Improving Student Achievement through Human Capital in the Boston Public Schools

Improving Student Achievement through Human Capital in the Boston Public Schools

A great teacher in every classroom In schools, teacher quality is the single most important variable impacting student learning. A teaching force that represents the nation s racial, ethnic, and linguistic cultures is advantageous to the academic performance of students of all backgrounds, and for students of color specifically (National Education Association, 2014) Having a top-quartile teacher rather than a bottom-quartile teacher four years in a row may be enough to close the black-white test score gap (Gordon, Kane and Staiger, 2006) Having a high-quality teacher throughout elementary school can substantially offset or even eliminate the disadvantage of low socioeconomic background (Rivkin, Hanushek and Kain, 2002) Students assigned to a good teacher over three years in a row will score 50 percentile points higher on tests than students assigned to weak teachers over the same period (Sanders, 1996) 2

Agenda Hiring Recruitment Workforce Diversity Performance Evaluation Excessed Teachers Leadership Development 3

Transforming recruitment & hiring June 7 th : 75% of hiring complete 4

Staffing autonomy is bounded Goal: All BPS staff reflect the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of BPS students In order for schools to earn the autonomy to open post positions and hire, school leaders: Completed performance evaluations by 1/13/14 Had a functional School Site Council and Personnel Subcommittee Interviewed candidates reflective of the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of candidates who applied Interviewed at least three excessed teachers when they apply Central Office reviews all recommendations to hire 5

Recruitment Letters of Commitment Letters of Intent Community Organizations 2013 2014 17 issued (13 candidates of color) Not issued 98 issued (all candidates of color) 109 issued (48 Black, 7 Hispanic, 12 Asian) 10 contacted 51 contacted HBCUs targeted 3 18 Career Fairs 6 local colleges 17 colleges & universities Colleges & Universities Advertising Occasional contact BNN, Metro, El Planeta, Touch 107, Teachers of Color, Troops to Teachers, IBEW Billboard Monthly communication with 42 MA colleges & universities El Planeta, El Mundo, Teachers of Color, Bulletin, MBTA, Reporter, Banner, 6 IBEW Billboard

Recruitment outcomes 7

Marketing & advertising 8

Workforce diversity 9

Workforce diversity Asian Black Hispanic Other White Teachers & Guidance Counselors 10/2013 5.9% 21.2% 10.0% 0.6% 62.4% 3/2014 (Post-probable org) 6.2% 21.0% 9.9% 0.5% 62.4% 5/2014 6.2% 22.1% 10.4% 0.6% 60.8% Guild (May 2014) Managerial (May 2014) 3.6% 32.1% 11.4% 0.0% 52.9% 7.6% 33.4% 13.6% 0.3% 45.0% Principals & Headmasters (May 2014) 2.9% 38.8% 10.1% 0.0% 48.2% Attrition Asian Black Hispanic White Other AVG 2010-11 5.8% 7.4% 8.6% 7.0% -- 7.2% 2011-12 7.1% 6.1% 5.0% 5.4% 5.3% 5.8% 2012-13 5.3% 6.7% 6.0% 4.2% 10.0% 6.4% 10

Performance evaluation: In teachers words I finished looking over my evaluation and everything seems consistent with our past conversations and debriefs from observations. Thank you for taking specific data points and capturing things that I have said. It truly provides me the opportunity to notice things that I would not otherwise while I am in the moment. -BPS Teacher Thanks for making the evaluation a tool to grow and reflect. I appreciate your inputs and prescriptions -BPS Teacher 11

Performance evaluation Teacher evaluation completion rates continue to improve Prior to 2010*: 53% of tenured teachers received a biennial evaluation 41% of non-tenured teachers received a biennial evaluation 38 out of 144 schools did not submit any performance evaluations *Human Capital in Boston Public Schools (National Council on Teacher Quality, 2010) Mid-Year Evaluations End-of-Year Evaluations*** 2012-13 (Year 1) 44%* 70% 2013-14 (Year 2) 93%** 86% * Data from March 19, 2013 ** Data from January 13,2014 *** Data from May 15 of each school year Beginning in 2014-15, educator performance evaluations will begin to incorporate a rating of impact on student learning 12

Performance evaluation OHC Implementation Specialists have conducted coobservations in a sampling of BPS schools to collect data on objectivity BPS Calibration System (featuring BPS teachers) will be implemented in SY2014-15 Objectivity Training to reduce implicit bias in evaluators will be deployed in SY2014-15 after pilot with the Executive Team Observation and Feedback course continues to address some issues of observer bias 13

A focus on diversity The Office of Human Capital will focus on: Pipeline Development Work with existing programs including BTR, TNY, and TFA Provide 3 Pathways to Licensure for candidates of color without a MA license MTEL/Licensure Support, Networking, and Mentoring Assist provisional teachers, paraprofessionals, and substitute teachers of color with MTEL preparation, licensure support, and Career development Continue Male Educators of Color leadership development program Facilitate a Community-to-Paraprofessional program A pre-collegiate Teacher Development Program will recruit 40 high potential students of color (especially males) at BPS schools in 8th grade to start an 8 year pipeline to return to BPS after college as educators with particular focus in STEM, Bilingual education, and other interests Recruitment Continue improved branding in local and regional media Travel to additional HBCU career fairs Host recruitment events and BPS-specific fairs Create additional materials targeting educators of color Increase print and online advertising of school-based positions 14

Excessed teachers As of June 18, 131 offers were made to excessed permanent teachers At this pace, we project at least 166 excessed teachers will earn jobs If no additional excessed teachers earn jobs through open posting, we will place between 123 and 200 teachers into a suitable professional capacity. This includes ~50 teachers who have not applied to any positions as of 6/18/14 However, additional excessed teachers will earn jobs through the Post Transfer Placement Process (mutual-consent hiring restricted to excessed teachers) 15

Leadership development Aspiring Principals Program 2013-27 candidates participated and 15 are now principals/headmasters in BPS Currently BPS has 25 participants in the Aspiring Principal Program and 4 full time fellows in the Lynch Leadership Academy In 2014-2015 BPS will expand work with the Lynch Leadership Academy and other partners to support leadership development Observation & Feedback Course improves leaders ability to give feedback for instructional improvement 20 BPS schools are in the School Administrative Manager (SAMs) program to increase time spent on instructional leadership 16