Ruth Curran Neild, Elizabeth Useem, Eva F. Travers, and Joy Lesnick, Research for Action
2003
The first portion of this report is heavy with statistics from Philadelphia schools, illustrating the recurrent problems of that district's teacher recruitment, retention, and quality. But its meat is to be found in the second half, where it describes the "blizzard of initiatives" launched by schools CEO Paul Vallas in fall 2002 in his attempt to improve teacher recruitment and retention. Shortly after his arrival, Vallas commenced a Campaign for Human Capital to "expand the pool of prospective teachers and retain experienced teachers." One initiative is an expanded outreach and marketing effort. Another idea is tuition reimbursement for people taking courses required for teaching. The Vallas team is also working to address teacher retention by developing new policies for mentoring and training. Is any of it working? Early results are mixed. Take a look at http://www.researchforaction.org/PSR/PublishedWorks/TQReport03.pdf.
