Work
with 21 D.C. Schools Aims to Retain Effective Educators and Drive School Wide
Achievement Gains
July 9, 2014 (Washington DC)—Principals and teachers from 17 D.C.
public schools are gathering this week to identify challenges they want to
tackle in the coming school year and the leadership roles teachers can play in
driving this positive change. The effort is being facilitated by Leading
Educators, a nonprofit organization that partners with districts to identify
leadership opportunities for teachers and train them in the management skills
necessary to be successful. This year, Leading Educators is working with 21
DCPS schools up from seven in 2013-14.
During
this week’s kick-off, principals and teachers will outline their work for the
coming school year, set goals and assign responsibilities for teachers. The
effort gives teachers the chance to take on larger roles within their schools
while remaining in the classroom working with their students. Some of the
challenges they may take on are leading intervention programs for students who
are behind their grade level, creating model classrooms where teachers can
observe effective instructional practices, and developing strategies for
lowering suspension rates, among others.
“D.C.
public schools are at the forefront of teacher leadership development and
understand the power of great educators to lead their peers to better student
outcomes,” said Jonas Chartock, CEO of Leading Educators. “Through our work
with these 21 schools, we are helping them identify the right roles for these
teachers and developing the skills all successful leaders need. Our early
results in D.C. show that this work has the potential to dramatically improve
the retention rates of excellent teachers and increase student achievement
across the board. We’re very excited about what we’re seeing here.”
In its
first year partnering with DCPS, Leading Educators worked with seven schools. By
the end of the year, one school noticed a significant decrease in office
referrals after creating a Special Education Department; another school that
started a blending learning program has received a grant to expand the work so
that each student will have access to technology throughout the day; another
school improved continuity of curriculum to ensure that each grade
appropriately builds on the previous one. Several schools overhauled the way
they use data by utilizing data coaches and weekly review cycles to closely
monitor when students are growing or struggling.
Partner
schools for 2014-15 are:
Stanton
ES*
Wheatley
EC*
Tyler
ES*
CW
Harris*
Janney
ES*
Ballou
SHS
Beers
ES
Brightwood
EC
Cardozo
EC
CHEC
HS
Eastern
SHS
Garrison
ES
Jefferson
MS
Ketcham
ES
Langley
ES
McKinley
Technology SHS
Powell
ES
Seaton
ES
Tubman
ES
Truesdell
EC
Eliot-Hine
MS
*Leading
Educators Partner in 2013-14
###
Leading
Educators is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve student
achievement by accelerating the positive impact of experienced teachers who
take on leadership positions in their schools. We partner with districts,
schools and individual educators to develop their management skills so they can
lead their peers to better student outcomes. In doing so, we help retain
our best educators, refresh the talent pipeline and improve outcomes from the
classroom.