Mission Possible on Steroids (LIVE BLOG EVENT)

LIVE from GCS Central Office...a special called Board meeting to discuss a new initiative to attract new teachers in low-performing schools.

11:47am...Mo Green: "Today is to discuss an initiative to attract and retrain teachers in low performing schools. I've been doing a 100 day listening and learning tour...we're a little bit in advance of that today...one area of focus today is on human resources. One initiative is to get strong educators in front of children. We're going to be looking at strategies.

To take advantage of this....this will allow us to continue the process to have this implemented....

Dr. Peggy Thompson, chief HR officer: We want to introduce a product to bring in the best and the brightest in our classrooms.

While we're making strides, there's still much more work to be done with respect to our low performing schools.

Dr. Beth Folger, chief academic officer: Not enough high quality teachers are equipped nor are ready to teach in these schools.

Thompson: Teacher quality makes a difference. Not only is there a teacher shortage, but a teacher distribution factor. We want to seize this opportunity by looking at different strategies to put these educators in front of our most needy children.

Amy Holcolmbe, executive director, Talent Development: There continues to be a teacher shortage in this state. We can either continue looking out of state or looking at alternative licensure routes to bring these people into our classrooms.

Steve Glazerman: Mathematica Policy Research director: We're excited about our partnership with GCS. Mathemtica is a research organization and in this instance, we're contracted with the US Dept. of Education to test out a fairly ambitious but important idea to implement this in 10-12 school districts around the county in a research study. The arrangement is a nice one. Guilford Co. is looking for strategies for capital needs for its students who are the most disadvantaged.

A lot of the heavy lifting is already being done.

We also want to identify low performing schools. We've been in discussions as to which schools GCS wants to target. We work closely with the New Schools Project.

What determines career decisions among these teachers? How safe is your car in the parking lot? What impact do the high performing teachers have in their new settings?
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12:14pm: Dr. Gongzhu Zhang, chief accountability and research officer: At a Nov. 5 meeting, we decided to identify the schools based on a ranking, then we tried to identify those schools not participating in Mission Possible. Five elementary schools badly needed help. So for middle schools, similar to elementary situations. We sought out teachers who have been teaching for at least three years.

This new nationwide study...we already have two years of MP data. Very limited teachers will be involved. It will be a very rich study. GCS can benefit greatly.

Holcombe: we want to hold these MP schools harmless, since we have other research projects going on in addition to MP so we are removing MP from this project altogether.

Thompson: This program is completely voluntary. There's not cost at all to the district. It is important to also note that we talked to Mark Jewell from NCAE, and they are in full support of this.

Q&A from Board members upcoming...
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Dr. Nancy Routh: what are you doing at looking at the leadership of the low-performing school?

Glazerman: we're conducting pilot and a feasibility...what would be a good match and what would be a good motivator...a great teacher, they won't work for a principal that they can't buy into. We can carefully select schools were if there is a concern where leadership that is not going to be effective, those schools might be eliminated. This study is a carefully controlled experiment.

This program is being duplicated into other districts around the country.

Routh: Length of time of the study?

Glazerman: Fall of 2009 then a six month timeframe. One of the things we found useful is the communication between the district and school leadership and to access the resources that are available to them.

Routh: How many years of data are available?

Glazerman: We have early data right now, we just started placing teachers.
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12:18pm: Anita Sharpe: What is the compensation for MP teachers (to Sharon Ozment):

Sharon Ozment, chief financial officer: math teachers: $2,500 recruitment incentive for primary grades, 6-8 eligible for $9,000 incentive, algebra, eligible for $10,000 bonus if they have a math degree. High school, same rules apply. $6,500 elementary, $14,000 for middle school, $18,000 for high school, maximum payout.
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12:24pm: Amos Quick (To Thompson): when do we begin to address the issue of principal stability?

Thompson: I think we've begun to address it. That is a concern for us. In some cases, we have resignations...retirements. In some cases, we have promotions. I concur, I think administrative stability is key, both in this endeavor as well as others.

Quick: I also have an issue with an experiment being done at low-performing schools. What if it doesn't work?

Green: The way I would look at it as one of a number of different strategies to bring in high quality teachers at low-performing schools. I'm suggesting to you that I would like to fill these vacancies with people who can move student performance.

Quick: we have had experiments and they don't work and we need to get back to the core of doing what works to educating these children and I do know that moving principals has had an effect for the schools in District 9.
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12:31: Garth Hebert (to Dr. Zhang): we weigh heavily for smaller classrooms, allocated funds for smaller classrooms? Have we tainted the data pool?

Zhang: if you're talking about MP, we already received a brief report of high schools and their cumulative effects.

Hebert: I'm looking for the reduced class sizes and the weighted allocation formulas for funds.

Zhang: We have not looked at that.

Hebert: Aren't we tainting the data pool?

Zhang: We will have Peggy take a look.

Glazerman: we know what works relative to student achievement. We know teacher effects are strong. I can understand there can be some negative connotations.

Hebert: You're taking a pool of people, who are used to working in one environment, placing them in another, paying them more, in the form of an experiment...I don't buy it.

Glazerman: I probably would not characterize it that way. My experience in teacher mobility...those who move out of the district...a teacher who has a weak attachment to their school has a weak attachment to their school. When you invest a lot in teacher induction and then they leave you, then that costs a district a lot of money. What kinds of training opportunities are being provided to both enhance productivity to these teachers?

Hebert: I'm with Amos...I'm skeptical.

Glazerman: It's for the district, but it is for the benefit of all districts, including yours. This is how many of the programs coming out of the Dept. of Education comes out. Obviously districts that participate in programs like these would benefit. It is hard to find out what works unless things are tried.
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12:48pm: Jeff Belton: I understand a Mission Possible report is due soon? Why did we have this briefing today before that report?

Thompson: We're still waiting for some value-added data to come in. The report is due Dec. 17.

Belton: how would this put up against any potential teacher unionization?

Chairman Alan Duncan casually reminds Belton that collective bargaining is currently not allowed in North Carolina.

Thompson tells Belton the program is voluntary and has the blessing of NCAE president Mark Jewell.
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Duncan: is staff recommending we do this?

Thompson: yes. The historical perspective, the impact for having these teachers in these schools...the answer is yes.

Sharpe introduces a motion to table the discussion, which passes on a vote of 5-3, Kearns, Belton and Garrett voting nay.
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1:54pm: back at the home office...I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Quick and Mr. Hebert...I would not be in favor of this proceeding...at least not until the new incoming Board has had a chance to look at this. And not to mention that I would want this proposal to be in conjunction with the upcoming Mission Possible report.

Again, I will reference my sister-in-law; when we have qualified math teachers such as her who want to go into MP schools to teach and they are not even being given interviews, or the professional courtesy of a call back after an interview, something is critically and categorically wrong. And until this is corrected, I cannot wrap my hands around anything related to Mission Possible, or even this proposal. Don't use our district as guinea pigs, when we have enough problems as it is.
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UPDATE: Doug Clark at the N&R was also at the meeting, and is discussing it as well.

E.C. :)