Teachers are the most important in-school factor affecting student achievement. That's why it’s crucial school system leaders ensure our educators have the training, tools, support and compensation they need. Fortunately, the leaders of Dallas County school districts are doing just that.
School system leaders across Dallas County are actively collaborating, with support from Commit, to improve in four key areas: strategic compensation, strategic staffing, teacher preparation and teacher retention.
Strategic Compensation
Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) provides additional funding for school systems that implement multi-measure evaluation systems for educators. Educators who qualify for designations under these locally designed systems receive substantial salary increases, encouraging effective educators to stay in the classroom. That's why we’re thrilled that, as of earlier this year, eight of Dallas County’s traditional public school districts have fully implemented the program, and with support from Commit one more district was fully approved, and another expanded its program.
Strategic Staffing
TIA not only provides salary increases to effective educators, it also multiplies the raises for educators who choose to work on campuses with high concentrations of economic disadvantage. This means strategic staffing models such as Accelerating Campus Excellence or Opportunity Culture can be used to maximize both state funding and student success. We’re excited to work alongside a large regional charter network as it implements the latter across multiple Dallas County schools.
Teacher Retention
Commit’s Human Capital Management Convenings bring together human capital management leaders from school systems across Dallas County to share best practices to strengthen educator quality and retention. Leaders meet in collaborative spaces and analyze data and share stories of bright spots when particular policies led to extraordinary results.
Teacher Preparation
It’s important to recognize the role of teacher preparation program providers in setting up our future educators for success. Our Educator Preparation Program Working Group gathers deans and directors from 10 educator preparation programs to strengthen teacher candidates across Dallas County. Commit’s Analytics and Insights department will provide data analysis to illuminate which programs and practices produce the most effective teachers and retain them at the highest rates.
“It’s important to take a comprehensive approach to how we manage talent in public education,” says Commit Director of Educator Effectiveness Chelsea Valdez. “Everything from preparation to pay to professional development should ultimately support student success. Luckily, that much is understood by the leadership of Dallas County school districts.”
Interested in joining any of the programs listed above? Please contact Chelsea Valdez at chelsea.valdez@commitpartnership.org.
