Policy Matters Journal PMJ-print1 | Page 25

The leader: a. Generates a focus on student and professional learning in the school that is clearly linked to the system-wide strategic objectives and the school improvement plan; b. Evaluates, monitors, and provides timely feedback to faculty on the effectiveness of instruction; c. Employs a faculty with the instructional proficiencies needed for the school population served; d. Identifies faculty instructional proficiency needs, including standards-based content, research-based pedagogy, data analysis for instructional planning and improvement, and the use of instructional technology; e. Implements professional learning that enables faculty to deliver culturally relevant and differentiated instruction; and f. Provides resources and time and engages faculty in effective individual and collaborative professional learning throughout the school year. g. Leads and implements school-wide efforts to retain the majority of effective teachers annually through advanced leadership opportunities, recognition programs, and other activities. State lawmakers may be likely to support this proposal since it does not include any additional funding. School districts and school leaders might have some challenges with this proposal as it expands an already extensive list of competencies that make up principal performance evaluations. However, since the proposed amendment to the standards does not specify a number or percentage of teachers to be retained, and leaves most of the actions that promote retention up to the principal’s discretion, this proposed language might be considered favorably by these stakeholders. Recommendation 3: Adjust Hiring Practices If principals are to be held accountable for their retention rates, they must also be given the necessary tools to effectively shape their workforce. Duval County Public Schools should evaluate their hiring practices, and wherever possible, encourage principal autonomy in hiring decisions rather than centralized district-based hiring. While there is significant value in centralizing certain processes such as basic eligibility verification, there is also value in empowering principals to define their school culture. Including a measure such as an empirically validated fit assessment within an overall candidate profile and training principals on all aspects of the fit assessments is a low-cost step that could add substantial and valuable knowledge to the hiring process. DCPS principal training practices might also need to be adapted to address the various points of a teacher’s employment journey that are most critical for retention. These points might include onboarding, pre-planning coaching interactions, and performance evaluations. Recommendation 4: Implement a Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program Another state-level legislative solution could come in the form of a student loan forgiveness pro- gram. This program could be tailored specifically to incentivize serving in schools with the greatest needs, as measured by critical shortage areas or high rates of turnover. This program could include a minimum time commitment, such as three years, and could be limited to individuals already possessing a professional certificate. Since a federal student loan forgiveness program already exists for teachers and this would require a significant financial incentive in order to be compelling, the researcher predicts that this option is the least likely to be viable. 20