Teachers Matter

“For excellence, the presence of others is always required.”  (Hannah Arendt)

Research has shown that we could significantly narrow the achievement gap if every child in our nation had a high-quality teacher for three years in a row. But we know surprisingly little about what makes a teacher great. How do we measure quality teaching? What does it look like in the classroom? And most important, how can we help all teachers be more effective in raising the achievement of their students? CSET engages in interdisciplinary research, design and development activities that aim to provide answers to these questions and improve the quality of K-12 teaching.

Vision & Purpose: One day, all children should be guaranteed high-quality instruction when they walk into a classroom. Our vision is to fundamentally transform the meaning of high quality teaching and to lead a national effort to invest in teachers and teaching. The purpose of the center is to improve outcomes for students by engaging in research, design, and development activities that aim to improve the quality of K-12 teaching.

Stanford’s Center to Support Excellence in Teaching (CSET) combines empirical evidence and experience in the classroom to identify, test, and share the most effective ways to teach. Based in Stanford’s top-rated School of Education, CSET draws on rich expertise from across campus.