Brown no longer pushing for evaulation waivers for top teacher who transfer (Executive Director, David Pickens, quoted)

Brown no longer pushing for evaluation waivers for top teachers who transfer

By: Lisa Gartner | 01/23/12 7:25 PM
Examiner Staff Writer @Lisa_Examiner

D.C. lawmakers are backing away from a plan to scrap evaluations for top-performing teachers who choose to transfer to the city's most challenging schools, instead focusing on lavish bonuses and incentives such as housing credits.
Staff for D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown, who introduced the Highly Effective Teacher Incentive Act of 2011, said he is no longer pursuing a waiver of the evaluations because, after talks with D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, both parties decided the decision should be left up to the school system.
The idea was to put the waivers on Henderson's radar, and the message got across, they said.
Officials have been struggling to create more parity across District schools, and Brown has said the Impact evaluation system -- which rests on classroom observations and students' test scores -- proves too risky for teachers to relocate to schools where students perform below grade-level and present discipline challenges.
Of the 663 teachers rated "highly effective" last year, 71 teach at 41 schools in Wards 7 and 8, the city's poorest and most African-American areas. More than 130 highly effective teachers work at 10 schools in Ward 3, the city's wealthiest, whitest region.
What remains of the bill: $10,000 annual bonuses for teachers rated "highly effective" on Impact evaluations who relocate to public schools where proficiency rates dip below 40 percent in math and reading and 75 percent or more of students live in poverty. In a three-year pilot program, the teachers also would receive income tax credits and tuition and housing assistance.
Henderson said she supports the bill, as did State Superintendent Hosanna Mahaley, who oversees DCPS and public charter schools. Mahaley recommended that the incentives be shared among highly effective teachers already in high-need schools.
Several education activists expressed doubt that a teacher who is highly effective in one school could quickly produce results in a different setting.
"Teachers are not interchangeable ... It's important that each teacher has the right fit in their schools and the right sensitivities to the community," said David Pickens, executive director of D.C. School Reform Now.
Educators also emphasized supportive principals and appropriate training, especially for teachers moving to new grade levels or subjects, said Cosby Hunt, a former DCPS teacher who works at the Center for Inspired Teaching, a training program for D.C. educators.
"The question is not how we can look to a few superstar teachers to serve as a fix-it crew, but how we can raise the effectiveness of all our teachers," Hunt said.
lgartner@washingtonexaminer.com