Teacher Compensation, Professional Development, Closing Achievement Gaps: A Discussion of Some of the Policy Issues Rai

1. Teacher Compensation, Professional Development, Closing Achievement Gaps: A Discussion of Some of the Policy Issues Raised by Denver’s ProComp System 10th Annual Conference of the Colorado Staff Development Council October 6, 2004

2. AGENDA Introductions Denver’s ProComp -- An Introduction What Role Can Teacher Compensation Play in Closing Achievement Gaps? What Role Can Teacher Compensation Play in Supporting Strong Professional Development Systems?

3. Activity One -- Thinking about the Way Teachers are Paid Today How are teachers currently compensated? Single salary schedule Extra duty schedule and overtime rates What teaching behaviors does this system reward, recognize or encourage? What are the strengths of the single salary schedule? What are the weaknesses?

4. ProComp -- How Did DPS and DCTA Get Here? 1982 to 1999: repeated disagreement over making dramatic change to the single salary schedule 1999: landmark agreement to pilot a teacher pay system based, in part, on the academic growth of students Introduced objective setting process 2001: Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation is convened to develop a system based on what was being learned from the pilot 2004: the DPS Board and members of the DCTA ratify their recommendation

5. ProComp Aligns Teacher Compensation with the District’s Goals Replaces a system of entitled increases with a system of earned increases Allows teachers to build a professional compensation package based on a wider range of choices. Creates new market incentives

6. Under ProComp Each Element Builds Earnings in an Uncapped System

7. What Might a Whole Career Look Like for a Typical Teacher under ProComp?

10. ProComp Rethinks and Expands What DPS Spends on Teacher Pay

11. Activity Two -- What Role Can Teacher Compensation Play in Closing Achievement Gaps? Let’s prevent two unnecessary debates Teachers ARE underpaid Money does not motivate teachers to teach “harder” What could be done in your district to lend the financial energy of teacher compensation to closing achievement gaps? What are the gaps you are trying to close? What teaching behavior would you recognize, reward or encourage?

12. ProComp Rethinks Compensation for Professional Development Places equal value on rigorous district sponsored professional development Permits “double dipping,” so that teachers required to spend overtime in district professional development activities can earn salary increases while earning overtime pay too. Places the greatest value on skills demonstrated in the classroom Restricts recognition for professional development to a teacher’s assigned or proposed teaching field

13. Activity Three -- What Can Be Done to Reshape Compensation for Professional Development? Let’s prevent two unnecessary debates You should have a larger budget to pay for professional development, even if you could be more creative with the one you have Teachers ARE motivated by money to engage in professional development What could be done in your district to better direct your district’s expenditure on professional development? How could you target specific pedagogical or curricular priorities? How could you provide opportunities for all of your teaching work force?

14. Thank You The DPS/DCTA Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation http://denverteachercompensation.org http://DenverProComp.org Brad_Jupp@dpsk12.org 303.764.3629