|
used to develop and implement systems and practices within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district to align student achievement objectives with teacher and principal compensation at six schools in the first year of the initiative. By year five, sixteen schools will be included in the new compensation system.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is faced with the many challenges of a large, urban district, in a fast-growing community, where qualified teachers and principals are essential to student success especially within the district’s highest-need schools. It has been recognized in Charlotte that there is a critical need to address teacher and principal recruitment, retention, professional development and other related district support systems. The CTAC-CMS partnership initiative responds to that need.
“This grant demonstrates the federal government’s belief that CMS is ready to take the lessons learned from the landmark teacher compensation system in Denver and other successful initiatives around the country to a new level of impact on student achievement," said CTAC Executive Director William Slotnik. CTAC assisted Denver’s teachers, school officials and parents to design and implement a pay-for-performance system that not only promotes improved student outcomes but also has earned $25 million of annual taxpayer support.
The CTAC-CMS initiative is intended to meet four major goals: the creation of a performance-based compensation system for teachers and principals based on student achievement gains and regular classroom observations; the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers and principals in hard-to-staff schools and subject areas; the alignment and improvement of district systems to build teacher and principal capacity, and the development of the district’s capacity to extend and sustain the compensation system.
“Our high-need schools present a number of challenges with hiring and retention,” said Dr. Peter C. Gorman, Superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “Teacher turnover at those schools is too high – it averages 14% at elementary schools, 15% at middle schools and 18% at high schools. The averages for principals are even higher – 31% of the principals at those schools are new over the last two years. We need to stabilize the staffs so that learning is not disrupted and can be enhanced.”
The federal grant will allow CMS to build a systemic pay-for-performance plan to integrate a patchwork of incentives and plans now in place. “We are committed to establishing performance-based compensation as a systemic reform, not as an isolated program,” Gorman said. “That will give us the most positive impact on student achievement.” Teacher and principal salaries are the district’s single largest expenditure, and Gorman said that the project will align the biggest expense with the district’s highest priority, student achievement.
About CTAC: The Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC) is a national not-for-profit organization with a demonstrated record of success in urban communities in the fields of education, community development, and health and human services. CTAC focuses on developing leadership, planning and managerial expertise within community-based organizations, school systems, collaborative partnerships, state and municipal governments, and health and human service agencies. The staff of CTAC is comprised of nationally recognized executives, educators, researchers, policy makers, and organizers who have extensive experience working with governmental agencies, educational institutions, federal legislative bodies, not-for-profit organizations, philanthropic institutions and the private sector. Since 1979, CTAC has provided assistance to hundreds of community-based organizations, coalitions and public institutions, and has conducted research and evaluation studies with significant policy implications.
About the Teacher Incentive Fund: Funded for the first time in 2006, the Teacher Incentive Fund is a U.S. Department of Education initiative to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need, disadvantaged schools, where at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Goals include: 1) Improving student achievement by increasing teacher and principal effectiveness; 2) Reforming teacher and principal compensation systems so that teachers and principals are rewarded for increases in student achievement; 3) Increasing the number of effective teachers teaching poor, minority, and disadvantaged students in hard-to-staff subjects; and 4) Creating sustainable performance-based compensation systems. Sixteen grants totaling approximately $42 million were awarded in the fall of 2006, with another $38.2 million expected to be awarded in June of 2007. For more information about the Teacher Incentive Fund visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/index.html
Contact: Julia Thomé, Community Training and Assistance Center, 617-423-1444 or jthome@ctacusa.com
|
|
|
