District Leader

Assess the effectiveness of educator preparation program partnerships with K–12 districts and schools, and jointly develop strategies to strengthen the partnerships for mutual benefit, including a stronger teacher recruitment and professional development pipeline between the program and partner local education agencies. 

Support local innovation related to recruitment and retention incentives (e.g., housing incentives and local market-based salary bonuses) as well as career advancement opportunities that encourage effective teachers to stay in hard-to-staff schools.

Provide more pathways for job sharing among teachers so that teachers and administrators have greater flexibility to staff schools to meet their students’ needs.

Follow up with recent educator preparation program graduates to obtain their views of the strengths and weaknesses of their preparation in the program, especially for working in high-need schools, and respond to any problems and recommendations generated from the survey analysis.

Develop strong educator preparation program and local education agency partnerships to streamline or revise approval processes for educator preparation programs and other teacher preparation providers to implement high-quality teacher residency or grow-your-own programs that directly supply high-need local education agencies with more qualified and effective teachers.

Encourage educator preparation program and local education agency partnerships to provide seamless transitions from preparation through induction to professional teaching. To help balance teacher supply and demand, foster communication between local education agencies and preparation programs regarding local needs for new hires. 

Establish an equity workgroup to develop a coordinated, comprehensive approach to improving access to great teachers and leaders in a way that breaks down departmental silos:

• Ground conversation in actual equity data and resources.
• Regional center staff can connect with the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders and other regional center colleagues to determine successful strategies for consideration.
• Highlight successful equity strategies from within a state and across states. 

Develop candidate screening and recruitment practices, and leverage state and district partnerships to increase the likelihood that candidates will be successful in high-need schools and will be drawn to teach in them. 

In written and oral communication through strategic venues and by high-profile leaders, highlight the effects of inequitable access to great teachers and leaders on educational outcomes.

Create a shared online workspace to house equity material and other information relevant to your workgroup.