Gonzalez also helps teachers get classroom supplies and plan student field trips. Team leaders report to the academy principal, whose administrative duties include student discipline and community outreach. Teachers, team leaders and academy principals pitch in to recover truant students and engage parents. The opportunity to take on a leadership role motivates teachers to do more, says Gonzalez. Grooming strong school leaders is essential for long term school improvement, he adds.
Reform never ends.
Not all of Mansion's teachers bought into the program immediately, and some never did. About 40 of Mansion's 150 teachers left in the first two years of Talent Development, says Principal Highsmith. More have requested transfers. However, new teachers are assigned to Mansion based on seniority, Highsmith can not hire his own replacements. Such union rules also have limited how much impact Talent Development can have on teacher performance.