D.C. has higher percentage of ‘highly effective’ teachers, says study

The percentage of “highly effective” teachers in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) has risen significantly over the past decade, a new study says.

Conducted by Georgetown University’s FutureEd think tank, the study shows that the percentage number of “highly effective” teachers in the District’s 40 lowest-performing schools rose from 75 percent in 2011 to 83 percent in 2016.

“There is much greater focus now on helping teachers be better at their work, while at the same time maintaining a sense of responsibility for teachers through the IMPACT accountability system,” FutureEd Director Thomas Toch said Monday during a public panel discussion on the study.

IMPACT assesses teachers based on their skill, commitment and students’ test scores. Introduced in 2009 by then-schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, the assessment program has continued with revisions.

According to FutureEd, this assessment helps school administrators identify and develop better teachers. But the study sparked a debate between officials and the teachers union over how much progress has occurred.

“We’re in a good position,” said D.C. Councilmember David Grosso, at-large independent and chairman of the Education Committee. “We have [a] strong curriculum. We have strong teacher supports. We have to step up our supports to parents and communities in a meaningful way.”

Brian Pick, DCPS chief of teaching and learning, spoke highly about system-wide reforms but added that “it is a fragile system right now” and would require more investment to give teachers and principals the permanent supports they need.

But Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, expressed skepticism about the findings, citing ongoing concerns about a lack of a grievance processes for teachers’ IMPACT scores and a persistent racial divide in test scores.

“If all that was said about our model was true, then I would certainly prefer our model,” Ms. Davis said.

Under IMPACT, the District has increased funds for bonuses to teachers with good performance reviews from $5.8 million in 2011 to $13.5 million last year. DCPS also negotiated a 9 percent salary increase for educators last year.

Monday’s study shows that higher pay has increased retention: The District now loses only 6 percent of its top-performing teachers. Pay hikes also have attracted teachers with more experience: 84 percent of new hires have experience, compared to 66 percent in 2009.

The District typically has been one of the nation’s top spenders on education, spending $15,354 per public school student, compared to the national average of $12,526, according to the Education Week Research Center. Education expenditures also account for about 12 percent of the council’s $14.4 billion budget for fiscal 2019.

Yet standardized test scores have long shown a racial divide: Test data from 2017 indicated a 50 percentage-point difference between the scores of children from Ward 7 and those from Ward 3.

“I personally feel really frustrated that we are not where we’d hoped we be when we started this governance reform 10 years ago,” said council Chairman Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat.

The panel discussed veered into what Mr. Toch termed the city’s “high school problems,” a reference to recent scandals that have included widespread residency fraud and inflated graduation rates.

Ross Weiner, vice president of the nonpartisan think tank Aspen Institute, said that public schools have “ratcheted up accountability” nationwide, but that a system overview is needed so administrators can ask, “Are we getting better results inordinately?”

Mr. Pick acknowledged that DCPS needs to “move the needle on graduation” but said that requires more than just setting goals. “What behaviors are we going to support to reach those goals?” he said.

At one point Mr. Toch turned to face Mr. Grosso and suggested it is time to assemble a commission to evaluate D.C. high schools, especially as the city plans to start a nationwide search for a new chancellor of education.

“It feels like it’s a time for a really serious, comprehensive [solution],” he said.