Panel on Teacher Retention on District Schools
 Public Comment Panel 1 at October Public Meeting
During this month’s public meeting, local and national experts offered their guidance and recommendations on ways to improve teacher retention. Additionally, the SBOE heard directly from teachers in both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools on the effects felt by students when teachers leave their school.
Public witnesses shared thoughts and comments on the report released by SBOE as well as some reasons why teachers tend to leave District public schools.
- Hiring more qualified, experienced teachers could lead to less frequent meetings and professional development
- Leaders should aim to look at achievement holistically versus just test scores, which would take pressure off administrators and teachers
- Employing supportive superintendents who know the schools, teachers, and students will help teacher development and retention
- Many teachers may have content knowledge, but need to develop more experience working in diverse communities
- Pressure of IMPACT system: Some teachers are fearful and with the frequency of standardized exams, there is not enough time to evaluate data
Next Steps
SBOE plans to review other state’s policies on teacher retention and the ways in which data are collected and used to ensure the needs of all teachers are met. SBOE recognizes the large amount of work that needs to happen in this area, and will continue to engage with policy experts on the subject.
SBOE Releases Teacher Retention Report
The SBOE commissioned report on teacher retention in the District of Columbia documents “teacher attrition” rates for both District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. The report uses a combination of data sources, including annual performance reports, staff databases, and records acquired through the oversight function of the Council of the District of Columbia and from Freedom of Information Act requests. Based on the information collected, the SBOE issued three recommendations.
Key Findings
- Teacher turnover is higher in the District of Columbia than in other comparable American cities, including New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee, and higher than the national average.
- The yearly teacher turnover rate, averaged over three years, across both traditional public and public charter schools is about 25 percent, compared to a national average of approximately 16 percent and an average of 19 percent among a selection of urban districts. In both sectors, schools with the highest percentages of at-risk students tend to suffer from the highest rates of teacher turnover.
- Teacher and principal turnover was highest in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and least frequent in Ward 3.
SBOE Recommendations
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A state-level oversight body—whether SBOE, OSSE, the DC Council, or the proposed education research collaborative—should create and maintain a single comprehensive and publicly available source of teacher and principal turnover data. Standardized, regular reporting of all teacher turnover data would help promote a common understanding and help state and local education agencies to take action.
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The state should work with LEAs to ensure richer data collection on teacher and principal characteristics. Knowing more about teachers’ and principals’ characteristics and their motivations for leaving is crucial to addressing the underlying causes of turnover and retaining more high-quality teachers.
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SBOE should support a new, sustained research project exploring linkages between teacher and principal turnover and student success. More research, potentially in the form of a survey or other qualitative research project, would be helpful to better understand the mechanisms by which teacher turnover affects students and schools.
ESSA Task Force Update
 ESSA Task Force members during October meeting
At this month’s meeting, representatives from OSSE presented to the task force members on the status of the accountability system as part of the District’s compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) law. Presenters from the education advocacy nonprofit organizations TNTP and Education Forward DC, who are collaborating with OSSE on teacher data collection and analysis efforts, provided an update on their work and solicited feedback from task force members on their priorities for teacher data collection.
Update from OSSE
As part of the District of Columbia’s ESSA plan, OSSE pledged to update the State Board of Education multiple times per year on the status of ESSA implementation, including school report cards, the collection and use of teacher data, access to opportunities and growth metrics, and the agency’s plans for future data collection.
Update from TNTP
TNTP and Education Forward DC are working to build a central hub of teacher data that spans the District’s many LEAs. The TNTP/Education Forward DC team was interested to hear from the ESSA Task Force about their priorities and challenges concerning teacher data and the main issues they should examine. Over the next few months, the team will explore how to share teacher data in ways that inform state- and local-level initiatives.
Task force members, working in four groups, identified four priority issue areas they wanted to further understand:
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Teacher retention: Which teachers are leaving, and why? Where do they go?
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Teacher preparation and vacancies: What teacher preparation programs and colleges are sending the most teachers to the District, and is there a relationship between these programs and teacher performance?
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Educator diversity: Does workforce diversity match the District’s? Do teachers have the time and ability to learn about the communities they serve?
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Equity in access to effective teachers: Are effective teachers equitably distributed?
The task force meets again on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. The task force meeting will be streamed live via Periscope for those community members who are unable to attend in person.
RESOURCES
Minutes | Presentation Slides | Watch the Replay
Student Advisory Committee Update
 Student Advisory Committee at October meeting
Student Representatives Tatiana Robinson and Marjoury Alicea hosted the school year’s second Student Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting on October 1, 2018 with representatives from multiple DCPS and public charter high schools. The meeting began with a discussion with OSSE’s Health and Wellness Division. Dr. Heidi Schumacher, Assistant Superintendent and Tia Brumsted, Deputy Assistant Superintendent, talked with the SAC about the resources available in their schools, a new suicidality resource created by OSSE and gathered frank feedback about how OSSE can do a better job in terms of student health and wellness. Representatives Robinson and Alicea used the remainder of the meeting to discuss what issues the SAC would tackle this year.
Office of the Student Advocate Update
The Office of the Student Advocate has been hard at work this month supporting students and families! The team has worked diligently to update school resources and guidance tools for parents and students to use as they navigate public education in the District.
Resource Updates
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Studentadvocate.dc.gov: Now updated with a new family-friendly format that is easier to navigate.
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Parent & Family Go-To-Guide: Now updated with a collection of parent centered documents and resources designed to help families navigate the public education system in the District.
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Safe Passage Toolkit: Designed to create and sustain the safe passage of our students and communities based on the “6 E’s” from National Safe Routes to School: education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, evaluation, and equity.
Ward 5 Special Education Workshop November 13th
On Tuesday, November 13, we will host a Special Education Workshop Series in Ward 5. It will be from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at KIPP DC College Preparatory (1401 Brentwood Pkwy NE). We are partnering with Ward 5 Representative Mark Jones, OSSE’s State Advisory Panel on SPED, and the Ward 5 Council on Education. For more information or to RSVP, please visit our webpage training and events section at https://sboe.dc.gov/page/training-events.
Contact Us
Our Request for Assistance line, a “311” system for public education, operates LIVE 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. Reach us at 202-741-4692 for resources, referrals, and one-on-one coaching on all DC public education issues.
Honoring Joyanna Smith and Theodore C. Hinton, Jr.
 Joyanna Smith honored at October public meeting
Surrounded by family, friends, and educators from across the District, SBOE recognized the achievements of former Ombudsman for Public Education, Joyanna Smith, and long-time DCPS administrator, Theodore C Hinton, Jr. at our public meeting this month.
Joyanna Smith was appointed as the Ombudsman for Public Education in February 2014 and served in this role for nearly five years. Ms. Smith made a lasting impact in the District through her work in re-establishing the Office of Ombudsman for Public Education—helping parents, students, and families resolve problems and ensure that the best interest of students are put first. She was a champion for all residents of the District of Columbia and worked to help bridge the knowledge gap between the perceptions and the realities of the public schools in the District.
Theodore C. Hinton, Jr. worked in the District of Columbia Public Schools system for 50 years—serving as a math and science teacher, an administrator, and most recently as Dean of Culture at Powell Bilingual Elementary School. During his tenure, Mr. Hinton was a strong proponent of using positive reinforcement to help all students find direction in their lives.
 Theodore C. Hinton, Jr. honored at October public meeting
SBOE in the Community
 Ward 6 representative Joe Weedon joined students and community members at #WalkToSchoolDay
This month, State Board members ushered in fall by attending community events, connecting with students and parents, and supporting local DC public schools and public charter schools.
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Joe (Ward 6) supported student walkers at the annual #WalkToSchoolDay sponsored by CHPSPO.
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Laura (Ward 1) celebrated the grand opening of Rocketship Legacy Prep.
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Markus (Ward 8) joined SBOE members and leaders from around the country at the annual National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) conference.
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Jack (Ward 2, Vice President) spoke to students at DCI School as part of their Changemaker series.
If you have an upcoming event that you would like State Board members or staff to attend, please let us know directly via email or phone to coordinate!
Upcoming Meetings
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