Quality of instruction is the single most important factor school systems control relative to improving student outcomes. So identifying/developing/retaining the most effective teachers must be among the highest priorities of school/district leaders. A strong strategy for improving schools is ensuring our most effective teacher teams are working with our students with the greatest needs. Dallas ISD has taken aggressive action on these fronts through its Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI) and Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) work. These are not always popular efforts as they break with the usual adult behavior of many school systems and change is often uncomfortable. Acknowledging that teachers are not one-size-fits-all widgets, that they bring varying levels of effectiveness to the classroom, and that we should structure compensation in a way that helps keep our most effective teachers and that incents them to serve where student needs are the greatest are all controversial ideas. But the student outcome improvements born of these adult behavior changes speak for themselves in Dallas.
student outcomes don't change
until adult behaviors change
until adult behaviors change