© TNTP 2013 Mutual Consent Hiring Presentation to the Ohio Senate Education Committee March 2015

/ 2 Mutual consent policies rest on a simple principle: teachers should always choose their schools and schools should always choose their teachers. * Source: C. Kirabo Jackson, “Match Quality, Worker Productivity, and Worker Mobility: Direct Evidence From Teachers,” May The study found that North Carolina elementary school teachers who transferred schools between 1995 and 2006 tended to be more effective (measured by growth in standardized test scores) after they transferred due in part to the “match effect” of their new schools. Mutual consent policies have mutual benefits for teachers and schools. Teachers get to work at schools that are good fits for their talents. 90% of Chicago teachers who transferred under mutual consent rules said the process resulted in a good match. Schools get the strongest possible instructional teams. 76% of Philadelphia principals said mutual consent rules helped them build strong teams, compared to only 44% of principals at schools without mutual consent. Quality matches make for more effective teachers. Teachers are more effective when they work in schools that are good fits—which is much more likely to happen under mutual consent staffing rules. Research has shown that 25% of teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom depends on the quality of the match with their school.* 25%

/ 3 In Memphis, non-mutual consent hires were more likely to rank in the lowest category on evaluations and less likely to rank in the highest category.

/ 4 Last year in CMSD, only 11% of principals were satisfied with the QUALITY of non-mutual consent hires caused by necessary transfers 23% Satisfied 53% Satisfied 11% Satisfied 40% Satisfied Combined n=47

/ 5 CMSD Principals think restricting their hiring choice directly harms their school and their students. “I believe the necessary transfer process must be revised. It is harmful to our school and is focused on providing a job for an adult with no consideration for students.” “There's nothing more frustrating than having to take a necessary transfer when I know that person isn't a good teacher.” “I believe that if someone is a necessary transfer they should have to interview for their position. The fact that they can blow off the interview fair and still be placed is not appropriate.”

/ 6 More and more states and districts across the country have created policies to end forced placement and provide for mutual consent hiring. Colorado state law prohibited forced placement in 2010 and requires mutual consent hiring of teachers. DC Public Schools current collective bargaining agreement prohibits forced placement of teachers. Louisiana state law eliminated forced placement in For teacher placement, district superintendents must delegate teacher hiring decisions to school principals. Rhode Island state law prohibited forced placement in 2009 by adopting regulations that require personnel decisions to be driven by student learning and require each district "to maintain control of its ability to recruit, hire, manage, evaluate, and assign its personnel." Tennessee state law eliminated forced placement in 2013 and instead now requires teachers and principals to mutually agree on an excessed teacher's school placement.

/ 7 For mutual consent to be effective, districts should provide options for teachers that lose positions due to layoffs or school closures Options might include: Preferential treatment and support in the hiring process – displaced teachers deserve help finding new positions that are a good fit Reasonable limitations on how long teachers may earn a salary without having a full-time position (e.g., 6-12 months) Provisions that allow displaced teachers to be re-hired at previous seniority level if/when they find a new role.

/ 8 Appendix The following slides also illustrate the impact of mutual consent hiring

/ 9 Changes to TN law, as well as district strategies, enabled Memphis schools to move toward 100% mutual consent hiring. School Year Number of non-MC hires Number of MC hires % of hires through MC % % % % To meet this goal, the district started to track mutual consent hiring four years ago to better gauge improvement. Additionally, the district worked across different internal departments, the union and with principals and teachers to create an environment where choice was prioritized in the hiring process.

/ 10 Forced-placement encourages principals to “game” the system by transferring or excessing poor performers. “Poor teachers are just moved from school-to-school. When moved, issues that the person had at the previous school are not formally shared with the next principal.” —Akron Public Schools Principal More than half of the principals in El Dorado, Arkansas have encouraged a poor-performing teacher to transfer. When poor-performing teachers are transferred or excessed, it merely shifts the problem to another school.