Talent for Turnaround Leadership Academy: National Meeting
T4TLA teams assembled state and district teams assembled in Crystal City, VA on November 15-16, 2018 to share their challenges and successes in improving teacher retention in high-need schools.
The GTL Center team was inspired and energized by the progress each team shared, the cross-state conversations, and the advice, research, and resources shared by presenters. Below we offer a few highlights and links to a sampling of excellent resources from our state and district teams. Enjoy!
Insights from the GTL Center Team
Strategies Must Be Tailored for High-Need Contexts
"Making certain that the students who are behind academically are the main beneficiaries of all of our work to improve educator talent needs to be a priority. All our strategies must be tailored for and utilized by our lowest performing schools. If we fail to do this, gaps in equitable access and achievement will persist." ~Etai Mizrav, GTL Content Lead for Equitable Access
It's All About the Teams
"Ensuring beginning teachers are learner ready for the kids who need them the most can, at times, appear radically difficult. But seeing T4TLA teams use the GTL Center's mentoring and induction supports to build out comprehensive programs for new teachers has reinforced for me the value of teams working together to address this important challenge. The T4TLA teams in our affinity group took different approaches to solving challenges in their unique contexts. We are seeing the impact as states and districts consider new legislation to support their programs, hire cadres of new mentors, host targeted trainings, reach out to stakeholders with compelling resources, and scale-up to support additional low-performing schools to develop new programs." ~Lisa Lachlan, GTL Content Lead for M&I
Resource Highlights: T4TLA Teams
Colorado & Adams 12 (Five Star) Schools: Recruitment and Hiring
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and West Comprehensive Center have partnered with Adams 12, a suburban district, in developing a “Recruitment and Hiring Playbook” outlining key strategies for supporting their highest need schools in attracting and hiring the most qualified teacher and leader candidates. Explore the Playbook to find ideas for your own district or school.
Indiana & Kokomo School Corporation: Mentoring and Induction
Indiana’s lowest performing school districts lose almost half of new teachers in their first five years of service. To stem this loss of talent, the Great Lakes Comprehensive Center and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) worked with Kokomo School Corporation to design and pilot a comprehensive multi-year mentoring and induction program for new teachers. Learn more about this project in our recent newsletter feature, explore a recent presentation about the pilot, and view a handout Indiana shared at the national meeting outlining the project's successes and challenges.
Rhode Island & Central Falls School District: Mentoring and Induction
The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the Northeast Comprehensive Center are partnering with Central Falls School District, a small town with a 1-mile radius, to improve the retention of teachers. Central Falls is implementing a Comprehensive Induction Program for first and second year teachers, with a special focus on trauma-informed practices and restorative justice. As part of the program, the district hired four part-time "induction specialists" who each support four to six new teachers using RIDE's New Teacher Center Induction Program. Learn more about in our recent newsletter feature, and explore the resources the Rhode Island team shared at the national meeting:
- Induction Specialist Infographic
- Induction Specialist Job Posting
- Induction Specialist Interview Evaluation Form
- Induction Mentee Survey
Social Media Round-Up
Fantastic insights were shared live on Twitter during the meeting. Explore our "Twitter Moment" below to see all the #T4TLA tweets in one place.
