The Equity Project Charter School

The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School in New York City reallocates the regular public school budget to enable the school to pay teachers $125,000 as a recruitment and retention strategy. A recent study by Mathematica Policy Research found a promising impact on student achievement. TEP has adopted its own three Rs for teachers:

• Rigorous qualifications. Teachers are experts in subject matter and teaching, curriculum development ability, and verbal skills.
• Redefined expectations. Student achievement is improved by focusing on a professional workday that includes daily peer observations and coteaching, a work year that includes a six-week summer development institute, and professional growth through a mandatory sabbatical once every five or six years.
• Revolutionary compensation. Teachers receive salaries of $125,000 and a bonus based on schoolwide performance.