New Teacher Center Policy News

June 2013

 

TELL Delaware Survey Informs and Drives State Reforms

Liam Goldrick, Director of Policy 

 

Delaware has been a state leader in advancing education policy and reform - and NTC is proud to be their partner in this effort. Along with Tennessee, Delaware was the first recipient of a Race to the Top grant in 2010. But it has an even longer track record of policy innovation in areas such as beginning teacher induction and mentoring. In fact, it is one of only three states in the nation that requires and funds a multi-year support program for its new teachers.

 

But its success has not prevented it from asking critical questions and using data and evidence to try to make conditions even better for its educators. That's where the NTC-led TELL Delaware Survey enters the picture.

 

Research shows that teaching conditions are positively associated with improved student achievement and teacher retention. The TELL Delaware Survey provides educators and policymakers with data, tools and direct support to facilitate school improvement and inform state policy. TELL Delaware includes questions on: Community Engagement and Support; Teacher Leadership; School Leadership; Managing Student Conduct; Use of Time; Professional Development; Facilities and Resources; Instructional Practices and Support; and New Teacher Support.

 

Through the leadership of Governor Jack Markell, Secretary Mark Murphy, the Delaware Department of Education and a coalition of education stakeholders, the voices of almost 60 percent of state educators were captured during the 2013 TELL Delaware administration. Beginning teachers reported a lack of systemic induction opportunities, despite the state's existing policy in place. While 88 percent of new teachers reported being formally assigned a mentor, less than half indicated receiving mentor support once a month or more in any area identified on the survey, including aligning lesson plans with curriculum (38 percent), reflecting on teaching together (44 percent), addressing student conduct (45 percent), analyzing student assessments (35 percent) or student work (34 percent), observing mentors' classes (21 percent), mentors observing beginning teachers (30 percent), and developing lesson plans (41 percent).

 

At the release of the TELL Delaware results, Secretary Murphy announced the Comprehensive Induction Innovation Grant, a competitive grant opportunity for school districts. Through this process, LEAs will be eligible to receive funding to support the development and delivery of innovative induction and mentoring strategies. Districts will utilize their TELL Delaware data to support their proposals.

 

As a result of Delaware's commitment to and focus on educational innovation, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) honored the state with the prestigious Frank Newman Award for State Innovation at the 2013 National Forum on Education Policy in St. Louis, Missouri on June 26. According to ECS, the award recognizes "the state's bold approach to comprehensive education reform and its successful model of collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders." The TELL Delaware survey is cited by ECS as one element of its reforms that is "bold, replicable and scalable."

 

Through our Teaching and Learning Conditions Initiative, NTC provides TELL data to states and districts across the nation to inform policy development and program implementation.  Since 2007, NTC has surveyed over 1.6 million educators, with over 1 million responses recorded, in 14 states and within 23 school districts.  Data has been provided to nearly 26,000 schools across the nation.

  
NTC News

NTC Talks Policy With State Teachers of the Year   

On June 25th, NTC Director of Policy Liam Goldrick discussed educator evaluation with 42 State Teachers of the Year at the ECS National Forum on Education Policy. He framed his remarks around the key takeaways from a  NTC policy paper on evaluating and supporting beginning teachers in the state of Illinois. A main message from the teachers in attendance was the importance of time for and teacher ownership of evaluation and related systems for professional learning. 

 

The Role of Induction in the Implementation of Common Core Standards  

  Learning Forward 

On June 26th,  Learning Forward released a report -  Meet the Promise of Content Standards: The Role of Comprehensive Induction- that outlines the key role of comprehensive induction in the successful implementation of the   Common Core standards. The brief is part of Learning Forward's initiative - Transforming Professional Learning to Prepare College- and Career-Ready Students: Implementing the Common Core. In the report, Learning Forward specifically credits the New Teacher Center for defining and leading the promotion of comprehensive, research-based, high-quality induction.

 

The brief makes recommendations for federal, state, district, and school level leaders for new investments in developing comprehensive induction systems aligned to the Common Core standards and linked to educator evaluation and support systems. 

 

Policy News

California School Finance Reform Ends Dedicated Induction Funding

Earlier this month, the California Legislature approved Governor Jerry Brown's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Under the new formula, starting this fall, most of California's schools will receive a larger base grant to spend as they see fit, supplemented by additional funds for three subgroups of students.  Districts where more then 55 percent of students are poor, English language learners and/or foster kids will receive additional funds.  "This is a real step forward," said Gov. Brown.  This change in the formula, he explained, "will strengthen local school districts."

 

The new formula, however, does away with dedicated state funding for new teacher mentoring and induction.  NTC Director of Policy Liam Goldrick addressed this issue in a recent EdSource commentary.  Goldrick explained that as a result of the recent categorical funding flexibility granted to school districts in the face of budget cuts, 55 percent of California's school districts shifted funding away from the state's required Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program.  While the temporary flexibility was meant to end after this fiscal year, the new funding formula solidifies the state's lack of dedicated investment in beginning teachers.

 

 
New York Mentoring Program for STEM Teachers

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the New York State Master Teacher Program, a new statewide initiative.  Under this program, highly effective math and science teachers who commit to serve as mentors for other teachers will receive up to $15,000 annually for four years.  Master teacher candidate must be ranked "highly effective," have at least four years of teaching experience, hold a state teaching certification, and have primarily taught math and science.  A team lead by State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy Zimpher will select the master teachers who will be trained on SUNY campuses.   The program will begin with 250 mentor teachers in four regions of the state in the fall of 2013 and will expand to the remaining six regions in the spring of 2014.

 

Read more here.  

 

Good Reads

Cultivating the Principals Urban Schools Need       

  June 2013-Report 

A recent report, Districts Matter: Cultivating the Principals Urban Schools Need, by the Wallace Foundation, suggests that great principals are purposefully cultivated.  The report outlines two key roles that urban districts can play in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled schools. 

  1. Build a large corps of well-qualified candidates for the principalship.
  2. Support school leaders on the job.

Supporting school leaders requires, among other things, mentoring of novice principals and professional development for all principals, so that school leaders learn and improve throughout their careers.  

 

Implementing New Evaluation Systems with No Time or Money  

At a time when states and districts are faced with significant budget cuts, many are also implementing new teacher evaluation systems that demand more time and funding.  An article published in The Hechinger Report, illustrates the experience and the challenges of Pittsburg in implementing a new teacher evaluation system. The district has funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and through a Race to the Top grant.  However, the district faces a $304 million budget shortfall and as many as 3,500 layoffs in the coming fall - including almost all assistant principals.  

 

 

MOOCs For Teachers  

Ellen Moir, NTC founder and CEO, discusses our ongoing work with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). While some are skeptical about the use of MOOCs to provide educational access, Moir suggests that organizations must embrace change as part of learning.  She sees MOOCs as a tool to help rural areas with few teachers and urban areas with scarcity of teachers in key disciplines.  In these districts, she explains, it is challenging to take local expert teachers from the classroom to support their novice peers. 

 

Starting in August, NTC, in partnership with Coursera, will offer elementary and secondary teachers high-quality strategies for advancing student learning through a MOOC entitled First Year Teaching - Success from the Start. NTC will also help teachers access tools and techniques for implementing the Common Core State Standards through literacy and mathematics online courses.  

 

 

NTC Policy News is a monthly publication by the New Teacher Center. It is produced with funding support from the Joyce Foundation. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation invests in initiatives to improve public education and works to close the achievement gap by improving the quality of teachers in schools that serve low-income and minority children.

 

  

 
In This Issue
TELL Delaware Survey Informs and Drives State Reforms
NTC Talks Policy With State Teachers of the Year
The Role of Induction in the Implementation of Common Core Standards
California School Finance Reform Ends Dedicated Induction Funding
New York Mentoring Program for STEM Teacher
Cultivating the Principals Urban Schools Need
Implementing New Evaluation Systems with No Time or Money
MOOCs For Teachers
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NTC Mentors Chicago Teachers

New Teacher Center is addressing the issue of teacher retention through mentoring and induction of new teachers.  This video showcases our work in Chicago Public Schools.

Chicago Video  

Watch Ellen Moir's interview here

Ellen Video  

Teaching Teachers in Rhode Island

NTC's work focuses on accelerating teacher effectiveness through mentoring and induction.  This video showcases our work in Rhode Island classrooms. 

RHODE ISLAND CLASSROOM 101 WSBE DT HD RI PBS  1
Rhode Island Classroom 101 WSBE DT HD RI PBS 1

  

NTC News Updates 

Read about NTC's latest news updates and media coverage here.     

    

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Director Positions (1)

- New Teacher Center (2) 

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