“A Model Teacher Contract” – New Haven, CT
The Challenge:
- In order to support its school reform efforts, New Haven public schools needed to recruit, retain and develop superb teachers.
- With new contract negotiations approaching, district leaders saw an opportunity to drastically improve teacher evaluation processes by tying them to effectiveness as measured by student learning and achievement measures.
- Existing reform efforts fostered willingness by critical stakeholders—union members, administrators, and parents—to collaborate and develop solutions that would benefit the children of New Haven and the professionals responsible for their achievement.
Action Steps:
- Gain insight: A confidential survey conducted among teachers and school administrators showed there was much agreement around the strengths and weaknesses of the current evaluation system and what needed to be fixed, so common ground was established from the outset.
- Take it in phases: During the contract negotiations, all stakeholders agreed to discuss the evaluation process apart from the standard contract elements. This gave everyone some breathing room and time to do it right.
- Collaborate: Two committees were created to tackle the problem of developing better evaluations; one focused on how to measure student growth and the other on developing appropriate weights for student achievement and teacher efficacy. Both committees were made up of teachers AND parents. The groups worked in a highly transparent way and kept the public aware of progress.
The Results:
- Groundbreaking contract that puts students at the center and stresses strong and ongoing collaboration with key stakeholders.
- A teacher evaluation process that is considered to be equitable, gives teachers room for flexibility and control and targets professional development opportunities.