ASU education dean on the importance of great teachers

Defining what it takes to be – and make – a great teacher is a complicated task, according to a panel of education thinkers who addressed this topic at an event on Nov. 20 in Los Angeles. Mari Koerner, dean of Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, was among the panelists at the event, co-presented by ASU and Zócalo Public Square.

Moderated by Los Angeles Times education editor Beth Shuster, event panelists answered questions ranging from how to measure teacher performance to what they would change about teacher preparation today.

According to an article by Zócalo Public Square, Koerner’s responses emphasized the importance of teachers connecting with the children they teach, as well as the critical nature of school leadership to creating a culture of good teaching.

A good teacher, according to Koerner, is “someone who can build relationships with children, with parents, (and who) has knowledge about what they’re teaching and knows how to teach.”

Though, she added, “It’s hard to be a good teacher in a school that doesn’t have a good principal.”

While Koerner noted that the one thing she would change about teacher preparation is “the status of teaching,” the article cites ASU’s Teachers College as being committed to raising this status through its rigorous programs and high standards.

In addition to Koerner, event panelists included Stephanie Wood-Garnett, managing director of the Learning to Teach Fund at NewSchools Venture Fund, and education reporter Elizabeth Green, author of Building a Better Teacher.