Supports & Interventions Uses evidence to provide increasingly targeted developmental support when candidates need it. Explore Lever 8 · Jan. 21, 2027

Strengthen the People Who Develop Candidates

Performance-Based Mentor Teacher Recruitment, Selection & Training Selects strong teachers who can both model effective instruction and develop novices, then prepares them for that role. Explore Lever 9 · Feb. 4, 2027 Ongoing Faculty & Clinical Supervisor Development & Calibration Builds teacher educator practice through ongoing, practice-based development and shared examination of candidate performance. Explore Lever 10 · Feb. 18, 2027

Learn, Partner, Grow, and Sustain

Data-Driven Decision-Making & Continuous Improvement Uses recurring evidence-to-action routines to make decisions, monitor implementation, and improve preparation. Explore Lever 11 · Mar. 4, 2027 Collaborative Partnerships & Shared Ownership Creates joint structures through which educator preparation programs and P-12 partners share responsibility for candidate development. Explore Lever 12 · Mar. 18, 2027 Strategic Candidate Pipelines & Workforce Alignment Connects workforce needs to candidate entry, progression, readiness, completion, and transition into teaching. Explore Lever 13 · Apr. 1, 2027 Structures and Systems to Scale & Sustain Quality Builds the roles, routines, resources, and shared ownership needed for quality to extend and endure. Explore Lever 14 · Apr. 15, 2027

From Framework
to Practice

Programs rarely begin from zero. Most already have meaningful strengths across coursework, clinical experiences, assessments, teacher educators, partnerships, and data systems.

The 14 Levers of quality teacher preparation help programs examine how those strengths work together through the experiences of candidates, identify high-leverage opportunities for improvement, and focus on the changes that matter most for teacher educator and candidate readiness.

From Insight to
Implementation

EdPrep Partners works alongside programs, states, and their partners to move from evidence to prioritized action and implementation. Through Program Performance Reviews, Strategic Action Planning, and hands-on technical assistance, we help teams understand preparation in practice, determine what to strengthen, put prioritized changes into action, monitor progress, and build the capacity to sustain improvement.

Putting This Into Practice

EdPrep Partners works alongside educator preparation programs to examine how expectations for candidate performance and development show up across preparation, identify where greater alignment would strengthen the candidate experience, and help programs turn shared expectations into a useful foundation for improvement.

Connect with EdPrep Partners to explore this work with your program.

How to Cite this EdPrep Insight

EdPrep Partners. (2026). Shared Vision of Quality Teaching & Learning. 14 Levers for Quality Teacher Preparation. EdPrep Partners.

In-text citation: (EdPrep Partners, 2026)

Use & Attribution

The 14 Levers for Quality Teacher Preparation were developed by EdPrep Partners. Sharing and citation are welcomed with attribution. Please contact EdPrep Partners regarding adaptation of the Framework or use of related tools and implementation resources.