Effective Teaching for All Children:
What It Will Take

Teaching Quality and Equity Platform

The Education First Compact

and

The Philadelphia Cross City Campaign for School Reform

 March 2009

All children in Philadelphia have the right to have consistently effective teaching in every content area and at every grade level, Pre-K through 12.

In too many of our schools, however, the level of teaching and learning does not meet student needs and does not ensure student graduation and postsecondary success. Furthermore too many inexperienced teachers are concentrated in high-poverty and needy schools where they stay only briefly. Subsequently, poor and minority children have the least chance of being taught by a stable, talented combination of effective new and veteran teachers. This teacher “gap” contributes greatly to the District’s stark achievement gap.

To ensure that all children achieve the basic student right of consistent, quality instruction, we, the undersigned, urge that the School District of Philadelphia recruit, reward, and retain talented school staff; distribute teachers equitably; and effectively support their development in every school.

 
Two imperatives guide this platform:

Every child deserves an effective teacher.

Every school needs a stable workforce of effective teachers.

We believe that in order to translate these basic imperatives into reality, the District must do the following:

1.   Distribute experienced and effective teachers equitably across the District.

2.   Create performance standards for teachers and principals that are aligned with student success, and impplement them consistently district-wide.

3.   Create an effective professional development strategy that is guided by teacher input and creates a "culture of collaboration" in schools.

4.   Give school leaders the tools & resources to hire and create teams of effective teachers.

5.    Create a "deep bench" of applicants for teaching positions.

6.    Open school with NO teacher vacancies.

The Time is Right

We believe that this is a crucial moment to demand change on these issues.  The opportunities to make significant changes--right now—are heightened because of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman’s commitment to eliminating the achievement gap, the District’s current strategic planning process, the re-negotiation of the contract between the School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the additional funding available from federal grants, including “economic stimulus” aid. Moreover, the reform of Pennsylvania’s education finance system means that Philadelphia will also receive “PACT” (Pennsylvania’s Accountability to Commonwealth Taxpayers) funds that can help to support these reforms.

 
Organizations and individuals who believe in the power of education to change lives have joined together to address the urgent need for effective teachers and stable staffing patterns in all of our city’s schools.  Our children have waited long enough. We implore District, civic, and business leaders, parents, students and all community residents to add their voices to ours, to make Philadelphia a city where education comes first and where good teaching and school leadership is expected and supported.