School Leaders and Teacher Evaluation: Learning, Leading, and Balancing Responsibilities

Washington state’s revised teacher and principal evaluation system (TPEP) represents a substantial change in state education policy. Implementing an ambitious evaluation system has impacted educators across the system, but nowhere more intensely than at the school level. This study builds on existing work by focusing on school leadership as key to successful TPEP implementation. In this report we provide practical examples of how school leaders  learn to productively support the professional growth of teachers. 

Washington's Teacher and Principal Evaluation System: Examining the Implementation of a Complex Policy

Washington state’s new teacher and principal evaluation system (TPEP) represents one of the most substantial changes in statewide education policy in recent years. Districts and schools face distinct challenges in trying to implement a complex evaluation system like TPEP. Using a backward mapping strategy to investigate the implementation of TPEP, this study examined issues associated with an evaluation policy that seeks to serve dual purposes of accountability and instructional improvement.

Examining Beginning Teacher Retention and Mobility in Washington State

In this study, we examine the characteristics of beginning teachers and look at factors associated with their retention and mobility.  We also examine a specific set of beginning teachers who began their first year of teaching in districts that received BEST (Beginning Educator Support Team) grants from the state to support teacher induction.  This report serves as a companion piece to the report issued in January 2017 regarding retention and mobility of all teachers in Washington state.

The Role of a District Teacher Leadership Program in Supporting School and District Improvement Initiatives

Distributed leadership and collaboration was the focus of one district’s investment in teacher leadership as a way to improve instruction and better serve a changing student population. The district’s five-year teacher leadership initiative became a vehicle to introduce new programs, recognize the expertise of teachers, and provide teacher leaders with opportunities to be involved in implementing changes in their classroom, school and district.

Understanding Principal Retention and Mobility in Washington State

The work of a school principal is complex and multi-faceted. Expectations for the role are steadily rising, and questions have surfaced regarding the capacity of principals to meet all of these expectations. In recent years, Washington state has engaged in numerous instructional improvement and accountability initiatives, including revisions to the way in which educators are evaluated. A sizable portion of the workload associated with these initiatives rest on the shoulders of school principals and assistant principals.

Understanding Teacher Retention and Mobility in Washington State

Teacher retention and mobility are part of a larger state and national conversation about trends in the teacher workforce. This study aims to provide insight into the demographics of Washington teachers and their retention and mobility patterns, and to offer educators and policymakers in Washington state information to inform and enhance decision-making regarding teacher quality policies and practices.  

 

 

Taking Stock of Washington's Workforce: An Assessment of Conditions Prior to the Economic Downturn

This report provides baseline descriptive statistics and recent trend data on Washington's teacher workforce prior to the recent economic downturn. The trend data includes information regarding teacher age, experience, race/ethnicity, and retention and mobility, as well as school and district characteristics. In addition, district retention and mobility data is included for each school district and Educational Service District in Washington state.

Study of the Incentive Program for Washington's National Board Certified Teachers

This study examines the impact of Washington state's incentives for teachers to attain National Board Certification and to work in challenging schools. Using surveys and secondary analyses of state databases, we examine the workforce both prior to and following recent changes in the incentive program. The study considers the nature of NBCTs' assignments, their distribution, retention and mobility patterns compared with other teachers statewide, and the views of teachers and principals regarding NB certification and the state's incentives.

Redefining and Improving School District Governance

This paper takes a close look at local school boards-an enduring feature of public education governance. Using published accounts in the research literature, the paper synthesizes the frameworks, beliefs, and activities concerning the roles and responsibilities of the district school board. Using three common critiques of modern school boards as a guide, the paper further identifies the underlying currents of governance reform, conditions that influence governance structure, and the connections between governance and learning-focused leadership.

Leadership and Learning

This report maps out activities and supporting conditions in states, districts, and schools, that enable educational leadership to exert productive influence on learning. The report draws together threads from the research literature and from practical experimentation in a variety of states, districts, and schools, as described in greater detail within six reports that comprise the Improving Leadership for Learning series.

Examining the Impact of Reduction in Force (RIF) Notices in Washington School Districts: 2009-2010

Nearly half of Washington school districts issued layoff notices to teachers and other school staff during the 2008-09 school year. This report examines the impact of Reduction in Force (RIF) notices issued in Washington state during this time. Among teachers who received a RIF notice, 87 % were rehired in the K-12 education system in Washington in the subsequent year.