Report: Impact of Iowa’s teacher leadership system on student performance not yet clear
The first school districts to launch teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System reported a positive impact on educators’ professional climate and classroom instruction, according to an interim evaluation report released today by the Iowa Department of Education.
At the same time, student performance in state math and English assessment tests dropped slightly in districts that have used the system for the past two years, compared with districts that haven’t yet incorporated the changes, the report found.
The interim report, conducted by American Institutes of Research, concluded it’s too soon to determine how the teacher leadership system is affecting student achievement. This is because the benefits of the support structures put in place for teachers may not yet be apparent.
The system, which is the centerpiece of a comprehensive education reform bill enacted by the Iowa Legislature in 2013, is built on the premise that rewarding effective teachers with leadership opportunities and higher pay will result in better teachers — and thus better learning results — overall. In many districts, the system is shifting many of the best classroom teachers into higher-paid, full-time roles as mentors to other teachers.
Teachers and administrators in the first 115 school districts chosen to launch teacher leadership plans — 39 districts in the 2014-15 school year and 76 in 2015-16 — reported greater availability, frequency and quality of teacher leadership roles, support through professional development, and collaboration among teachers compared to school districts that had not yet entered the system. They also reported the system had improved instruction, teacher satisfaction and professional climate.
This is the first year that all 333 Iowa school districts are implementing teacher leadership plans, although at varying stages. One in four Iowa teachers now holds a formal, compensated teacher leadership role. The system costs $150 million annually.
“Iowa’s teacher leadership system is about supporting the complex work of teaching so that teachers can do their best work, which will position students to do their best work,” Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise said in a release. “The investment we’ve made in Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System will have a lasting return over the long term. This interim report shows we’re heading in the right direction and, at the same time, a lot of work lies ahead.”
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