Strengthening Our Teacher Workforce

The teaching profession in Dallas County is at a critical stage, with data on teacher preparedness, certification, and retention highlighting the need to invest in an educator workforce that can drive positive student outcomes.

Day in and day out, teachers are alongside our students in the classroom— fostering both their academic growth and personal development. But building the conditions for educators to do this well requires intentional, sustained effort. School systems carry the critical responsibility to recruit, prepare, and support teachers who can deliver high-quality education for all students. And, as state lawmakers recognized in the most recent legislative session, we must continue to invest in high-quality teacher preparation to cultivate these effective educators.    

That’s why Commit has built a series of Educator Effectiveness convenings that create space for collaboration and shared learning— laying the groundwork for a more sustainable pipeline that strengthens teacher quality and retention across the region.  

Dallas County Consortium For Teacher Excellence

The Consortium is a cross-institutional partnership between Dallas County school districts and educator preparation programs (EPPs) committed to improving certification success, teacher readiness, and early-career retention.  

The Consortium is a collaborative space for districts and EPP’s to design and implement solutions that help new and aspiring teachers succeed in certification and enter classrooms ready to teach. Participants will share and act on relevant teacher data, co-design and pilot certification milestones, and maximize resources made newly available by House Bill 2’s PREP Allotment.  

Together, we are building an aligned, sustainable ecosystem of support that helps aspiring teachers get to and through certification and into classrooms where they’re needed most. Strengthening preparation pathways is essential to building a thriving teacher workforce—one that drives lasting improvements for school systems and student success.

Human Capital Management Convenings  

Human Capital Management Convenings are collaborative initiatives supporting human capital management leaders to strengthen educator quality and retention.  

Through a series of convenings, up to 12 school districts across Dallas County collaborate to leverage educator workforce data, research, and promising practices to create strategic actions that strengthen teacher quality and retention. This includes focusing on strengthening certification pathways, improving onboarding and mentorship programs, and increasing retention rates.  

By aligning resources and pursuing collective solutions, participating school districts are building a more effective, equitable educator effectiveness framework—one that ensures every student is taught by a well-prepared, well-supported teacher.  

Lead 180 Principal Manager Program  

Lead 180 is a leadership development program designed to build the capacity of principal supervisors across North Texas school districts to effectively lead instructional and cultural improvements in their schools. By equipping participants with high-impact, research-based instructional leadership tools, this program supports principal supervisors and their leadership teams in driving cultural and strategic shifts needed to strengthen their campus environments. Through collaborative gatherings, participants explore best practices that will enhance their ability to scale school and system-level improvements.  

These tools are designed not just to support individual campuses, but to help school districts across the region align efforts, build sustainable leadership, and ultimately improve both student outcomes and school culture.

This year, we are excited to be piloting the program with a dedicated cohort of 11 supervisors from Dallas County, facilitated by Mindful Ed and The Turnaround, LLC. While this inaugural group is already underway and no additional participants will be added for this year, we look forward to sharing learnings from the pilot and exploring future opportunities to expand.

Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Community of Practice

The Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Community of Practice is a collaborative initiative supporting district leaders to strengthen teacher quality and retention through scaling and the strategic use of TIA funding.

Through a series of convenings, TIA leads from across Dallas County come together to share best practices, discuss common barriers, and co-develop strategies that expand the reach of TIA to more teachers within their systems.  

By leveraging peer learning and collective problem-solving, participating districts are building sustainable systems that help reward highly effective teachers while fostering a culture of instructional excellence. Through shared learning and coordinated action, the TIA Community of Practice ensures that more students benefit from the expertise of great teachers—and that those teachers are recognized, supported, and retained.

Want to learn more about Educator Effectiveness? Reach out to Managing Director Chelsea Valdez at chelsea.valdez@commitpartnership.org to learn more.

‍