1. Promoting Equity Through Teacher Distribution
Presented By:
Emily Fox, Division Administrator
Educator Effectiveness

2. Local Education Plans Under ESSA
State must approve a plan from districts that was developed in consultation with stakeholders that includes
how the Local education agency will identify and address disparities in teacher distribution
Under the Every Students Succeeds Act, state and local education agencies have regained control over improving basic programs that will support the strengths and needs of every child. As part of your Title I plans this year, you will be charged with addressing how you will identify and address disparities in teacher distribution within your district.

3. Goals for Today Thinking About Your Plan
Identifying Teacher Distribution Disparity
Analyzing Teacher Distribution Disparity
Remedying Teacher Distribution Disparity
The goal of today’s session is to provide you with ideas and resources to use as you begin writing your Title I state plan. As you begin thinking about your plan, consider how you will collect data and what the data means within the unique context of your district. I will share with you some ideas for identifying, analyzing and addressing disparity in your district, and how the state addressed each area in its state equity plan. Toward the end of the meeting, you will break into small groups to brainstorm ideas that can be shared with the group as a whole at the end of today’s session.

4. Teacher Distribution
Poor and minority children must have access to as many qualified, experienced educators as their more advantaged peers.
Approaches to decrease the percentage of inexperienced teachers in high- poverty and high-minority schools
Ways to support less experienced teachers so they become more experienced and more effective
The central goal of equitable teacher distribution is assuring children in high-poverty and high-minority schools have access to as many qualified, experienced educators as their more advantaged peers. During the development of the state’s equity plan, the central claim that emerged was that children in high poverty or high minority districts are taught by less experienced teachers, which can be understood as “less effective.” Tied to this claim was the question, “How can we support less experienced teachers so they become more experienced and thus more effective?”

5. Definitions
On this slide, key terms have been defined. Definitions have been taken from Illinois Administrative Code, the Illinois School Code, or ISBE reports. Common definitions were established to ensure data would be derived from a standard definition used by districts, stakeholders, and the state.
An inexperienced teacher is an individual who has less than one year of teaching experience. Expanding the length of time to consider a teacher “experienced” is being explored in the state plan, and stakeholders are welcome to comment.
An unqualified educator is an individual who does not hold a valid educator license and is thus unqualified to teach in a public school.
An out-of-field teacher is an individual who holds a valid license, but does not meet the minimum requirements for assignment (such as holding the proper endorsement.)
Poor or low-income students are children from families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level (which makes them eligible for free meals) or between 130 and 185% of the poverty level (which makes them eligible for reduced-price meals.)
Minority students encompass any student who is not white.
Effective Teacher and Highly Effective Teacher are determined by ratings on the individual’s most recent performance evaluation. On a four-category rating system, an effective teacher has received a “proficient” score, while a highly effective teacher has received a score of “excellent.”
The state is open to other definitions and will finalize all definitions in the state plan.

6. Definitions

7. Identifying Disparities
Calculate equity gaps between the rates at which (1) poor children and (2) minority children are taught by “inexperienced”, “unqualified”, and “out-of- field” teachers.
Utilize data
Illinois School Report Card
Illinois 5 Essentials Survey
Using the terminology discussed on the previous slide, review data for disparities between high poverty and high minority school districts in comparison to low poverty and low minority school districts. Use ISBE resources such as the Illinois School Report Card, Illinois 5 Essentials Survey, or any other data your district has collected.

8. Analyzing Disparities
Identify possible causes for disparities between high poverty and high minority school districts in comparison to low poverty and low minority school districts
State Equity Plan: Three Probable Causes
Lack of equitable funding formulas between districts (funding)
Lack of continuity in recruitment and retention of educators (supports)
Lack of awareness of community (practices and values) once in a high needs district (cultural competency)
After collecting your data, determine if any disparities are present. If so, identify likely causes. When writing its equity plan, the state identified four probably causes for equity gaps between districts:
Funding: Lack of an equitable funding formula between districts (which results in disparities in teacher salaries between districts),
Supports: Lack of continuity in recruitment and retention of educators;
Practice and Values: Lack of awareness of community, and cultural competency when specifically in a high needs district.

9. Analyzing Disparities
To identify the three most probably causes, the state provided stakeholders with six initial categories (taken from the 2010 state equity plan) and asked stakeholders to identify aspects of each category that should be part of the 2015 equity plan. The six categories, as well as considerations for each category, are listed and may be used to inform your plan.

10. Analyzing Disparities- Claims
Next, the state analyzed data to develop five overarching claims. These claims mirror data in the Illinois Equity Profile and served as a way to focus and refine stakeholder consideration of the possible causes and potential remedies for each claim. Proceeding in this way allowed ISBE and stakeholders to see if there were common causes and similar solutions across claims.

11. Analyzing Disparities: Probable Causes
State Equity Plan: Three Probable Causes
Lack of equitable funding formulas between districts (funding)
Lack of continuity in recruitment and retention of educators (supports)
Lack of awareness of community (practices and values) once in a high needs district (cultural competency)

12. Probable Causes (detailed)
Probable Cause One
Lack of equitable funding formula for local school districts which results in disparities in teacher salaries between districts (funding.)
Context:
Currently working on statutory changes to how districts are funded
There is a large disparity in funding between districts depending on location
Although salary is only one aspect of a district’s budget, salary is important when most young teachers have student loans to repay
High poverty and high minority districts have lower operational and instructional budgets from which to provide resources
Additional Data:
Graphs from Illinois School Report Card showing those who work in high poverty or high minority districts regularly work with a greater number of students
Funding received
These claims were used to guide the development of probable causes. When defining likely causes, the state included a summary of the probably cause (one or two sentences), and a narrative addressing context specific to the state and additional data that should be considered.
For context: Factors specific to Illinois were discussed, such as disparity in funding between districts and how the disparities impact teachers and resources. In your plan, you could discuss factors within your district that are pertinent to the probably cause.
For additional data: The state included bar graphs from the Illinois School Report card showing data that could be tied to the probably cause. A short narrative also discussed funding for instructional and operational costs between high and low poverty districts. You can include charts or tables in this section, as well as a discussion around other relevant data that might relate to your probably cause.

13. Remedies to Eliminate Disparities
Describe strategies- be specific
Consider district context when developing strategies
Indicate why strategies will be effective
Include timelines
In this section, the state described strategies it would implement to eliminate the identified equity gap with respect to both poor students and minority students, including how the state determined these strategies would be effective, and timelines for implementation.

14. Remedies to Eliminate Disparities
Utilize current ISBE communication strategies to promote awareness of federal loan forgiveness programming
Utilize current ISBE communication strategies to ensure districts are aware of ways to use Title II funds to support professional development
Develop, with teacher preparation institutions, best practices for preparing teachers for high poverty and/or high minority districts
Award grants to LEAs that require development of recruitment and retention programming, use of teacher leaders, and programming that supports family engagement.
For the sake of space, each of the remedies has been condensed. Each was more descriptive in the Equity Plan.
The state proposes using current communication strategies to promote awareness of federal loan forgiveness programming and ways in which districts may utilize Title II funds for professional development and programming that would assist teachers in supporting the academic and social and emotional growth of their students,
Working with teacher preparation programs to ensure candidates who wish to work in high poverty or high minority districts receive ample opportunities for field experiences in these areas, and
Award three-year grants to local education agencies for the development of recruitment and retention programming, the use of teacher leaders as instructional leaders within the school, and programming that calls upon the skills of parents and the community.

15. Remedies to Eliminate Disparities
Possible district actions proposed by the state
Collaborate with IHE’s
Student teaching placement sites
Successful cooperating teachers
Work with, and learn from, parents and communities
When describing how the state education agency would monitor its LEAs’ actions in accordance with ESSA, the state offered several ideas that may be used at the district level. You may use these ideas to spark your own thinking:
First, collaborate with institutions of higher education to provide placement sites and experienced cooperating teachers who have demonstrated success working in districts identified as high poverty and/or high minority, and to ensure placement experiences are indicative of the type of work the candidate will be doing as a teacher of record.
Next, work with and learn from parents and community members. Support from your community is essential when proposing change.

16. Brainstorming Local Education Plans (§1112)
State must approve a plan from districts that was developed in consultation with stakeholders that includes
how the Local education agency will identify and address disparities in teacher distribution
For your plan, think about…..
Identifying Teacher Distribution Disparity
Analyzing Teacher Distribution Disparity
Remedying Teacher Distribution Disparity
Think again about identifying, analyzing, and remedying teacher distribution disparities in your district. How will you collect your data? What steps will you take to determine if disparities exist? If there are disparities, what ideas do you have eliminate identified gaps?

17. Your Plan Solo Brainstorming (5 min.)
Pair up with a Partner and Discuss (5 min.)
Share Ideas with the Group (10 min.)
Ask Questions of your Fellow Districts (Remaining Time)
Remaining Time: I will facilitate a Q & A session between districts regarding their plans.