Teacher compensation, third in a series

Today, we post the third of six new papers focusing on issues related to new forms of teacher compensation.  The previous two papers have shown that new forms of teacher compensation are needed as an important element in the strategic management of teachers.  They argued for increases in teacher pay levels through new elements based on [...]

Talent Works: Teach For America’s Approach to Teacher Recruitment and Training

Guest post by Matthew Kramer, president and chief program officer of Teach For America, and SMHC Task Force Member
A core idea in the SMHC action plan is that a talented workforce, at all levels, is critical to turning around the performance of our largest school districts. Teach For America shares that view so we focus [...]

Teacher Compensation, second in a series

Today, SMHC releases its second paper in the series on teacher compensation, which asks the question, Do Teacher Pay Levels Matter?  This paper and its summary, as well as the other core SMHC resources, can be found in the Resource section of this Web site. 
Teachers have always been regarded as an important part of the [...]

Performance pay plan payout

Last year, New York City Chancellor Joel Klein and United Federation of Teachers President–now American Federation of Teachers President–Randi Weingarten negotiated a performance pay plan for the highest poverty schools that included voluntary participation but significant bonuses for teaches and principals in schools that entered the program and produced the specified student performance gains.  The [...]

Teaching as a sought after job

SMHC Vice Chair Sir Michael Barber gave a speech on the need for dramatic reform of the American school system at Aspen Institute’s National Education Summit in Washington DC on Sept 15, 2008.  The speech notes the importance of recruiting top talent and managing it in strategic ways, saying the U.S. falls short of many higher-performing [...]

Achieving Teacher and Principal Excellence

Image via Wikipedia
Andrew Rotherham, in a report published by Philanthropy Roundtable, outlines work being done to focus on teacher and principal talent.  He has compiled a comprehensive, policy-setting agenda for the human capital field in public education. His report -along with the  Odden-Kelly paper, Strategic Management of Human Capital in Public Education – should [...]

Where We Stand

Image via Wikipedia
On September 15, an important program will be broadcast nation-wide on public television. It is called “Where We Stand,” and is a general evaluation of where US education stands on five important issues, including student achievement, teacher quality and others. Judy Woodruff hosts the program. Below is more information about the program, [...]

Teacher compensation papers, first in a series

A New Series of Papers on Teacher Compensation from the University of Wisconsin CPRE Group
There is strong consensus around the country that talented and capable teachers will be needed in all classrooms in order to accomplish the nation’s goals of teaching all students to high standards, and closing the achievement gap.  Although there are many [...]

Convention speeches

Folks interested in SMHC issues also may be interested to see recent AFT and NEA convention addresses by NEA incoming president Dennis Van Roekel  and newly-elected AFT president Randi Weingarten.