This edition of Eye on the Prize begins our year-long showcasing of the five 2008 Broad Prize finalist school districts. This month, we explore promising practices in two finalist districts to develop and support highly effective teachers.

• The Teacher Challenge
• Training and Induction in Long Beach
• Teacher Leadership in Broward County

The Teacher Challenge

Broad Prize finalist districts, like many others across the country, struggle to ensure that new teachers have adequate training and support when they enter their classrooms, and that they continue to find challenges and rewards that encourage them to stay more than three or five years.

The Long Beach Unified School District in California and Broward County Public Schools in Florida have a history of hiring and retaining highly effective teachers. For example, Long Beach hires 130 to 250 teachers each spring and successfully fills 100 percent of its vacant teaching slots in a given year. In Broward County, the average teacher stays in the classroom for nearly 13 years.

In Broward County, more than 70 percent of teachers who started in 2003 were still in their classrooms in 2006. In Long Beach, the teacher retention rate has been between 90 and 92 percent over the last three years. These numbers provide a stark contrast to estimates of teacher turnover nationally—with approximately one-third of all new teachers leaving after three years, with 46 percent gone within five years.

It's not just the "teach at the beach" recruiting slogans that are working to draw and keep effective teachers in these coastal districts on either side of the U.S. These two 2008 Broad Prize finalists have invested in training, induction, ongoing mentorship and career ladders—all of which are designed to build, support and retain a high-quality teaching force.

Training and Induction in Long Beach Unified School District

Seamless Teacher Preparation

The Long Beach Unified School District recruits heavily from local colleges to fill its teaching posts and has partnered with nearby colleges and universities to tailor teacher training programs to the needs of the district. A "Seamless Education Partnership" between the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and Long Beach City College (LBCC) began in the 1990s to improve student achievement and align academic standards and teaching methods in Long Beach from preschool through graduate school.

Over the last decade, the partnership has enabled the district and local college and university staff to work together to ensure that new teacher candidates not only understand the culture and expectations in Long Beach schools, but also possess deep content knowledge that enables them to teach the concepts that students must master, and receive initial training in the instructional methods they are expected to use in their classrooms.

• Ensuring new teachers possess necessary content knowledge
  The education partnership in Long Beach involves hands-on cooperation among university faculty, district leaders, principals and teachers. When CSULB redesigned its teacher preparation program, for example, leaders from LBUSD were closely involved in the development of the curriculum. District leaders observed that many new teachers were coming to the classroom without a solid grasp of the academic content standards to which their students would be held on annual assessments. University faculty and district leadership worked together to remedy the problem by designing a course of study that emphasized the types of content and standards that new teachers would need to cover with their students. To help meet Long Beach's critical need for math and science teachers, CSULB also developed a special track for university students to pursue a concentration in the teaching of math and science, helping to increase interest and strengthen K-8 teachers' math and science subject matter preparation. Click here for more information on current areas of concentration.
• Preparing teachers to use proven instructional methods
  District leaders have a clear philosophy about how teachers should convey material in every grade level and across all subjects in Long Beach. They draw on college and university partnerships to ensure that teaching candidates receive a foundation in the district's core pedagogy during their university training. The Essential Elements of Effective Instruction (EEEI), used in every Long Beach classroom, involves a range of research-based methods, including modeling, guided practice, checking for understanding and independent practice. (click here for a link to an overview of EEEI)
  
  Because more than 80 percent of new teachers in Long Beach come from CSULB and LBCC, the district has worked to integrate these instructional strategies into the curriculum at local colleges and universities. Local college students who plan to become teachers are now versed in the Long Beach pedagogy before they even set foot in a district classroom.
  
  "We start out with a common language and common vocabulary," says Wendy Hayes Ebright, the district's coordinator for gifted and talented education. "Most of our teachers speak it when they arrive here because they've taken courses which include instruction in EEEI and other strategies."

The decade-long success of the Seamless Education Partnership has resulted from an ongoing commitment from district and university leadership. A partnership administrator—a full-time staff member who facilitates regular communication and oversees partnership programs—has also been key, helping to emphasize relationship-building and community when meeting the needs of Long Beach students. Content area representatives from schools and the district meet monthly to review course content with college and university professors. These meetings give university faculty an opportunity to share advanced content knowledge and expertise with district staff members while helping ensure that new teaching graduates stay up to date with course requirements in LBUSD schools.

For more information on Long Beach's Seamless Education Partnership, please contact:
Judy Seal
Administrator
jseal@lbusd.k12.ca.us
562.997.8054

Providing Induction and Support for Beginning Teachers

College training isn't the only thing new teachers can rely on to prepare them for their first day—and year—in a Long Beach classroom.

"Even the best classroom training will be very different from a teacher's first day with her own students," says Ebright. "So we bring new teachers into our induction program to help them get off and running with the knowledge that they acquired in their pre-service years."

While California mandates district induction programs, Long Beach leaders have carefully tailored the district's program to provide beginning teachers with the type of comprehensive support that they need and an intense introduction to the culture of the district.

Among the induction program's features are:

• New Teacher Institute
  Long Beach's induction program begins with a mandatory two-year program for all teachers who are new to the district—whether or not they are new to the teaching profession. In August prior to their first year, teachers participate in a week-long training led by experienced LBUSD colleagues on core district practices such as EEEI, required elements of a lesson plan, mandatory curriculum materials and key district initiatives. This training is supplemented by an additional five days of professional development provided during release time. Elementary teachers participate in special training during their first year which addresses reading-language arts as the content focus supplemented by key modules from EEEI. During the second year in the district, new elementary teachers receive content training in math, along with additional instruction in EEEI and other strategies. Middle and high school teachers receive training in their content area and EEEI strategies during their first year and then receive training in content based literacy strategies, EEEI and other strategies during their second year.
• School site coordinators
  At every school in LBUSD, principals appoint a New Teacher Site Coordinator, an experienced educator with a proven track record of success who assists the principal in supporting beginning teachers. LBUSD trains every coordinator to conduct regular meetings and training sessions for beginning teachers at their school, serve as a liaison with the district's induction program office, and maintain records of observations, interventions and trainings for all new teachers for a teacher's first two years in the district.
• School-based coaches
  LBUSD has also invested in instructional coaches—experienced educators who work individually with one or two new teachers for at least one hour every week. Long Beach selects exemplary educators who have taught for at least four years, demonstrate leadership in their relationships with colleagues, are comfortable using assessment information to inform instruction and who show a commitment to their own personal growth. Coaches, who receive an annual $1,000 salary supplement for each teacher they mentor, are given specialized training in methods to assist new teachers with everything from setting up their classrooms and gathering materials for the first day of school to communicating with parents and preparing for end-of-year assessments. Long Beach sets aside three days each year for beginning teachers and their mentors to visit other schools across the district and observe and reflect upon the practices of other proven teachers.
• Formative teaching assessments
  As part of the induction program, coaches record weekly observations of their mentees' practice using a district-developed Best Practice Assessment (click here for a link to a sample Best Practice Assessment) instrument to document the teacher's strengths, weaknesses and the type of support they need to improve. Following each observation, coaches review the assessment with their mentee and develop or refine an Individualized Induction Plan (IIP) (click here for a link to a sample Individualized Induction Plan), which identifies the teacher's short- and long-term goals and outlines the specific professional development offerings the teacher must pursue to improve their practices and students' learning. IIPs also guide teachers through the advanced course content required to become fully certified in California.
  
  "After my mentor comes in to observe, we sit together to reflect upon what the strengths are in my classroom and where I need to set goals for improvement," says Daniel Dunbar, a fifth-grade teacher at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School. "Through that process, I identify additional classes to focus in on my weak areas—and, after two years of that, I will be ready to apply for my full teaching credential."

Staff in the district's office of professional development monitor the success of beginning teachers and their coaches, thanks to a streamlined reporting system overseen by school site coordinators. Coordinators submit monthly support logs indicating the amount of time the beginning teacher team spends together, topics they discuss and a description of the types of assistance each teacher identifies and completes in his or her IIP. Every October, the district also surveys all beginning teachers about their experience in Long Beach, any assistance they need to improve their teaching, and how successful their mentoring relationship has been—to guide mid-year interventions and ensure that mentor-mentee matches are working effectively. Every May, the district's office of curriculum, instruction and professional development conducts an evaluation to assess the success of the overall program and determine whether to make changes for the following year.

For more information about Long Beach's new teacher induction, please contact:
Pat Kishi
New Teacher/BTSA Project Coordinator
Office of Curriculum, Instruction & Professional Development
pkishi@lbusd.k12.ca.us
562.997.8476

Teacher Leadership in Broward County Public Schools

Rewarding and Retaining Proven Educators
In Broward County Public Schools, district leaders have developed a host of supports for new teachers in the Florida district, while simultaneously cultivating opportunities for proven educators to take on additional challenges and reap new rewards.

A primary vehicle for the district's training and retention efforts is National Board Certification, a national recognition program for accomplished educators. In 2007, Broward County employed more National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) than any other school district in America—approximately 1,300 of the 17,000 teachers in the district held the certification. The district also sponsors the Broward County Teacher Recognition Program (BCRP), a local program for instructional personnel who are ineligible for National Board certification because certification in their subject area(s) is not available. More than 100 teachers have earned BCRP status.

Research on NBCTs in other states suggests that teachers who earn advanced certification tend to transition to more advantaged schools, often moving away from the student populations who need them the most.ⁱ Broward County has worked to reverse this trend, designing incentives to induce its top professionals to work in high-poverty schools with the district's neediest students.

To support teachers' work toward both National Board certifications and the BCRP, Broward requires schools to set aside time during the school year for teachers to study and prepare the portfolios that are required as a part of the application for both programs. The district also offers targeted financial incentives for successful candidates who put their experience to use in the district's highest-need schools. With growing evidence that National Board Certification can have a positive impact both on teacher retention and student achievement,ⁱⁱ Broward's investment in this and other support mechanisms has grown to include:

• Time for reflection and preparation
  Teachers in Broward who are eligible for and wish to pursue National Board certification or Broward County Recognition are teamed with an experienced mentor at the beginning of the school year. The district requires school principals to set aside at least one day each month for teachers to meet with their mentors to collaborate, problem solve and reflect on their professional practice.
  
  The district's office of human resources development also provides regular workshops for BCRP and NBCT candidates, offering advice and techniques on videotaping lessons to include in their portfolios, writing to the standards and preparing for the assessment center portion of the National Board certification process. (click here for a link to workshop offerings)
• Targeted financial incentives
  Through the state's Excellent Teaching Program, Broward teachers receive an annual bonus of up to 10 percent of the state-wide average teachers' salary—or about $4,000 per year—for earning their National Board Certification. Florida also subsidizes half of the $2,500 National Board Certification application fee for candidates from low-income, high-minority or low-performing schools.
  
  Broward County supplements this state program by providing additional financial incentives for NBCTs and BCRP teachers. These teachers are eligible to receive an additional 5 percent bonus—or approximately $2,500—for earning either. NBCTs and BCRP teachers who agree to work and mentor in Title I schools can also earn up to $10,000 or 20 percent of their base salary (whichever is higher) every year they teach in a disadvantaged school and mentor another teacher who is working to become National Board Certified or earn BCRP recognition.
  
  "We developed our Title I incentive program based on requests from teachers who earned their National Board certification while they were working in a Title I school, and wanted to help stabilize the teaching staff there," says Cela Marowitz, an administrator in the district's office of professional development. "They said to us, 'we know we can draw a larger percentage of proven educators if we can just provide a hook.' The salary incentive is part of that hook."
  
  In 2004, only 12 percent of NBCTs in the six states with the highest rates of certification taught in high-poverty schools, and fewer than 20 percent taught in high-minority or low-performing schools.ⁱⁱⁱ In Broward County, however, in part as a result of these targeted programs, 366 teachers—nearly a third of the district's NBCTs—worked in Title I schools in 2007.

For more information on Broward's Effective Teacher Program in Title I Schools, please contact:
Tonya Burke or Marty Meek
Effective Teacher Program/ National Board Certification
Office of Human Resource Development
tonya.burke@browardschools.com
754.321.3522

For more information about the Broward County Recognition Program, please contact:
Deborah Porter
Office of Human Resource Development
deborah.porter@browardschools.com
754.321.3534

Supporting New Teachers
Broward County not only works to retain and reward its experienced educators, but also draws upon their expertise by encouraging them to serve as instructional coaches to mentor and support new teachers in every school.

Broward has leveraged the knowledge of experienced educators to guide new teachers through its locally developed New Educator Support System (NESS). Through NESS, Broward provides intense training to instructional coaches—experienced educators who serve as "critical friends" to new teachers. In many districts, coaches work with teachers at all levels, spending their time in classrooms throughout the school. Broward's corps of new teacher coaches focuses primarily on orienting first-year teachers to their schools' procedures and providing support in areas such as classroom management, data analysis and instructional techniques.

"The NESS program has been critical for me as a first-year teacher," says Carolyn Sustridge, a fourth-grade teacher at Atlantic West Elementary. "When I first walked in to my classroom, I was focused on the students. But I also needed to learn what all the district's acronyms stood for and how to use the online database. It was very helpful to have somebody sit down with me and show me exactly what to do. I've become very close to my NESS coach—I can go to her anytime and say, 'I need help—quick.'"

School-based NESS liaisons work with coaches to host monthly meetings with new teachers and form a support group designed to support teachers' successful induction to the profession. Broward also sets aside time each year for new teachers to observe successful colleagues in action so they can see effective teaching techniques and take them back to their own classroom.

For more information about Broward's New Educator Support System, please contact:
Linda Whitehead
Office of Human Resource Development
linda.whitehead@browardschools.com
754.321.3523

* * *

ⁱ Hakel, et al (2008). Assessing Accomplished Teaching.
ⁱⁱ Hakel, M. D., Koenig, J.A. & Elliott, S.W., Eds. (2008). Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. For a review of previous literature on the effectiveness of National Board Certified Teachers, see National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (2007). A Research Guide on National Board Certification of Teachers. Arlington, VA: Author. Available: www.nbpts.org/index.cfm?t=downloader.cfm&id=666
ⁱⁱⁱ Humphrey, D.C., Koppich, J.E., & Hough, H.J. (2004). Sharing The wealth: National Board Certified Teachers and The Schools That Need Them Most. Menlo Park, Calif.: SRI International. Available: http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v13n18/v13n18.pdf

sculpture © Tom Otterness, 2002