All-City PTA Meeting Nov 2, 2011
Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition has invited Tacoma Council PTA to becoma a Coalition Member. We invited 3 members from the Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition steering committee to give us a presentation about the Coalition. We had the opportunity to ask questions and share our thoughts. Tacoma Council PTA decided not to take a vote to join/not join at this time, but to invite the coalition back another time for further discussion and information sharing.
Coalition Members: Bill Hanawalt, Eve Bowen, Liesel Santkuyl
Coalition Members: Bill Hanawalt, Eve Bowen, Liesel Santkuyl
Message from Bill Hanawalt, Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition
November, 4, 2011
Dear Janet and PTA Tacoma Council Members,
Eve, Liesl and I, on behalf of Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition, would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak to your members on Wednesday evening. It was a good conversation and we are excited about the opportunity to continue the conversation. PTA is an important part of the education community in Tacoma and we would love to add your voice to the collective voice which is Vibrant Schools.
Please let us know when a good time for us to come back would be. Thank you for your work on behalf of Tacoma Public Schools and our Tacoma students!
Peace,
Bill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Hanawalt, Executive Director
Peace Community Center
"Touching Lives, Extending Peace"
253.383.0702 x102
billh@peacetacoma.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vibrant Schools Tacoma: Community Voices for Student Success
www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org
Dear Janet and PTA Tacoma Council Members,
Eve, Liesl and I, on behalf of Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition, would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak to your members on Wednesday evening. It was a good conversation and we are excited about the opportunity to continue the conversation. PTA is an important part of the education community in Tacoma and we would love to add your voice to the collective voice which is Vibrant Schools.
Please let us know when a good time for us to come back would be. Thank you for your work on behalf of Tacoma Public Schools and our Tacoma students!
Peace,
Bill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Hanawalt, Executive Director
Peace Community Center
"Touching Lives, Extending Peace"
253.383.0702 x102
billh@peacetacoma.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vibrant Schools Tacoma: Community Voices for Student Success
www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org
http://vibrantschoolstacoma.org/
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition?
Our members are long‐time community members and public education supporters. We send our children to Tacoma Public Schools, we volunteer in the classrooms, we tutor in after‐school programs, we knock on doors for school bonds and levy campaigns and we employ the graduates. We united to advocate for our children and support teachers as professionals through a constructive and collaborative approach.
Who is in Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition?
Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition is comprised of the following members: Allen Renaissance, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, Asian Pacific‐Islander Coalition of Pierce County, Associated Ministries, Black Education Strategy Roundtable, Cambodia Women Network Association, Cross Cultural Collaborative of Pierce County, Korean American Association of Tacoma, Latino Action Group, League of Education Voters, Manumalo Community Development Council, Multicultural Self‐Sufficiency Movement, Northwest Leadership Foundation, Partnership for Learning, Peace Community Center, Pierce County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Practical Solutions, Samoa Nurses of Washington, Stand for Children – Tacoma Chapter, Tacoma Branch NAACP‐Education Committee, Tacoma Ministerial Alliance, and Tacoma‐Pierce County Black Collective.
What is the short-term goal?
Our goal with this effort is to focus on those areas of the contract that can lead to increasing student achievement and closing the achievement gap: progressive and nurturing work environments, evaluations that recognize and support effective teaching, and a compensation system that attracts and retains great teachers. (To see our full platform, please visit www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org.)
Why Tacoma? Why now?
o Only 44% of Tacoma Public School graduates meet high school graduation requirements for admission to a four‐year university.
o Only 38% go on to enter a two or four year college.
o Tacoma has a stagnant achievement gap in some areas, and a widening achievement gap in math.
o There is no system of evaluation in place to validate teacher quality.
What is Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition’s platform?
• Increase collaboration time for teachers to learn from each other and improve instruction.
o Time to align curricula, evaluate student progress, assess content‐level and grade‐level expectations.
o In the face of a budget crisis where many teachers are losing all instructional supports that they receive from the district, this is one way to allocate time and provide internal support for teachers.
o Innovate: reallocate TRI funds, flex staff meeting time, reallocate clock hours, leave early or come late for collaboration.
•Expand mentoring and coaching to help teachers go from good to great.
o Expanding these programs will allow our schools to leverage the knowledge and experience of teachers who are already making great strides in improving student achievement, as well as advance and retain those teachers who are making the greatest impact.
o Federal funding opportunities available (such as Teacher Incentive Fund grants) to support the creation of coaching programs in schools in school districts.
•Require ongoing cultural competence training that is directly linked to student learning and responsive to the diversity of the school and community.
o Culturally competent staff and admin boost student achievement and help them develop critical skills for engaging in an increasingly diverse world.
o Develop a cadre of trained teachers and principal from each building to train other building staff using LID days or other staff development days.
•Expand the teacher evaluation process to include principal and peer observation, cultural competency, professional development, and multiple measures of student achievement (vs. principal observation only).
o We need to be able to distinguish the good teachers from the great.
o There is no silver bullet – an effective process must include multiple measures of determining a teacher’s impact on student achievement.
•Apply evaluations when staffing decisions are made, to get the best teachers where we need them.
o When high‐stakes staffing decisions are made in the best interest of students, more of our high‐need students will have access to effective teachers.
•Clear the way to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.
o Tacoma Public Schools research shows that last year, only 0.4% (or 7 out of 1,536 teachers in Tacoma) were rated unsatisfactory.
o We also know that in the past five years, not a single teacher has been removed from the system due to poor performance (data from 2011 analysis of CBA and OSPI data released April 6, 2011).
o Setting standards and guidelines for this process will ensure that this process is done in a manner and reasonable time frame that benefits students and the teaching profession.
•Recognize teachers with higher pay based on the contributions they make to student achievement, to their peers, to the broader school community through their effectiveness, and their leadership and willingness to mentor and coach peers. We also must link pay raises to job performance, not just seniority or degrees obtained.
o A teacher’s ability to positively impact student achievement and fill critical needs in our school system must be reflected in their pay.
o One way to do so fairly could be for the district and TEA to work together on implementing a pilot of performance‐based pay in one or more schools in the district.
•Build new pathways and sources for recruiting excellent teachers.
o The greater and more diverse the pool of talent from which we attract our teachers, the more our students benefit.
o Tacoma must seek new pipelines outside of traditional recruitment practices to attract excellent and diverse talent to our school district.
o Not just TFA – residency programs as well as pipelines within our own para system, etc.
•Attract and retain excellent teachers to Tacoma by redesigning the salary schedule.
o Base salaries in Tacoma are one of the lowest in the region.
o We can improve this by redistributing the very large raises that currently occur at the end of their careers to result in raises for teachers in their first few years, and larger‐than‐average pay hikes for teachers the year after they receive tenure.
How did you choose the platform?
The platform was chosen based on best practices nationally as well as a 2011 review of the current CBA. Coalition members reviewed that information and distilled it down into the nine point platform. The proposed reforms are common sense ideas being successfully implemented across the country and supported by the Obama Administration.
In these tough budget times, is this realistic?
In tough economic times we need to prioritize our spending and ensure limited resources are used wisely. We support budget decisions that are made based upon items that have the greatest impact on student learning.
Why support Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition’s platform?
Top 3 Reasons to Support Vibrant Schools Tacoma’s Platform
In a recent poll of 501 Tacoma voters, support for the nine points of the platform ranged between 72% and 86%. The momentum, both locally and nationally, is powerful. In states and urban districts across the country, management and labor have come together to implement contract changes that improve student achievement and recognize teachers as professionals. Today Tacoma has this same opportunity.
What happens next?
We want every child in Tacoma to get the best possible education so each student can reach his or her potential and graduate from high school prepared for college or career. We believe creating vibrant schools in Tacoma requires the active participation of our whole community ‐‐ parents, teachers, administrators, students, policymakers, and community leaders. We are committed to impacting student learning and the overall effectiveness of the Tacoma Public Schools in providing an excellent education for every student.
What is your long-term goal?
Our long‐term focus is to partner with Tacoma Public Schools to improve student learning and close the achievement gap.
How can I get involved?
We need your help to advance these priorities.
o Reach out to others and ask them to join Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition.
o Visit www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org for more information and ways to help.
Our members are long‐time community members and public education supporters. We send our children to Tacoma Public Schools, we volunteer in the classrooms, we tutor in after‐school programs, we knock on doors for school bonds and levy campaigns and we employ the graduates. We united to advocate for our children and support teachers as professionals through a constructive and collaborative approach.
Who is in Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition?
Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition is comprised of the following members: Allen Renaissance, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, Asian Pacific‐Islander Coalition of Pierce County, Associated Ministries, Black Education Strategy Roundtable, Cambodia Women Network Association, Cross Cultural Collaborative of Pierce County, Korean American Association of Tacoma, Latino Action Group, League of Education Voters, Manumalo Community Development Council, Multicultural Self‐Sufficiency Movement, Northwest Leadership Foundation, Partnership for Learning, Peace Community Center, Pierce County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Practical Solutions, Samoa Nurses of Washington, Stand for Children – Tacoma Chapter, Tacoma Branch NAACP‐Education Committee, Tacoma Ministerial Alliance, and Tacoma‐Pierce County Black Collective.
What is the short-term goal?
Our goal with this effort is to focus on those areas of the contract that can lead to increasing student achievement and closing the achievement gap: progressive and nurturing work environments, evaluations that recognize and support effective teaching, and a compensation system that attracts and retains great teachers. (To see our full platform, please visit www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org.)
Why Tacoma? Why now?
o Only 44% of Tacoma Public School graduates meet high school graduation requirements for admission to a four‐year university.
o Only 38% go on to enter a two or four year college.
o Tacoma has a stagnant achievement gap in some areas, and a widening achievement gap in math.
o There is no system of evaluation in place to validate teacher quality.
What is Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition’s platform?
• Increase collaboration time for teachers to learn from each other and improve instruction.
o Time to align curricula, evaluate student progress, assess content‐level and grade‐level expectations.
o In the face of a budget crisis where many teachers are losing all instructional supports that they receive from the district, this is one way to allocate time and provide internal support for teachers.
o Innovate: reallocate TRI funds, flex staff meeting time, reallocate clock hours, leave early or come late for collaboration.
•Expand mentoring and coaching to help teachers go from good to great.
o Expanding these programs will allow our schools to leverage the knowledge and experience of teachers who are already making great strides in improving student achievement, as well as advance and retain those teachers who are making the greatest impact.
o Federal funding opportunities available (such as Teacher Incentive Fund grants) to support the creation of coaching programs in schools in school districts.
•Require ongoing cultural competence training that is directly linked to student learning and responsive to the diversity of the school and community.
o Culturally competent staff and admin boost student achievement and help them develop critical skills for engaging in an increasingly diverse world.
o Develop a cadre of trained teachers and principal from each building to train other building staff using LID days or other staff development days.
•Expand the teacher evaluation process to include principal and peer observation, cultural competency, professional development, and multiple measures of student achievement (vs. principal observation only).
o We need to be able to distinguish the good teachers from the great.
o There is no silver bullet – an effective process must include multiple measures of determining a teacher’s impact on student achievement.
•Apply evaluations when staffing decisions are made, to get the best teachers where we need them.
o When high‐stakes staffing decisions are made in the best interest of students, more of our high‐need students will have access to effective teachers.
•Clear the way to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.
o Tacoma Public Schools research shows that last year, only 0.4% (or 7 out of 1,536 teachers in Tacoma) were rated unsatisfactory.
o We also know that in the past five years, not a single teacher has been removed from the system due to poor performance (data from 2011 analysis of CBA and OSPI data released April 6, 2011).
o Setting standards and guidelines for this process will ensure that this process is done in a manner and reasonable time frame that benefits students and the teaching profession.
•Recognize teachers with higher pay based on the contributions they make to student achievement, to their peers, to the broader school community through their effectiveness, and their leadership and willingness to mentor and coach peers. We also must link pay raises to job performance, not just seniority or degrees obtained.
o A teacher’s ability to positively impact student achievement and fill critical needs in our school system must be reflected in their pay.
o One way to do so fairly could be for the district and TEA to work together on implementing a pilot of performance‐based pay in one or more schools in the district.
•Build new pathways and sources for recruiting excellent teachers.
o The greater and more diverse the pool of talent from which we attract our teachers, the more our students benefit.
o Tacoma must seek new pipelines outside of traditional recruitment practices to attract excellent and diverse talent to our school district.
o Not just TFA – residency programs as well as pipelines within our own para system, etc.
•Attract and retain excellent teachers to Tacoma by redesigning the salary schedule.
o Base salaries in Tacoma are one of the lowest in the region.
o We can improve this by redistributing the very large raises that currently occur at the end of their careers to result in raises for teachers in their first few years, and larger‐than‐average pay hikes for teachers the year after they receive tenure.
How did you choose the platform?
The platform was chosen based on best practices nationally as well as a 2011 review of the current CBA. Coalition members reviewed that information and distilled it down into the nine point platform. The proposed reforms are common sense ideas being successfully implemented across the country and supported by the Obama Administration.
In these tough budget times, is this realistic?
In tough economic times we need to prioritize our spending and ensure limited resources are used wisely. We support budget decisions that are made based upon items that have the greatest impact on student learning.
Why support Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition’s platform?
Top 3 Reasons to Support Vibrant Schools Tacoma’s Platform
- Research is clear: Teachers make the biggest difference in a child’s education.
- These reforms are common sense: Our proposed reforms are common sense ideas being successfully implemented across the country and supported by the Obama Administration.
- Status quo isn’t working: Only 44% of TPS graduates meet high school graduation requirements for admission to a four‐year university and only 38% go on to enter a 2 or 4 year college with even fewer graduating (Source: 2009 BERC Report). We have a stagnant achievement gap in some areas, and a widening achievement gap in math (2009 TPS Achievement Gap Report to the Community).
In a recent poll of 501 Tacoma voters, support for the nine points of the platform ranged between 72% and 86%. The momentum, both locally and nationally, is powerful. In states and urban districts across the country, management and labor have come together to implement contract changes that improve student achievement and recognize teachers as professionals. Today Tacoma has this same opportunity.
What happens next?
We want every child in Tacoma to get the best possible education so each student can reach his or her potential and graduate from high school prepared for college or career. We believe creating vibrant schools in Tacoma requires the active participation of our whole community ‐‐ parents, teachers, administrators, students, policymakers, and community leaders. We are committed to impacting student learning and the overall effectiveness of the Tacoma Public Schools in providing an excellent education for every student.
What is your long-term goal?
Our long‐term focus is to partner with Tacoma Public Schools to improve student learning and close the achievement gap.
How can I get involved?
We need your help to advance these priorities.
o Reach out to others and ask them to join Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition.
o Visit www.vibrantschoolstacoma.org for more information and ways to help.
