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Memphis Schools Announce Incentives -- $18 Million Would Reward Outstanding Principals, Teachers

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 November 2006, 12:00 CST

By Dakarai I Aarons aarons@commercialappealcom

Memphis' public schools will get $18 million over the next five years to reward teachers and principals for outstanding work and to encourage them to share their skills.

School administrators and the national nonprofit New Leaders for New Schools announced the program Friday.

"This teaching incentive grant will help us to further enhance and expand the leadership development work we are doing and will also help us recognize and reward results," schools Supt. Carol Johnson said.

The bulk of the money - $13.8 million - is from the U.S. Department of Education. The remainder comes from the school district and national and local partners including the Hyde Foundation.

The grant for Memphis' program is one of 16 awarded nationally by the U.S. Department of Education's new Teacher Incentive Fund.

The fund will provide $200 million in its first phase and $500 million total.

NLNS trains educators to become principals in urban public schools, including in Memphis since 2004. It has headquarters in New York and offices in Memphis, Baltimore, California's Bay Area, Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington.

Under the program, principals and teachers in rapidly improving Memphis schools will be eligible for monetary rewards under criteria determined by New Leaders for New Schools, the district and Mathematica Policy Research, said Jonathan Schnur, CEO of NLNS.

How much a teacher or principal could receive has not been decided.

Schnur said his program ties the money not only to test scores, but also to good classroom practices and teachers being willing to show other people how to do the same.

"Our goal is to promote high levels of academic achievement for all students and a culture of high expectations," he said. "It gives people opportunities to grow and lead while keeping great teachers in the classroom."

The school's entire academic staff will receive money, with additional monies going to a select group of teachers in each school who will be asked to allow Teachscape, a professional development company, to videotape them teaching for use in a multimedia presentation.

The incentive project will allow teachers to see what the best in their field are doing simply by going to a computer and logging in, something that hasn't been possible before, Schnur said.

Johnson said the program also represents a new way of thinking about how to reward teachers, who she said aren't often given credit for their work.

"Great teachers and great principals don't go into education for the financial reward. They usually believe in the power of education to transform students' lives," she said. "For them, the real reward is that students can read and high schools students can understand quadratic equations."

Johnson said she hopes the fruit of the incentive fund will not only help improve Memphis schools, but create a national model.

"It's raising an awareness and knowledge about how to have a process that ensures high quality talent in all schools," she said. "I think it will be a great opportunity for us over the next few years to learn what the best teachers do."

(c) 2006 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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