Some Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grantees are experimenting with the design and operation of teacher leader (TL) programs as part of their performance-based compensation systems (PBCS). Much of the impetus for this is the U.S Department of Education TIF 4 requirement that grantees' PBCS should provide for "additional responsibilities and…

On April 10, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee, the Reform Support Network brought together leaders from State education agencies planning to make educator compensation a key component of their equitable access plans. The convening featured presentations by the Tennessee Department of Education and district leaders who explained how the State has…

In the schoolhouse, nothing matters more to students' learning than their teachers. But only about one of every four U.S. classrooms has an "excellent teacher"--one who produces enough learning progress to close achievement gaps quickly and help all students leap ahead to higher-order learning. What can schools do, now, to reach many…

Each year teacher turnover presents instructional, organizational, and financial burdens that impact students, teachers, schools, and communities. High levels of teacher turnover drain valuable resources and make it difficult to build a high performing, stable teaching faculty. This is particularly true in high need schools where teacher attrition…

One of the most popular--but flawed--perspectives on the problem of ensuring teacher quality has to do with the control and accountability of the teaching force. According to this view, the obvious antidote to the ills of the education system is to increase the centralized control of schools and hold teachers more accountable. Proponents of this…