A+ Responds to Quality Counts 2003
A+ Talking Points Regarding Alabama's Results in Quality Counts
2002
Research and common sense tell us that the single most important
factor in a child's success in school is having access to a competent
and caring teacher. However, the state of Alabama has not put its
resources into making that happen for every child. In fact, for
the past six years, growth in revenues in the Education Trust Fund
has been directed toward increasing teacher compensation across
the board and reducing class sizes. While these are important issues
in public education, they alone cannot create the lasting, systemic
change our state needs to ensure improvements in teaching and learning.
Based on the data released in Education Week's Quality Counts
2002, we identified four key areas on which Alabama can focus in
order to improve teaching quality. They are:
I. Assessment (Testing and Evaluation)
A. The state should move quickly to develop and administer subject-specific
tests for teachers to ensure that all teachers are qualified to
teach in their content areas.
B. The state should revise its teacher evaluation method (PEPE)
to include content-specific indicators that specify a teacher's
goals, intentions, plans and impact on student learning (i.e. video
of teaching, portfolio of lesson plans). The state also should consider
incorporating effective professional development into the evaluation
process to guarantee that teachers possess the knowledge and skills
needed to be successful with all students.
2. Professional Support and Training
Alabama has made good progress in the area of professional development
for educators, with the Alabama Reading Initiative paving the way
as an ideal model of ongoing, job-embedded professional development.
In July 2002, the State Board of Education adopted statewide professional
development standards based on the National Staff Development Council's
standards. Further, the Best Practices Center is collaborating with
the Governor's Task Force on Teacher Quality, the Alabama Reading
Initiative, the Alabama Leadership Academy and the Classroom Improvement
Section of the State Department of Education to expand the number
of schools that have access to "Powerful Conversations about
Professional Development," a self-assessment process that encourages
teachers and whole faculties to take greater responsibility for
their own learning by focusing their professional development on
what students need to learn
However, there is still a lot to be done to ensure that current
teachers receive the support and training they need and deserve:
A. The state should develop a two-year "induction" program
that provides each new teacher with ongoing training and a mentor
and examine the feasibility of differentiated certification.
B. The state should devote the necessary resources to expanding
the Alabama Reading Initiative, which offers an ideal model of ongoing,
job-embedded professional development for educators.
C. Alabama should fund a lead teacher in every school in order to
provide classroom teachers with additional professional support
and coaching.
3. Compensation
A. Alabama should explore differentiated pay for educators, providing
more pay and other incentives for teachers willing to work in high-poverty
schools.
B. The state should provide more pay to teachers who agree to take
on extra responsibilities (mentoring, serving as lead teacher, etc.)
or pursue additional certification/skills.
