TAP's Elements TAP Outcomes Legislation Understanding Value-Added Teacher Quality Resources The Working Group on Teacher Quality
The Working Group on Teacher Quality
Launched with funding provided to the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) by the Joyce Foundation, the Working Group on Teacher Quality (The Working Group) is an informal coalition of policy and advocacy organizations, that shares information and builds consensus among organizations and experts active in the areas of performance pay and teacher compensation reform. The Working Group shares its expertise and findings with policymakers, practitioners and education organizations implementing the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program, as well as state and local education leaders working to include these reforms in other initiatives. By creating a unified voice among national organizations tackling teacher quality issues, the Working Group has been able to highlight the key elements of successful performance pay systems for policymakers, opinion leaders and the public.
NIET coordinates this effort with support from the Joyce Foundation. Other members of the Working Group on Teacher Quality include:
- Alliance for Excellent Education
- American Federation of Teachers
- Association of American Educators
- Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, Inc.
- Center for American Progress
- Community Training and Assistance Center
- Council of Chief State School Officers
- The Education Trust
- Full Circle Fund
- National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
- National Council on Teacher Quality
- New Teacher Center
- The New Teacher Project
- Resources for Indispensable Schools and Educators
The Working Group on Teacher Quality has released two informational documents:
This document serves as a roadmap to guide the development of successful and sustainable performance-pay programs. The recommendations in this paper reflect the lessons learned by the members of the Working Group and education practitioners in implementing alternative compensation for teachers throughout the country.
Roundtable Discussion on Value-Added Analysis of Student Achievement: A Summary of Findings (October 2007)
This presents a summary of the major themes, findings and lessons learned from a roundtable discussion that the Working Group held with policymakers, researchers and practitioners with expertise in value-added analysis of student achievement. The purpose of the discussion was to create a broader understanding of how value-added analysis of student achievement can be used as an indicator of teacher effectiveness and the implications for educational policy and practice.
Wayne Brazell, Former Laurens County School District 56 Superintendent, Laurens, South Carolina
"The bottom line is that quality teachers make a difference. Our state is in trouble with teacher recruitment, recruiting heavily from foreign nations. Because of TAP, we have been able to recruit powerful teachers to work in our district."