be part of the equation celine coggins, ph.d. founder & ceo 1

BE PART OF THE EQUATION

Celine Coggins, Ph.D. Founder & CEO

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Overview

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• Who We Are

• What We Do

• Teaching Policy Fellows

• T+ Network

• T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams

• What We’ve Learned


Mission Statement

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The mission of Teach Plus is to improve the achievement of urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to excellent, experienced teachers.

Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of reform. They are the:

Teaching Policy Fellowship, T+ Network, and T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams.

Our programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers in the second stage of their careers (in most cases, years 3 through 10) who want to continue classroom teaching, while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in state and district policy.

BE PART OF THE EQUATION4

Nearly half of new teachers leave urban classrooms within 3 years, just as they are beginning to have the strongest impact on student learning.

We’re giving effective teachers a reason to stay.

Teachers are the most important factor in student achievement. Four consecutive years of excellent teachers could close the achievement gap.

Over 50% of urban teachers have less than 10 years in the classroom.

When effective teachers leave the classroom there is a significant cost to students and schools.

Teacher experience is correlated with effectiveness.

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What We Know


Teach Plus Theory of Change

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Effective Teachers

Effective Teaching

Not Defined

Inequitable Distribution of Teachers

Lack of Leadership Opportuniti

es

Incentives to Teach in High-Need

schools

New Ways for Teachers

to Make Impact

Reward Effective Teaching

Raise Student Achievement

Start

Goal

Barriers

Teach Plus

High Attrition of Effective Teachers

Teacher-Led Advocacy

for Change


Our Geographies

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We work with approximately 4,500 teachers in the following cities:Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, andDC

We run an online fellowship for TFA alums in the following cities:Baltimore,Durham,Las Vegas,Mississippi Delta, andNew York City.


Teaching Policy Fellowship

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The Teaching Policy Fellows is a highly-selective program for teachers interested in having a voice in the decisions that affect their classrooms. Teachers meet in monthly sessions that during a cohort experience that spans two school years.

Teachers of urban charter and district schools in years 3-10 serve in cohorts of 20-25 teachers per city and earn a $3,000 stipend over 18-months.

There are 175 total Teach Plus Fellows and Fellowship Alumni.


Fellowship Impact

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The Fellows proposed a model for staffing turnaround schools with teams of highly effective teacher leaders called T3.

T3 is now operating in six of Boston Public School district’s low performing schools.

Boston IndianapolisThe Fellows secured a change

to the teachers’ contract that incorporates performance into the layoff process, which had previously been quality-blind.

The next year they advocated for a legislative change that changed layoff processes statewide.Elevating an alternative teacher voice

Teach Plus Fellows have published over a dozen reports and articles in the past year and have blogs on EdWeek and Huffington Post.


Fellowship Impact

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Typology of Fellows Impact


T+ Network

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The T+ Network is a rapidly-growing national movement of teachers who believe a critical voice has been missing from education policy decision-making: the voice of teachers for kids.

Expanding series of interactive in-person and virtual forums, we provide opportunities for teachers to give direct feedback to policy makers.

Multi-tier engagement strategy to reach and mobilize the greatest number of reform-minded teachers. In-person events use live-polling to gather data from all teachers (typically

over 100 per event) Online discussion forums Weekly education policy news blast Monthly education policy news letter


T+ Network Impact

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1) Connecting teachers to policy makers and educating them on key reform issues.Recent event speakers included Michelle Rhee, LA

Superintendent John Deasey, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and AEI Director of Policy Studies Frederick Hess

Recent events:Where are YOU in the Union? A conversation

among early-career teachers and union leadersMoving Beyond the LA Times: How do teachers

define effective teaching?Racing to the Top: A forum for teacher voice


T+ Network Impact

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2) Demonstrating that reform-minded teachers exist.Teach Plus has grown from 16 founding

teachers to a national movement of 4,500 teachers in 2 years.85% agree that some teachers in their

building contribute more to student learning and ought to be rewarded.

89% believe it is a reasonable goal to expect teachers to attain one year’s worth of academic growth with students each year.


T+ Network Impact

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3) Providing data policy makers can use.As state policy makers were writing the MA Race to the Top

proposal, 86% of T+ Network teachers agreed that growth in student learning should be included as part of a teacher’s evaluation. State leaders said this data was critical in their decision to be bold on evaluation reform.

In an event with union leaders, teachers cited “I don’t agree with the union’s vision and direction” as the #1 reason they are not involved in the union.

In Memphis, teachers voted on which new observation rubric to use in evaluation and how to weight the different elements of the evaluation tool. District leaders adopted teachers’ decision.

4) Connecting reform-minded teachers with each other.


T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams

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The T3 Initiative is a first-of-its-kind program designed to ensure that underserved students have increased access to effective, experienced teachers. The concept was developed by Boston Teaching Policy Fellows.

Teacher leaders: Apply through a rigorous process that requires evidence of at

least 3 years of effective teaching in an urban classroom; Work as a team that comprises at least 25% of the school staff;Receive specialized training;Take on teacher leadership roles within the school; andEarn additional compensation.

T3 teachers are charged with producing dramatic gains in student achievement in a previously low-performing school.


T3 Impact

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T3 attracted large numbers of excellent teachers to work in low-performing schools, challenging the notion that great teachers do not want to teach in struggling schools.There were more than six applicants for each position

available100% of teachers offered T3 positions accepted. Over 50% of first two cohorts fills a high need area.

T3 demonstrated that it is possible to change the teaching culture of a school.

T3 is a proof point that teachers can provide viable solutions to tough education policy problems.


T3 Impact

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T3 schools outperformed every possible comparison group on student learning growth. All schools in MAAll schools in BPSAll turnaround schools statewideAll BPS turnaround schools

On elementary math, T3 Schools as a whole outperformed 89% of schools in MA

At the middle school level, the one T3 School outperformed

96% of schools in ELA growth 98% of schools in math growth

be part of the equation celine coggins, ph.d. founder & ceo 1

Documents

voice of teachers

new teachers

urban teachers

experienced teachers

teachers contract

founding teachers

reformminded teachers

teachers of urban charter