How can Dallas County recruit and retain effective educators?

This school year, Commit has been honored to collaborate with D Magazine on a series of reports about key topics in our public education system. Our latest asks the question: How do we recruit and retain effective educators?

My time as a teacher made me who I am today.

Before I was in central administration, on the school board, or serving as a nonprofit leader, I was a Teach for America corps member teaching 8^th grade social studies at T.C. Marsh Middle School in Dallas. And while each of those roles had their unique challenges, teaching was arguably the toughest job. It is certainly the one from which I learned the most.

One of the things I learned very quickly is that any organization – from a school to a district to a company – is only as strong as its people. As a novice teacher, I had a responsibility to learn from the more seasoned educators around me, and was blessed with some incredible mentors such as Suzanne Blaney, Colleen Lowry and Margin Hooks.

Another thing I grew to better understand as a classroom educator was the importance of meaningful feedback. In my time as a teacher in Dallas, over 95% of my colleagues were considered “proficient,” yet only a third of students were meeting grade level standards. Going into my second and third years of service, I needed more than a quick recognition that I was good enough. I needed sustained coaching that would help me improve on behalf of my students.

In the years that followed, the Dallas Independent School District has emerged as a leader in human capital management for school systems. The Teacher Excellence Initiative provides teachers with an actionable framework for improving their craft. Thanks in part to the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a state policy influenced by Dallas ISD’s experience, these educators can expect pay that is highly competitive because it ultimately reflects the positive impact they are having on students. All this contributes to a retention rate that is consistently higher than the statewide average.  

And Dallas ISD is just one of the many school systems doing great work in our region. Nearly all of the traditional school districts in Dallas County, as well as its largest charter provider, Uplift, have implemented or are implementing the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and should be applauded for doing so. Designing a multi-measure evaluation system for educators that meets the needs of all local stakeholders is difficult work that takes several years. But with TIA-designated teachers more likely to stay in the classroom and produce better outcomes for kids, we know that hard work is worth it.

My time as a teacher made me who I am today, and so did all the teachers I learned from first. From Debbie Prihoda at Kelly High School to Adrian Anderson and Ralph Wooster at Lamar University, my life has been shaped by Texas public educators. I’m honored to have the opportunity to advocate for systemic changes that recognize and reward our educators as the highly skilled professionals they are. I hope you’ll join me.

In gratitude,

Miguel Solis,

President

Commit Partnership