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Investing in Our Teachers for Years To Come
In five years we've moved from a district facing
the possibility of a state takeover to being ranked 7th in the
nation among public school systems in large U.S. cities according to GreatSchools Best Cities to Live and Learn 2010 report.
More recently, our students have
made substantial gains in academic achievement resulting in the District making Adequate
Yearly Progress (AYP) for the firs t time ever in 2008-2009.
Despite our success, much important work remains to be done if we are to achieve our vision of the Empowering Effective Teachers plan - to do whatever it takes so that over 80% of all students complete a post-secondary degree or workforce certification.
We take on this work in what is a difficult climate
for public education nationwide.
By now we are all aware of the national conversation focused on
the importance of education - the key to our country's future. Many usual sources of districts' revenue - state money
and local property taxes - have been hit hard by the recession. Growing budget
deficits also contribute to larger and larger funding gaps.
These sobering statistics may force many school districts
across the county to resort to drastic money saving measures. In fact, many districts
are planning to close schools, cut programs, enlarge classes and shorten the
school day, week or year to save money.
Yet, not all schools are in this situation. In sharp contrast, Pittsburgh
Public Schools has been very fortunate. The District and the PFT have done the hard work to avoid teacher furloughs and deep program cuts. Furthermore, we know that many opportunities exist for districts willing to do things differently.
 We believe our Empowering Effective Teachers plan and The Pittsburgh Promise® are
foundational to our continued ability to avoid many of the harsh realities
facing other districts across the country.
We will continue to pursue federal and private resources, like Race to the Top, the Teacher Incentive Fund and school improvement grants that will potentially provide unprecedented
financial support for our schools. Such funding is
available to districts that have the will to make necessary
transformations
that will dramatically improve the life prospects of our children.
Unlike other districts, the PFT and PPS have chosen to do this work collaboratively. Together, we are taking giant steps forward.
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District-wide Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey Participation at 80%
 In order for our Teaching and Learning Environment initiative efforts to
be meaningful District-wide, it is important that we hear from all of
our teachers, principals
and certified educators - not just some.
As of Friday, May 14, we are excited to report that 80% of all teachers,
principals
and certified educators had participated in the confidential
and anonymous Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey.
Now, we have extended the Teaching and Learning Conditions Survey through Friday, May 21. Our goal is 100% participation!
Schools must reach at least 50%
participation to receive school level summaries of survey results. The
closer your school gets to 100%
participation, the better.
Congratulations to Schools at 100% Participation!
Pittsburgh Arsenal 6- 8
Pittsburgh Banksville Pre K-5
Pittsburgh Faison Primary Campus Pre K-8
Pittsburgh Gifted Center
Pittsburgh Manchester K-8
Pittsburgh Murray K - 8
Pittsburgh Pioneer
Pittsburgh Schaeffer Primary Campus K-3
Pittsburgh Schiller K-8
Pittsburgh South Side Annex Transition Center
Pittsburgh Sunnyside K-8
Pittsburgh Woolslair K-5
To track your school's participation rate, visit www.pps.teachingconditions.org
click on "View Survey Response Rate" and select your school from the listing of
all Pittsburgh Public Schools.
For questions, you may contact the Help Desk, open from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, at
1-866-934-9508 or helpdesk@teachingconditions.org; Bill Hileman at the PFT or Mary Wolfson at the District.
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RISE Pilot Survey Results Released
In the recently conducted year-end RISE Pilot Survey, completed by 418 respondents, over 80% of responding school staff from the 24 RISE pilot
schools indicated they were satisfied with the RISE evaluation process. Furthermore, 93% of survey respondents felt engaged as active participants in the evaluation process.
"I think the collaboration of the teacher and principal
is essential and important. I also like the fact that the teacher is able to
provide evidence and play a more integral part in the evaluation process." - Survey Respondent
Respondents indicated that the
RISE process was useful in supporting their professional development and that the
process itself was administered effectively. For instance:
- 99% of
respondents strongly agreed or agreed
that "Teachers in my school want to
continuously improve their practice."
- 95% of respondents
strongly agreed or agreed
that "My principal effectively
evaluates teachers using the RISE process."
-
88% of respondents strongly
agreed or agreed
that "The RISE evaluation process
supported and encouraged my professional
growth."
We are grateful for the thoughtful and honest responses on the survey.
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Volunteer Opportunity for ELA and Mathematics Teachers Grades 4 - 9: Knowledge for Teaching Assessments
As reported in the previous eNews Update, Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) is participating in a two-year research project to develop fair and reliable measures of effective teaching called the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project.
Because we are committed to empowering our teachers, there is yet another opportunity to volunteer to provide teacher input.
Now through August 2010, PPS teachers of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics in grades 4 through 9 will have the opportunity to volunteer to participate in
the pilot of the Knowledge
for
Teaching Assessments - to identify and support good
teaching and improve the quality of
information available about teacher practice.
Teachers
choosing to participate will
receive a $50 gift card
for each assessment they complete.
Last week, letters were distributed
to principals and eligible teachers from the Chief of Research,
Assessment & Accountability, informing
them how to contact ETS to volunteer for
participation. If you haven't yet received a
letter, and think you may be eligible to participate, please contact
your principal.
Researchers at Educational Testing Service (ETS)
and the University of Michigan (UM) are
leading the efforts to develop new measures of teacher content knowledge - the Knowledge
for
Teaching Assessments.
These assessments seek teacher
input on tasks they carry out in the classroom, such as holding
discussions, analyzing student responses, choosing curricular materials
and using examples to make an instructional point.
Follow-up
communications are forthcoming
from ETS.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Mary Wolfson in the Office of Research, Assessment and Accountability.
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A Special Thanks to Our Promise-Readiness Corps Design Teams
The fourth and final working session for the
Promise-Readiness Corps Design Teams is being held today, May 18, 2010, at
the PFT.
We'd like to extend a special thanks to all of the team members from
the eight high schools (Pittsburgh Allderdice, Brashear, Carrick,
Langley, Oliver, Peabody, Perry, and Westinghouse) for your participation in laying the foundation and
helping to shape the recommendations for the key components of teaming,
advisory and looping.
Knowing that 9th grade is a critical transitional time period for our students, the
work of the PRC initiative is central to the work of the Empowering Effective Teachers plan - as we prepar e students to graduate from high school
and take full advantage of The Pittsburgh
Promise®.
The District and the PFT would like to thank
the Promise-Readiness Corps Design Teams again for their hard work and commitment to ensuring the growth of the students of
Pittsburgh Public Schools.
We look forward to continuing the
important work with the
Promise-Readiness Corps for the 2010-2011 PRC program launch.
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Question of the Week
Click on the graphic to answer and be
entered to win a raffle prize!
A
new winner will be
selected at random each week from all responses. The winning response
will be
posted in the next eNews Update and the winner will receive a $25
Giant Eagle gift card in the mail.
Last week you responded to the question: Tell us about the most effective teacher you had during your own years in school. What made him/her so effective?
Last week's Question of the Week winner is Judith E. Bass, a teacher at Pittsburgh McNaugher.
Ms. Bass had this to say:"Mr. Leiner was my geometry teacher at Peabody. Geometry was difficult for me and a number of my 9th grade classmates. For me, it required an entirely new way of looking at things. After the first report card came out, and many of us received D's or E's, Mr. Leiner offered after school tutoring Monday through Thursday. This was a major help for me. I brought my grade up to a B and was able to keep it there the rest of the year."
Thank you Ms. Bass for
your response! You will receive your $25 Giant Eagle gift card in the mail
shortly. To view all of last week's responses, click here.
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You Ask, We Respond: Check Your PPS Email Monday-Friday for New Q&A
We continue to receive thoughtful and
relevant questions from teachers and staff about the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan and its seven initiatives.
Remember - check your PPS
email for the Question of the Day, Monday through Friday through the end of the school year.
You may also visit the regularly
updated questions and answers FAQs page on the Empowering Pittsburgh Teachers and PFT websites.
If you cannot find an answer to your question, please submit
your question at empoweringpittsburghteachers@pghboe.net or response@pft400.org.
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