Handout 10

Focus 3: Teachers

Example

New York City: Teachers as Learners.

New York City's Community School District #2 has made an art and a culture of professional development—and has consistently raised student achievement in the process.

In this 22,000-student urban school district, one of 32 community school districts in New York City, professional development is not a discrete, one-time workshop or activity that takes place outside of the classroom and away from students. Rather, District 2 views professional development as a systemic, sustained process, as much a part of the school day as instruction. Professional development is a management strategy to improve instruction and, ultimately, student achievement. As school managers, principals take on the role of instructional leaders. A central part of their job is supporting teachers and others involved in professional development with time and resources.

One example of District 2's unusual commitment to professional development is its Resident Teacher, or master teacher, program. Resident Teachers agree to work with a Visiting Teacher in their classrooms—not for a lesson or even a day, but for three full weeks of intensive observation and supervised practice. Meanwhile, an experienced and qualified teacher, called an Adjunct Teacher, takes over in the Visiting Teacher's classroom. The Adjunct Teacher spends the week before and the week after the three-week stint working with the Visiting Teacher, making for a smooth transition for students.

District 2 also seeks outside experts to work with teachers on specific instructional strategies—and is willing to go far and dig deep into its pockets to bring them in. To improve teachers' skills in developing student literacy, for example, the district hired an educator from Australia on a one-year contract. The assignment grew into a large-scale, multi-year arrangement with several Australian educators.

District 2's focus on instructional improvement has contributed to rising test scores for students. In 1987, the district ranked 10th in the city in reading and fourth in mathematics out of 32 districts. In 1996, it ranked second in reading and second in mathematics. The gains occurred even as the number of immigrant children increased and the student population grew more linguistically diverse and economically poor.

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