Preparation:  Creating a compact with partnering colleges and universities
While MNPS does not control or lead teacher education programs, the district is a major consumer of the teacher product prepared by colleges and universities in the region. Thus, MNPS should communicate its desires regarding new teacher qualities and attributes clearly and frequently. This will become an easier proposition as the district begins to collect and analyze new-hire data, particularly teacher effectiveness data pursuant to Tennessee’s recently First to the Top legislation.

When hiring newly prepared teachers, MNPS will seek to:

• Improve its pool of teacher candidates.
• Increase recruitment of high-quality (based on undergraduate performance), diverse candidates through multiple pathways and alternative routes.
• Work with colleges and universities to prepare teacher candidates for success.

In turn, partnering colleges and universities should agree to:

• Promote teaching as a challenging, professional career held to high standards.
• Prepare teacher candidates for the requirements and responsibilities that accompany teaching including:
  • Knowledge of diagnostic, formative and summative assessments.
  • Content mastery.
  • Skillful application of pedagogy.
  • Knowledge of classroom organization and management techniques.
  • Ability to identify and respond to diverse student learning needs and cultures.
  • Aptitude in working collaboratively and in teams.
  • Appetite and know-how for staying current in research and best practices.
• Maintain on-going and close communications with MNPS.

Recruitment:  Find and keep the best
When recruiting new candidates, Nashville ASSET educators believe the district should:

• Build a diverse pool of candidates
• Promise candidates a rewarding professional career, as evidenced by support, culture, salary and positive public relations
• Recruit early, often and aggressively
• Cast a net nationally
• Represent itself and the community honestly

Hiring:  Honestly represent the district
When hiring new candidates, Nashville ASSET educators believe:

• The district should set and communicate high standards, ensuring consistent practices.
• Hiring should be done early and often through an on-going, organized process.
• Retention bonuses should be implemented and phased-in over time based on effectiveness.
• District officials should communicate openly and effectively with candidates throughout the process.
• All hiring should be coordinated at the district level so a teacher becomes an employee of the district first, then is deployed to a school to interview with the principal.

                              Supporting: Provide support for success
                              When supporting beginning teachers, Nashville's ASSET educators believe:

• On-going induction should continue for at least three years.
• Candidates should be offered a network of both informal and formal support.
• Beginning teachers should be fully oriented into the system, school and community.
• Candidates should be offered a unique suite of professional development opportunities.
• Clear job descriptions should be the norm.

Developing:  Implement relevant, job-embedded professional development
When developing teachers, Nashville ASSET educators believe:

• MNPS should appoint a Director of Professional Development at the district level for a coordinated and aligned approach.
• Job embedded, cross-curricular, flexible and sustainable professional development should be promoted.
• Professional development should be tailored to specific needs of teachers, based on teacher evaluations.
• Professional development should be tied to data and a school improvement plan.
• Professional development should be administered in a collaboratively and in a timely manner.

                              Evaluating:  Promote teacher growth
                              When evaluating teachers, Nashville ASSET educators believe:

• Transparency should be standard operating procedure.
• Formative and summative approaches should be used.
• Focus should be on teacher growth—don’t take a “gotcha” approach.
• Evaluations should be linked to professional development.
• Collaboration among teachers should be strongly promoted.
• Administrators’ time commitment should not dramatically increase.
• Teacher performance measures should be presented clearly and concisely, with each report element adequately defined.
• Reports should include all data used to produce teacher effectiveness calculations.
• All teachers in all subjects/grades should be valued—don’t create disincentives for teachers who teach in challenging environments.

Retaining and Rewarding: Treating teachers as professionals
When compensating and rewarding, Nashville ASSET educators believe:

• A professional wage matters—it should be competitive across the profession, from beginning to master teachers who demonstrate effectiveness.
• Teachers should be rewarded differentially based on effectiveness, shortages, and hard-to-staff schools and subjects.
• Retention bonuses should be used to keep effective beginning teachers.
• Compensation affects culture.
• Performance should be honored and recognized in non-monetary ways, such as district celebrations or award ceremonies.