Certain school districts in North Carolina have also used similar strategies as a part of a
program called the Advanced Teaching Roles Initiative, first piloted in in 2017 (BEST-NC, N.C., 2016).
This grant program is funded in part through state-level appropriations, and in part through
per-pupil spending (BEST-NC). Districts can apply for “one-time state investment for systemic
transition” and are granted “the flexibility to develop their own approach” to leveraging highly
effective teachers in roles beyond the classroom (BEST-NC). Districts then develop advanced roles for
teachers, which must include some element of professional service outside of their classroom duties,
such as instructional coaching for novice teachers. While peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness
of this particular program could not be found, an operating report from the program indicated that
early results demonstrate promising results. In part, the program leaders state: “participating schools
are almost twice as likely to exceed student growth expectations than other North Carolina schools.
In 2017-18, 53% of Opportunity Culture™ schools exceeded student growth expectations, as
compared to only 27% of non-Opportunity Culture™ schools” (BEST-NC). The model legislative
language for the Advanced Teaching Roles Initiative could be adopted from North Carolina General
Assembly Session Law 2016-94, Section 8.7.
Since this program is a competitive grant program that provides a one-time waiver that allows
local school districts to redirect existing state dollars, this option may be politically attractive to a
variety of stakeholders. It would not require continued funding or reauthorization as a special
categorical line item, which may be appealing to school districts and other constituents who are wary
of shifting legislative priorities. For politicians who are committed to education reform but are eager
to encourage local school districts to use their own financial resources, slightly increasing Florida’s
base student allocation could be seen as an option that balances fiscal concerns with the political
reality of teacher walkouts and strikes occurring across the nation. Since this funding has the fewest
categorical restrictions of all of the funds that make up the total student funding formula, districts
would not be required to apply for the waiver if they did not wish to participate in the program. The
current base student allocation is just over $4,200 per student (Graves 2018). A slight increase of 1%
over these current levels, representing about $40 per student, along with a legislative act creating
the grant and waiver process for districts, would enable this program to be piloted in several school
districts.
Recommendation 2: Amend Principal Leadership Standards
Principal Leadership Standards are determined at the state level. The Florida Principal
Leadership Standards are the measures by which school leaders are evaluated and are also the
framework that institutions of higher education use to develop their graduate programs in
Educational Leadership. Including a standard related to organizational culture and teacher retention
in one of the 10 domains of effective leadership will not only hold principals accountable for their
individual rates of retention but will also encourage graduate programs to specifically include
training about teacher retention in their principal preparation programs.
Domain 2, Standard 4, Faculty Development, should be amended to include a standard related
to organizational culture and teacher retention. In addition to the 6 enumerated competencies, the
researcher recommends a seventh competency, reflected in italics.
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