Leadership development and Training
The analysis of the use of the Title II funding over the last ten years and the review of current research revealed A review of Wisconsin’s data demonstrates that only 67 percent of teachers remain in the field beyond the first five years across the state. Attrition rates are even higher when looking at movement between districts within the state.
According to many research reports the root cause of teacher attrition may be associated with the combination of low pay, strong economy, and lack of support during the first years of teaching. These factors not only have driven teachers out of the profession, they have also contributed to the drop of enrollment in the educator preparation programs across the nation. The purpose of the use of the Title II set aside is to address the gap in teacher support during the first years of teaching.
To address the teachers shortage in the state, the Department of Public Instruction decided to return the reserved portion of Title IIA for leadership development to the local education agencies (LEAs) and recommends LEAs use their allotted Title IIA funds to address the teacher shortage, recruitment, and retention by developing and implementing effective practices in one or more of the following areas:
- teacher recruitment strategies,
- leadership development programs, and
- coaching skills and strategies for teachers, principals/assistant principals and other school leaders
Developing effective teacher recruitment strategies and plans: Research clearly shows that recruiting potential mid-career candidates including instructional paraprofessionals from the area and providing them with the necessary resources to become effective teachers is a strong plan to increase retention, grow your own programming.
A list of educator preparation programs is available. A number of preparation programs have developed partnerships with school districts to support taking paraprofessionals from no degree to degree and license or degree to license. A variety of programs are available statewide. Technical colleges are also part of this picture, preparing people who transfer into preparation programs to complete their degree. Additional best practices and strategies for designing effective grow your own programs are available on the department’s website.
School Leadership Development Programs: The literature review showed that teacher attrition rates are connected to school leadership strategic planning. While EPPs graduate strong administrators in the state, new principals and assistant principals need the support from experienced school leaders for the first few years to become effective in their support of teacher growth and retention. The Improving Teacher Retention through Support and Development recent publication showed that enhancing and supporting novice principals during their first year in the profession contributes positively to teacher-principal relationships.
Information on using educator effectiveness to advance principal practice is available from the DPI website. The Wisconsin Framework for Principal Leadership, Principal Evaluation User Guide and principal evaluation forms should inform practice.
Teacher, Principal/assistant Principal and other School Leaders Coaching: Coaching provides unique opportunities for teachers and school leaders to grow professionally and address the needs of their students and community members. The following research supports the need for coaching to address educator retention and offers best practices to recruit, train, and support coaches: Wallace Foundation, Leadership Coaching and User Guide for Principals, Principal Supervisors, and Coaches,
In support and advocacy of strengthening coaching practices amongst school leaders, the DPI recommends the use of resources to:
- recruit exemplary teachers and provide them with training to become coaches
- recruit exemplary principals, assistant principals, and other school leaders and provide them with training to become coaches
- provide training to all coaches and offer them the opportunity to coach new teachers, principles, and other school leaders
- provide coaching to all teachers, particularly teachers of literacy and mathematics
Who do I contact with Title II-A questions?
Please contact Abdallah Bendada at abdallah.bendada@dpi.wi.gov with any comments or questions.