A study that looks at how Cincinnati Public Schools hires, evaluates and places its teachers recommends five goals aimed at strengthening teacher effectiveness and support, and raising student achievement.
The study, explained December 1-2, 2009, in meetings with staff and the community, was conducted over seven months by The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a national nonprofit group aimed at putting more excellent teachers into classrooms nationwide. Researchers with TNTP surveyed more than 2,100 CPS teachers and administrators, and studied CPS' union contract, hiring practices and the Teacher Evaluation System to reach their conclusions.
CPS and the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT) could address the five goals and the study's findings during upcoming contract negotiations to begin implementing changes. Negotiations could begin in December or early January.
The TNTP study, which sought to identify current CPS practices that teachers and school administrators regard as barriers to improving student and school performance, was funded by several groups including the Cincinnati Business Committee, Strive, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. CPS' administration requested that the study be conducted.
Superintendent Mary Ronan noted that research confirms that effective teachers are the single greatest factor to impact a rise in student achievement, and CPS and the CFT share "a common goal of dramatically improving academic achievement."
"The New Teacher Project survey and recommendations are an outgrowth of the opinions of the teachers and school administrators who are on the front lines of teaching and learning in CPS every day," Ronan said. "They point us in the right direction as we enter what may be the most significant collective-bargaining opportunities in the history of our school district."
CFT President Julie Sellers said the TNTP report offered ideas that CPS and CFT could use as guidelines during negotiations.
"We have a very strong teacher workforce," Sellers said. "There are many good things in this report. It needs to be put on the (negotiating) table."
A summary of the five goals recommended by TNTP: (The full report, presented in a reader-friendly format, can be reached via the link at right.)
Dan Weisberg, vice president of policy for TNTP, said his researches find that similar changes are needed at all of the large urban school districts they have studied.
"We are providing a road map of where to go from here," Weisberg said. "Effective teachers are the solution. Teachers matter more than anything else at the school level."