Innovating for Teacher Retention
Leadership & Equity Strand
District Level
Charlotte, NC
Overview
This module features a simulation in which district leaders must plan and execute reforms to address a teacher retention crisis. Based on a case in Charlotte, NC where opportunity and achievement gaps persist for students in racial and linguistic minority groups, leaders must build effective coalitions among the many interest groups within the district to recruit more diverse teachers and leaders across the district.
Key Skills Developed:
- Intercultural Competencies in Leadership
- Leading Professional Learning for Adults
- Recruitment for Diverse Teachers and Leaders
Related Readings
- Module 002 Innovation for Teacher Retention Overview
- Charlotte, N.C.’s Project L.I.F.T.: An Opportunity Culture Case Study (OpportunityCulture.org)
- Teacher Leader Model Standards (TeacherLeaderStandards.org)
Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (ISLLC 2015)
- 1) Mission, Vision, and Core Values
- 3) Equity and Cultural Responsiveness
- 6) Professional Capacity of School Personnel
- 7) Professional Community for Teachers and Staff
Simulation Experience on June 10, 2016
Innovating for Teacher Retention in Charlotte, NC
During the colloquium teams will enter a simulation experience:
Your school district, Charlotte Public Schools, is facing the challenge of recruiting qualified teachers while enacting controversial school reform initiatives.
You are now serving as a community advisory group the Superintendent has assembled to make decisions with regard to how the district should proceed with the Project LIFT program. Within your team, you will each take on one role for the duration of the simulation. These are fictitious roles; please bring your past experiences in education and education leadership with you into the role as well as what you have learned about the context in Charlotte, NC.
Simulation Roles
| Superintendent | You have been in the district for nearly 10 years, having worked in Charlotte for your entire teaching and school leadership career. You work easily with those in the community and are well-respected by groups across the city as well as within the district offices. |
| Community Business Leader | You are one of the district’s biggest advocates within the Charlotte business community. You forged the partnerships needed to bring Project LIFT to Charlotte. You district the Teachers Union and the Union President. You have three children in Charlotte Public Schools. |
| Community Activist | You are an outspoken member of the community who was chosen for this team because you know and represent parts of the community who oppose Project LIFT. You are concerned that the best teachers are now teaching in the worst schools in the district and that this will negatively impact families and the district. |
| Teachers Union President | You have a solid working relationship with the Superintendent, and you do not want to jeopardize that over Project LIFT. You sincerely want to find ways to address the teacher shortage crisis, yet you see your first objective as securing and improving jobs for current teachers. |
| Project LIFT High School Principal | You are the principal of the high school where all the Project LIFT middle schools are feeding into, and you are in the first year of a Project LIFT pilot in your school with one group of teachers. You are skeptical of what Project LIFT can do in the short-term to address concerns relating to student dropout and graduation rates. |
After allocating roles in your team, proceed through this case, making critical leadership decisions to frame a successful recruitment plan. At the end of your simulation experience, you will be asked to revisit your team’s decision-making process and create a short presentation to summarize your group’s process, decision-making experiences, and learnings for the case.
Registered participants will begin their collaborative multimedia case experience at Teachers College Columbia University on June 10, 2016 (4-7 pm) in Zankel Building 406. [Event Map]
The simulation experience takes the real urban district context as the starting point for participants’ learning experiences. If you are interested in attending any of our colloquium and multimedia case experience sessions this spring hosted by the Urban Education Leaders Collaborative at Teachers College Columbia University, please register for tickets.
Future UELC spring sessions will be held on:
- Saturday, June 11 – Teacher Leadership — Building Leader Institute (8 am – 12 pm)
- Wednesday-Friday, July 27-29, 2016 – Summer Building Leader Conference with On Point Leadership
