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Teacher Powered Schools Section I- Proposed Scope of Work During the 2022 Arizona Educator Job Fair, State Superintendent Kathy Hoffman reiterated what all school leaders know to be accurate, "we're actually seeing the teacher shortage is being even more exacerbated because of the burnout teachers are feeling after the last couple years of dealing with the pandemic." The Maricopa County School Superintendent (MCSS) has a bold plan to address Arizona's COVID pandemic-related teacher recruitment and retention crisis. Our data shows that many of the factors driving teachers from the profession are pressures from increased workloads, lack of respect, lack of trust, and lack of autonomy. Many of these issues have been exacerbated by COVID-19, but all have been festering for years. By supporting schools and districts to significantly restructure decision-making processes and empowering teachers with the autonomy to lead their schools collaboratively, teacher satisfaction will increase, and fewer educators will leave. The system has been fractured for years, and COVID-19 has broken it apart. We must act now, and we must act differently to change the trajectory of teachers fleeing the classroom. This proposal outlines how the MCSS will leverage ESSER funds to use a proven, national model of teacher-powered schools to keep our best teachers in the profession and attract the next generation workforce. We will create a robust collaborative networking hub in Maricopa County that will extend state-wide. We will use the next two years to not only support cohorts of innovators but to build a sustainable network that will continue and expand the initiative long after ESSER funds subside. Because as we know, the devastating effects of the pandemic will impact teachers and students for years, if not decades to come. The Maricopa County School Superintendent is requesting $675,000.000 to directly increase teacher retention in 30 schools, state-wide, that have been negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic and to create a retention roadmap and support system for all schools in Arizona moving forward. Key Impact Area – Recruitment and Retention of Teachers, Leaders and Staff Prior to the pandemic, In the fall of 2018, the MCSS conducted a Teacher Retention Survey of over 5,000 public school teachers in Maricopa County. The survey was in response to the 2017 Morrison Institute report, Finding & Keeping Educators for Arizona's Classrooms which stated: • 22% of teachers hired between 2013 and 2015 were not teaching in Arizona after one year. • 42% of Arizona teachers hired in 2013 left the profession within three years. • 52% of Arizona charter schoolteachers hired in 2013 left within three years. The Maricopa County Teacher Retention Survey asked Maricopa County teachers to define the factors that contribute to teacher turnover and retention. The top five factors across every grade level were: • Salary • Class Size • Pressure from Increased Workloads • Respect • Benefits Deep into the pandemic, and in the first semester of most schools being fully in-person (October 2021), the MCSS conducted another survey seeking information on teacher stress. The results were alarming. • 96% of teachers reported experiencing stress at work. • 78% of those stated that it was "severe" or "extreme." (It was 8% in 2018-2019) • 46% "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that their school leaders took steps to reduce their stress. • 62% "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that their district leaders took steps to reduce their stress. When asked about the symptoms those that feel stressed are experiencing, the top four were: • Anxiety • Irritability • Prolonged Fatigue • Trouble Concentrating Additional data collected made clear that much of the stress came from increased instructional and emotional needs of students impacted by disrupted learning and lack of access to social-emotional supports due to remote work. But just as significant were the responses related to surmounting pressures to do more and be more from school and district officials- without additional classroom support. For too many teachers, the only way they see to mitigate that stress is to leave the profession. LEA Support Our school systems cannot continue to manage human capital the way they did before the pandemic. The practices of handing down curriculum, assessment, student management, and professional development from above were creating dissatisfaction among teachers prior to the pandemic. The pandemic amplified those feelings and shed a bright light on what needs to be changed. Now is the time to dramatically transform the teaching profession. To re-think how we support, inspire, and empower the most important component of the education system. The teachers. We propose the creation of a collaborative hub where we support district and school leaders by implementing teacher-powered school practices that increase teacher engagement, satisfaction, and retention and create a structure to ensure the practices continue beyond the tenure of a particular district or school leader. What are Teacher Powered-Schools? Teacher-powered schools are comprised of educator teams that have collaborative cultures and use shared decision making. To understand how teacher-powered schools are different from other schools, we look at two things: 1. 15 areas of autonomy for which the teacher teams have potential decision-making authority to varying degrees. These are: o Learning Program o School-level policy o Schedule o Determining work hours o Selecting colleagues o Choosing school leaders o Professional development o Evaluating colleagues o Setting tenure policy o Terminating/Transferring colleagues o Setting the budget o Determining compensation o Setting staff patterns o Determining assessments o Broadening assessments 2. The professional practices teams use to implement their autonomies are: o Keeping students at the center of decision-making o Meaningfully Involving families and communities o Honoring student voice and choice o Cultivating a collaborative culture o Embracing transparency in decision-making o Creating shared leadership structures o Reimagining and rotating leadership positions o Engaging in peer observation o Taking on a learner mindset In teacher-powered schools, teachers have greater ability to make the changes that they determine necessary to truly improve student learning and the teaching profession—changes such as: • Personalizing learning for both students and teachers • Addressing “teacher quality” issues by making teaching a more attractive job and career • Increasing the sense of ownership—and accountability—among teachers, in areas where they have authority to make decisions • Collaborating with administrators to boost student achievement and advance authentic assessment Each teacher-powered school looks different because their team is empowered to create the best system and environment for their students, staff, and community. There are more than 150 teacher-powered schools spanning 20 states, serving students from preschool to age 21, in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Some operate within school districts and others operate as charter schools. Some have union-affiliated teachers while others do not. They enjoy support from leaders on all sides of today's major education debates. As a result, they rise above the usual conflicts that can exist between districts, charters, unions, and government. Teacher-powered schools are about fulfilling one of the nation's greatest responsibilities: preparing the next generation of young people to reach their full potential, contribute to their communities, and participate in a 21st century global economy. Public education needs innovation and transformation to fulfill this responsibility. Teacher-powered schools enable teachers, those who work closest with students, to be the driving force behind this change. What's more, teacher-powered schools address the issues that are driving our teachers from the profession. They allow the teachers to better control their work loads, create meaningful solutions to learning loss and student emotional needs, and restore the respect that so many feel has been lost. This is more important now than ever. How will ESSER Funds Be Leveraged? Technical Assistance- The MCSS will partner with two national education reform agencies (Education Evolving and Empower Schools) to provide direct technical support to schools and create a network of teacher-powered schools throughout Arizona. This will happen by identifying schools to participate in a Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship and then collaboratively (with the school and MCSS) selecting schools to participate in a Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort. This will be done using a six-phase approach: • Phase 1: Align key stakeholders on the approach • Phase 2: Recruit school teams; Prepare for the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship • Phase 3: Launch and facilitate the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship; Select the Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort (7-10 schools) • Phase 4: Launch and support first Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort • Phase 5: Recruit and facilitate second cohort of Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship; Select second Teacher-Powered School Design Fellowship Cohort • Phase 6: Launch and Support Cohort 1 of Teacher-Powered Network(s), Support Cohort 2 of Design Fellowship, recruit Cohort 3 for Exploration Fellowship Staff- The MCSS will contract with a part-time external evaluator to develop monitoring tools to evaluate the progress the fellowship teams make with implementing autonomies as well as assessing teacher satisfaction and retention rates. Professional Development- The MCSS will provide professional development in strategies and structures to implement successful teacher-powered school practices. Participants will attend virtual and in-person meetings and conferences with existing teacher-powered schools, be equipped with reading materials, workbooks, and videos created by existing teacher-powered schools, and work together to surface challenges and solve problems. Stipends for Participants- The first two years of this initiative are critical and will require a concerted effort to create strong cohorts that will support teacher-leader teams in years to come. In addition, the stress of the COVID pandemic has teachers and principals feeling that additional support for additional effort is necessary. We agree. We will provide all leaders who engage with the first two years of cohorts with a $1,000 stipend for their time and intellectual content. Collaborative Observational Space- The MCSS will rent collaborative space at an existing teacher- powered school for cohorts to meet, collaborate, learn, and plan all while being immersed in a teacher- powered, student-centered learning environment. By having real-time access to teachers currently operating in a teacher-powered environment, participants will receive the inspiration and support they need to effectively create the systems and structures to effectively implement their plans. The space in the school will be solely used for teacher-powered services so will require a lease. Assessing Local Needs The MCSS will leverage relationships with Maricopa County school districts, public charters, and Arizona County School Superintendents to recruit schools interested in this new model of school leadership. Ten to 15 schools from Maricopa County, Coconino County, and Yavapai County are being targeted for the first cohort of the Teacher-Powered School Exploration Fellowship. Readiness tools will be developed to determine which leaders currently have the disposition and philosophy to extend autonomies to teachers. The tools will be developed based on competencies identified through the Maricopa County Exemplary Principal Award which is awarded to principals who intentionally and strategically nurture school cultures where teacher and student voices set and realize the school's vision. Principals awarded the Exemplary Principal award intrinsically value educator expertise and leverage collaborative leadership structures in decision making. As a result of these safe and supportive environments, the students achieve academically and emotionally, and the teachers remain in the profession. Braiding of Federal, State, and Local Funds to Maximize Local Impact A value of this service is to integrate it into what is already being done at schools. Not to add another initiative. The targeted schools already have leadership that values teacher input, contribution, and voice. This work will walk alongside principals and teachers and help guide their goal setting and professional development planning to formalize their current practices and put in structures to ensure their sustainability. Therefore, current school-level professional development funds will support this work. For schools who receive Title funding, we will support with identifying activities that support their Integrated Action Plans. The MCSS will leverage approximately $111,000 in county general budget funds to support with the additional staffing, travel, coordination, and materials. The expected “in-kind” funds are as follows: • $60,000.00 in salaries (.50 FTE split between two current staff) • $10,000.00 in travel to schools throughout Arizona • $5,000.00 in professional development and conference fees • $35,000.00 initial investment in contracted services with national teacher-powered experts • $1,000.00 for supplies Sustainability Planning ESSER funds will be used as seed money to establish a cadre of teacher-powered schools throughout Arizona. The cadre will be supported by the National Teacher-Powered School Network to create self- sustaining structures to maintain the work. Those structures include: • Establish Maricopa County (and any other participating counties) as Empowerment Zones. An Empowerment Zone creates empowering conditions of autonomy, accountability, sustainability, and support. When established, an Empowerment Zone “protects” community-based innovation from leadership changes in the school, district, or governing board. Empowerment Zones: o are responsible for meeting ambitious goals set collaboratively with the district. o follow important district policies on matters such as enrollment. o have key design and operating autonomies enabled and ensured by a partnership agreement. o are overseen by a dedicated nonprofit board founded in partnership with – and made up of – local district leaders, educators, and community members. • A repository of design and evaluation tools for teams to use in negotiating and successfully implementing autonomies. o Teacher-powered schools Readiness Self-Assessment o Teacher-Powered Progress Monitoring o Teacher-Leader Competencies Peer Evaluation Tool • Establish a community of practice to share and scale successful practices. o A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. o Communities of practice often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice. Interaction on an ongoing basis is an important part of this. o Many communities of practice rely on face-to-face meetings as well as web-based collaborative environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities. • Building a relationship with the National Teacher-powered schools Network to offer technical assistance. o Establish Maricopa County as a Regional Network under the Teacher-Powered Network umbrella. (Current Regional Networks are Boston, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) o Add schools to the National Teacher-powered schools Inventory for the purpose of connection, collaboration, and support by Teacher-powered schools from around the country. Evaluating and Measuring Impact In 2019, MCSS in collaboration with the Maricopa County Regional School District, drafted a Teacher- Powered progress monitoring process. The process is rooted in Bruce W. Tuckman’s four stages of team development (forming, storming, norming, and performing) contains specific activities for each stage of development. The progress monitoring process looks at factors contributing to the successful implementation of teacher autonomies and highly functioning collaborative teams. It was piloted during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years with a Teacher-Powered School and found to provide feedback and guidance for the successful development of teacher-leaders. A more detailed description of the process can be seen here. These tools will be used to evaluate schools’ successful progression. Schools deemed successful during the two-year project will move from forming to storming and into norming. As mentioned earlier, MCSS conducted a comprehensive retention survey in 2018. Teacher-powered school participants will take the survey both years. Schools deemed successful during the two-year project will move away from “adverse experiences” in the areas of respect and autonomy as compared to their peers in other schools. Teachers in teacher-powered schools will complete the teacher satisfaction survey that is part of the MCSS Exemplary Principal Award. Schools deemed successful during the two-year project will have results comparable or better than teachers in schools with identified Exemplary Principals. Finally, we will look at teacher-retention rates of participating schools. Schools deemed successful during the two-year project will have a 30% increase in their retention rates as compared to the 2021- 2022 school year, or as compared to the state-wide average. Section II- Capacity and Readiness Experience Assessing School Culture and Climate The MCSS has a six-year history assessing school culture and climate. In 2017, the MCSS took over the prestigious Exemplary Principal Award from the Rodel Foundation. While at Rodel, the award emphasized student growth in lower socio-economic schools. Although those factors are still included in the MCSS iteration of the award, our version only awards principals who demonstrate high teacher satisfaction and professional retention rates. To do so, we developed several tools to identify and spotlight leaders who value and prioritize: • Shared Vision • Shared Expectations • Student Centered • Trust • Asset Based • Collective Efficacy • Multiple Perspectives • Community • Results Oriented/High Expectations • Responsiveness • Actionable Feedback/Growth Opportunities • Collaboration • Engagement • Equity • Whole Child • Teacher Voice Experience Implementing Human Capital Management Structures Since 2010, the MCSS has been implementing federally funded grant programs that have transformed how local LEAs recruit, retain, support, and compensate teachers and principals. We have re-distributed over 165 million dollars to schools throughout Arizona through direct human resource support, decision- support technology systems, professional development, and performance-based pay. We have worked with some of the country’s leading teacher recruitment and retention leaders and have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a leader in the field. Experience Operating a Teacher-Powered School Arguably the most significant experience is that the MCSS currently oversees a Teacher-Powered high school in Phoenix (Hope Academy/ Maricopa County Regional School District). The small, alternative school does not have a traditional principal, and the teachers have full or partial autonomy in the following: 1. Learning program 2. School-level policy 3. Schedule 4. Determining work hours 5. Choosing school leaders/roles 6. Professional development 7. Setting the budget (Partial autonomy) 8. Determining assessments (Partial autonomy) 9. Broadening assessments The school re-opened as a teacher-powered school in the fall of 2019 and persevered through the initial COVID pandemic school closures and a year of on-line learning with teachers at the helm. The school just completed its third full year of operating as a teacher-powered school and is retaining 100% of teacher-leaders for the coming school year. Section III- Demonstrated LEA Interest in Services and Supports Starting in October of 2021, the MCSS has been assessing LEA’s interests in teacher-powered schools. We hosted an informal event where representatives from the national Teacher-Powered Network presented, and local examples were showcased. 17 LEAs and organizations attended, and we had a 90% interest survey return rate. In January of 2022, the MCSS hosted a Teacher Stress Town Hall with a break-out session about teacher- powered schools. 35 Maricopa County school districts attended the town hall, and 18 attended the break-out session to learn more. In May of 2022, MCSS staff began visiting school and district leaders interested in learning more about teacher-powered schools as a retention strategy. As of the publication of this document, 22 school district and charter organizations have attended an information meeting and are being invited to send school teams to join the first teacher-powered school exploration cadre. The current school district and charter organizations are: 1. Buckeye Elementary 2. Cave Creek Unified 3. Cottonwood Oak-Creek Elementary 4. Edison Project 5. Gilbert Unified 6. Herberger Young Scholars Academy 7. Higley Unified 8. Kyrene Elementary 9. Laveen Elementary 10. LEAD Charter Schools 11. Litchfield Elementary 12. Littleton Elementary 13. Maricopa County Regional 14. Mesa Public Schools 15. Nadaburg Elementary 16. Peoria Unified 17. Phoenix Union 18. Queen Creek Unified 19. Scottsdale Unified 20. Tempe Elementary 21. Washington Elementary 22. Wilson Elementary These 22 district and charter organizations represent 30 interested schools in three counties (Maricopa, Coconino, and Yavapai). A representative from Pima County was also in attendance and is in discussions with potential schools. If funded, the MCSS is expecting between ten and fifteen schools to officially join Cohort 1 starting in August 2022 and an additional ten to fifteen schools to join Cohort 2 in 2023. In total, we expect to positively impact up to 30 schools and create a collaborative networking hub that will continue to improve working conditions for teachers and retain our top talent far beyond the COVID pandemic environment. Section IV- Budget July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 $125,000.00 Technical Assistance Teacher-powered schools (TPS, Empower Ed) $20,000.000. Contracted Staff (External Evaluator) $60,000.000 Professional Development (Teacher-powered schools Conference) $50,000.000 Stipends for Participants ($1,000. For up to 50 participants.) $100,000.000 Rent for Collaboration Space and Teacher-Powered School Observation Lab July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 $125,000.000 Technical Assistance Teacher-powered schools (TPS, Empower Ed) $20,000.000 Contracted Staff (External Evaluator) $15,000.000 Professional Developoment (Travel for site visits) $50,000.000 Stipends for Participants ($1,000. For up to 50 participants) $100,000.000 Rent for Collaboration Space and Teacher-Powered School Observation Lab July 1, 2024 - September 30, 2023 $10,000.00 Contracted Staff (External Evaluator services and final report) ----------------- $675,000.000