How to Pay Our Teachers More | Erica Jordan-Thomas | TEDxCharlotte

Summary

The speaker, a former teacher and current principal, explores how to increase teacher salaries by rethinking traditional educational models. She compares exceptional teachers, like 'Beyoncé educators,' to world-class performers and discusses how her school leveraged the 'Opportunity Culture' initiative. By expanding effective teachers' reach through leadership roles, like multi-classroom leaders, and integrating technology for personalized learning, her school enhanced student outcomes without exceeding budget limits. This innovative approach not only raises teacher pay but improves work-life balance, accelerates teacher development, and fosters greater student achievement.

Takeaways

• 📚 Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping students' futures, but they often feel underappreciated due to low salaries.
• 💰 The speaker, a former math teacher and current principal, struggled on a salary of $33,000 despite her passion for teaching.
• 🏆 There are 'Beyoncé educators' who consistently achieve top results with their students, but the traditional classroom setting limits their reach.
• 🔄 The school rethought the teacher-student venue model by expanding the influence of effective teachers through roles like Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCL).
• 👨‍🏫 Bobby Miles, an exemplary science teacher, expanded his reach from 120 to 937 students by leading a teaching team and creating lesson plans for the entire department.
• 🎓 MCLs also serve as instructional coaches, providing feedback and support to other teachers, helping them improve their teaching methods.
• 📈 Blended learning models, like the one created by Molly Whalen, personalize education for students, combining face-to-face instruction with technology.
• 👩‍🏫 Opportunity Culture allows effective teachers to lead teams and impact more students, while increasing their salaries by at least $16,000 within the existing budget.
• 💡 The model not only improves teacher work-life balance but also accelerates teacher development and student learning outcomes.
• 🏅 The Opportunity Culture program has led to measurable improvements, with the school ranking second in language arts and third in science growth in their district.

Q & A

What challenge does the speaker identify regarding teachers' salaries?

The speaker identifies that teachers are underpaid, with many like the speaker struggling on salaries as low as $33,000, despite their significant impact in the classroom.

Why does the speaker compare educators to Beyoncé?

The speaker compares exceptional educators to Beyoncé because they consistently deliver excellent results, just as Beyoncé consistently releases number-one albums. However, unlike Beyoncé, their impact is limited by the classroom, and the speaker believes great teachers should be given a larger platform, or 'venue,' to reach more students.

How did the school expand the reach of effective educators like Mr. Miles?

The school expanded the reach of educators like Mr. Miles by implementing an 'Opportunity Culture' model, where teachers like him became multi-classroom leaders (MCLs). This allowed him to create lesson plans for the entire science department, coach other teachers, and still directly teach students, extending his impact to all students at the school.

What is an 'Opportunity Culture' as described in the script?

An 'Opportunity Culture' is a model that expands the reach of effective educators by allowing them to lead and support other teachers, while also paying them more. This model increases their influence across more students and classrooms, providing better outcomes for both students and teachers.

How does the 'Opportunity Culture' affect teachers' work-life balance?

The 'Opportunity Culture' improves work-life balance for teachers by giving them support from multi-classroom leaders, reducing the burden of lesson planning and providing consistent feedback, helping teachers work more efficiently and sustainably.

What was the impact of Opportunity Culture on student learning at the school?

The implementation of Opportunity Culture led to significant improvements in student learning, with the school ranking number two in the district for growth in language arts and number three for growth in science.

How did the school pay teachers more without increasing its overall budget?

The school restructured its existing budget to create new Opportunity Culture positions, like multi-classroom leaders, which allowed them to pay effective teachers more by reallocating resources, rather than requiring additional funds.

Why did Mr. Miles decide to become a teacher?

Mr. Miles initially pursued a career in medicine but decided to become a teacher after a negative experience in a medical internship and realizing his love for working with kids, with encouragement from a mentor.

What roles does Mr. Miles have as a multi-classroom leader (MCL)?

As an MCL, Mr. Miles creates lesson plans for the entire science department, coaches and provides feedback to other science teachers, and teaches small groups of students who need additional support.

How does the Opportunity Culture model support personalized learning?

The Opportunity Culture model supports personalized learning by using blended learning techniques, where students receive individualized instruction both from teachers and through technology, ensuring that each student's unique learning needs are met.