A+ Schools’ Tools, Rules, and Schools initiative is focused on elevating the quality of teaching in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. We seek to engage and mobilize the community to improve the overall system to In 2009 we commissioned a research project to examine the distribution and mobility of teachers across the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) and to analyze the policies, practices and learning environment that influence where and how teachers are able to teach. The research project encompassed a 15-month study conducted by the Learning Policy Center (LPC) (hyperlink) at the University of Pittsburgh at the request of A+ Schools. The LPC utilizes the resources of the University’s School of Education, the Learning Research and Development Center, the Institute for Learning and other regional assets to connect high quality learning research with education policy decision-makers. Their research included a quantitative analysis of three years of staffing data, as well as interviews with District administrators and human resources personnel, school board and union representatives, principals and teachers. Learn what we found and what we’re recommending:
The results of our research and our recommendations led us to support the Pittsburgh Public Schools and Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers’ Empowering Effective Teachers Plan and to conduct a community campaign for empowering effective teachers. Empowering Effective Teachers: The Right Plan for Pittsburgh’s Public Schools Pittsburgh’s Public Schools stand on the threshold of amazing change. The Empowering Effective Teachers Plan developed by the Pittsburgh Public School District and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers offers a fundamental shift in the way teaching is viewed. The plan boldly empowers teachers to become leaders in building a culture that demands excellence for all students and emphasizes the importance of a good teaching and learning As Pittsburgh’s advocate for improvement in public education, A+ Schools enthusiastically endorses the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan — which has been funded by a multi-million dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and leads the way for emerging national and state education reform priorities. Change is never easy. The plan calls for everyone to rethink the way we run our schools. It asks for a commitment to change. It requires individuals to have the courage to unite in support of the plan and to champion the interests of children. We asked everyone to rise to the challenge, support the plan, and embrace an effort that can make Pittsburgh Public Schools a leading district in successful school reform in the country! You — the public — are an important part of change in Pittsburgh Public Schools and you showed how much you care. We were proud to share with the Pittsburgh Public School District and Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers more than 1,600 signatures we collected from concerned parents, students and citizens in support of the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan. A+ Schools also offers its sincere congratulations and highest praise to Pittsburgh’s public school teachers for voting to approve their new five-year contract. This agreement represents the critical “next step” in implementing the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan. This agreement as part of the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan surely positions the City of Pittsburgh nationally as a model of professional collaboration, educational innovation and excellence through inspired teaching. We thank Pittsburgh’s teachers for your courageous and forward-thinking action. Your “YES” vote means better teaching and greater opportunities for every student enrolled in our schools today — and for generations to come. Read More:
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A+ Schools |
Pittsburgh's Community Alliance for Public Education |
When it comes to school improvement, research confirms what common sense suggests: of all the factors controlled by schools, it is the quality of classroom teaching that matters the most.
enable excellent teaching in every classroom.
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