In June 2013, NCTQ
published a study on Dayton Public Schools as part of our series of deep dives
into school district teacher quality policies. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute,
our partner in the study, and Learn to Earn Dayton recently highlighted significant changes the district and union have made, many of
which mirror our recommendations:
·
Principals
are no longer forced to accept transferred teachers to fill vacancies and can
now select the most qualified candidate.
·
Reductions
in force, which in the past were based on seniority, are now
based on teacher evaluations and district needs.
·
Two
committees were established, one focused on improving tenure practices and the
other on compensation policies.
A key reason for
Dayton’s recent successes has to do with the healthy relationship between the
district and the teachers union, a relationship that, as we wrote last
year, ”allows both the district and the union to avoid messy infighting
and to focus on collaboration that benefits both students and teachers.”
We are happy to see
their partnership bear fruit and look forward to reading more about Dayton’s
successes in the near future.
