T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams

T3 Program History The T3 Initiative began in 2009 as a policy proposal from Teach Plus’s first cohort of 16 Teaching Policy Fellows. As part of their 2- year fellowship, they created a model for staffing chronically underperforming schools with cohorts of outstanding, experienced teachers. This approach supported Boston Public Schools’ Acceleration Agenda strategy to ‘Replicate success and turnaround low performing schools’. Their model was implemented as T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams in three Boston Public Schools in the fall of 2010 as a partnership between Teach Plus and Boston Public Schools.

T3 Overview The T3 Initiative: Creates cohorts of highly effective and experienced teachers Supports them in becoming turnaround teacher leaders Places them in teams in the schools where they are most needed Key Elements of the T3 Initiative: Team-Based Staffing. T3 teachers work together as teams that comprise at least 25% of the school faculty; Strong Leadership. T3 partner schools have strong, effective principals who support and empower teachers, who value teacher leadership, and who prioritize time for teacher collaboration; Support. T3 teachers receive ongoing professional development that begins with an intensive summer institute and continues under a school based coach. T3 coaches train teachers to analyze student data and lead teachers in discussions around improving student outcomes. Differentiated Pay. T3 teachers are compensated for the additional time required to serve in their leadership roles through a $6,000 salary differential that acknowledges their status.

T3 Recruitment and Selection Recruitment Teach Plus recruits nationally for T3 teachers through paid advertising online and in print, conferences, social media, partner organizations, and professional associations. This year there were six applicants for every new position. Selection Process Teachers must apply to the T3 Initiative, and the selection process is run jointly by Teach Plus and Boston Public Schools. Minimum qualifications include at least three years of teaching experience in a high poverty school and a track record of effectiveness with students. The process includes: A written application An interview day that includes a team activity Evidence of effective classroom teaching practice

T3 Support and Professional Development Summer Institute T3 teacher leaders attend an intensive summer institute that focuses on the specific skills they need to be successful as teacher leaders as well as district initiatives. School-based Coaches Each T3 partner school has a school-based coach who provides day-to-day support for the teacher leaders as a cohort, in the individual teams T3 teachers lead, and one on one. Network Professional Development All T3 teachers attend regular cross-school professional development sessions to share best practices

T3 in BPS Partner Schools Blackstone Elementary School (PK-5) Trotter Elementary School (K-5) Orchard Gardens Pilot School (K-8) Total T3 Teachers in BPS in : /3 returning to their turnaround schools, 1/3 from other BPS schools, 1/3 from charter schools or other states Leadership Roles Include: Grade-level team leaders, Content specialist team leaders (Special Education, Specialist, ELL), Vertical integration team leaders Leadership Commitment: Additional 25 day time equivalent Training : Summer institute, monthly whole cohort PD, bi monthly school based Teacher Leadership Learning Time with coach Planning: Weekly prep for grade level team meetings and leading PD Leadership: Leading grade-level teams twice a week, ILT or School Redesign team bi monthly, leading PD

T3 in BPS Addition of three partner schools and expansion at one current partner school Dearborn Middle School 6-8, planning to expand into a 6-12 STEM school Roger Clap Innovation School PreK-5, formerly the Roger Clap Elementary School. RCIS is Boston’s first Innovation School UP Academy Charter School of Boston 6-8, a new BPS in-district charter school Growth at Orchard Gardens K-8 OG absorbed the Cape Verdean SEI program from a closing school Total T3 Teachers in BPS in : 61 in 6 schools

T3 Impact A few examples of T3’s school-wide impact: Teacher retention at Orchard Gardens was only 52% prior to its designation as a turnaround school. This year, it was 94%. The percentage of students at Orchard Gardens scoring Proficient or Advanced increased by 84% in Math and 55% in English Language Arts (ELA). Orchard Gardens students showed more growth on the MCAS test than 78% of their academic peers across the state in Math and 62% of their academic peers in ELA. After one year of implementation, the T3 Initiative has: Attracted excellent teachers to work in low-performing schools, challenging the notion that great teachers do not want to teach in struggling schools. Created leadership opportunities for our most skilled teachers, helping to keep them in the classroom. Addressed the need for effective teachers to serve the students that need them most.