In Brief (Three short primary takeaways to ground the conversation; relevant policy principles)

  • Advanced teaching roles increase the authority and responsibility of teachers in areas for which service and decision-making are best made by those who spend at least a portion of their day in classrooms with students.

  • By distributing leadership for developing, implementing and evaluating school-wide structures, processes, and supports, teacher working conditions improve, increasing the likelihood of retaining high-quality educators.

  • Compensation for teachers is based on differentiated roles, not add-on stipends for extra duties.

Policy Design Principles (Considering the conditions that will not be counter to another policy change-like criteria that will incentivize additional recruitment without having another barrier)

  • Advancement on a career ladder is based on demonstrated competence, which differentiates it from a traditional teacher salary schedule, which is typically based on years served and credits earned.

  • Career ladders empower teachers to develop the capacity of their peers. Those on the higher “rungs” are responsible for supporting their colleagues by leading collaborative efforts that include lesson design, mentoring, coaching, and more as determined by the district’s priorities, the school’s goals, and the strengths and needs of the students and staff. 

  • Staffing structures and scheduling models minimize disruption to instructional time and processes, maximize personalized learning, and develop increased learner agency. Teachers share responsibility for larger groups of students and are afforded adequate time for collaborative planning.

Recent Research/Case Studies (Why does this topic matter for recruiting more high quality teachers? Could include a graphic/graph)

Research: How do teachers work together as professionals and what impact does this have?

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports:

Central to many professions is a core network of practitioners who collaborate regularly. In teaching, such professional collaboration takes the form of team teaching, providing feedback after classroom observations, engaging in joint activities across different classes, and participating in collaboration-based professional development. Teachers in OECD countries and economies in TALIS are quite likely to employ basic collaborative practices like discussing the development of specific students with colleagues (61% of teachers on average do this) and, to a lesser extent, exchanging teaching materials with colleagues (47%). However, far fewer teachers engage in the deeper forms of professional collaboration, which involve more interdependence between teachers, with only 9% of teachers saying they provide observation-based feedback to colleagues, and 21% engaging in collaborative professional learning at least once a month.

Such low instances of professional collaboration may be worrisome, considering the impact collaboration can have on promoting 21st century teaching: teachers who regularly collaborate with peers in this way also tend to report using cognitive activation practices more frequently in class). Professional collaboration is also associated with higher job satisfaction and teacher self-efficacy. Feedback from peers is a unique form of collaboration that puts teachers at the center as experts of their own practice. On average across OECD countries and economies in TALIS, 71% of teachers who received feedback from colleagues found it useful for their teaching. Feedback appears to be most effective for teachers when it is delivered in a variety of ways, rather just one repeated method.

Case Studies

Current Policies/Pathways/Context (What is the current reality in PA for this topic? What is most relevant? Could include funding if relevant to discussion)

  • PA currently has provisions for certification endorsements: Skills for Teachers Leaders and Instructional Coach

  • Teachers must be represented on the induction plan committee and mentors must meet minimum qualification criteria

  • Teacher representation is required on comprehensive and school improvement plans

  • Districts typically have extra duties for teachers who take on leadership responsibilities with stipends for service (grade level and department heads, coaches, mentors, cooperating teachers)

Key Questions:

  • How can opportunities for collaboration among teachers during the contractual day become more the rule than the exception?

  • What would compel principals and central office administrators to distribute grade-level/subject-specific/school-based leadership and decision-making to teachers?

  • How could expanded roles and responsibilities for teachers be organized into a career progression plan that relies on demonstrated competency as the basis for advancement? 

  • What are the enabling conditions for teachers to remain in the classroom AND develop the competencies required to grow the capacity of their peers?

  • What criteria could be proposed for selection of teachers who would serve in advanced teaching roles?