Strategies and Resources for Supporting Rural Educator Quality Webinar – Supporting Rural Schools and Districts

A School Staffing Tsunami The Great Wave by Hokusai 1832 We can not use the methods of yesterday … to staff the schools of the future.

Focus Areas 1. Reinventing Teacher Compensation 2. Recasting the Teaching Profession 3. Improving Teacher Working Conditions 4. Improving Community Infrastructure and Support for Teachers

Compensation SC Teacher Advancement Program (SCTAP) Currently being implemented in 45 SC schools Provides “value-added” data on teachers Distributes performance pay based on student improvement Salary Incentives for Teaching Excellence (SITE) Concept to transition the current flat salary schedule to a new dynamic system that rewards teacher performance and value-added student outcomes. Compensation for serving hard to staff (rural) schools and hard to fill positions.

Compensation Provides sizable stipends to National Board Certified Teachers Increases compensation and teaching quality. Take One – A program to help rural school district “grow there own” National Board Certified teachers. This provides a starting point and assistance for becoming Nationally Board certified Housing and Transportation Incentives Competitive salaries for rural school districts

Recasting the Profession Promote a positive image of the education profession Develop less complicated pathways to certification and recertification Redefine teacher education programs Continue to offer comprehensive mentoring programs for new teachers Develop a teacher community model Explore innovative methods for inducting new teachers Explore options to ensure substitute teachers are prepared to positively affect student performance

Program of Alternative Certification (PACE) International Visiting Teachers Program Diverse Pathways Recasting the Profession Adjunct Teacher Corp

Improving Working Conditions Leadership Continuum – Provide a comprehensive continuum of leadership development programs with priority to challenged schools Equitable Distribution of Funding – Create ways for funds to be collected and distributed so that all children have the opportunity for a rich education experience. Public School Choice – Creating choices for students, creates choices for teachers. - Single Gender - Montessori - Outdoor-Focused - Language immersion - Inside out Centers for Learning - New Tech high Schools

Improving Working Conditions Teaming and Looping – Teams of learning facilitators oversee the learning of students for multiple years. SCTeacherVillage.com - An initiative designed to use technology to provide social networking to new teachers, replace the feeling of isolation with a feeling of connectedness. Teacher Renewal Center – A public-private partnership to create a world-class renewal center for teachers.

Changing Dynamic in the Workplace Isolated - Soloist Engaged Team Member ?

Community Infrastructure and Support Teacher Housing Projects - Palmetto Hero Establish teacher housing communities in rural areas - Renovation Projects - TeacHouse – Student teachers and induction teachers - Teacher Villages – mixed use Partnership with the State Housing Authority to provide low interest loans for teachers that are 1 st time home owners – priority to rural areas

Questions Mark A. Bounds – (803)