A G E N D A

1. The DPS/DCTA Professional Compensation System for TeachersCleveland Federal Reserve Bank Conference on Innovation in EducationNovember 18, 2005

2. A G E N D A • Part One: the Context • Denver Public Schools • The Policy Debate on Tying Teacher Compensation to Student Results • Part Two: An Overview of the DPS/DCTA Professional Compensation System for Teachers • Part Three: Five Lessons to Be Learned from the Denver Experience Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

3. ProComp: The Context

4. Denver Public Schools -- A Snapshot • Denver Public Schools serves over 72,489 students in 143 schools and programs. • The student population is highly diverse: • 57% are Hispanic • 18.9% are African American • 19.7% are white • 3.1% are Asian American • 1.2% are American Indian. • Sixty-three (63) percent receive free or reduced-price lunch. • There are about 4250 teachers and student service professionals Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

5. Denver Classroom Teachers Association -- A Snapshot • Denver’s NEA affiliate and the exclusive bargaining agent and representative for Denver’s approximately 4250 teachers • Oldest “classroom teacher” organization in Colorado • First NEA affiliate with a collective bargaining agreement west of the Mississippi and, if you believe Paying Teachers for What They Know and Do, one of the first school districts in the US to adopt a single salary schedule • 3,197 members • Principle member of the Teacher Union Reform Network (TURN) Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

6. The State of the Debate About Teacher Compensation in 1999 • Two competing bodies of common sense: • Obviously teachers should be paid, at least in part, based on student performance. • Since student performance is difficult to measure and out of the direct control of teachers, it is impossible to pay teachers based on student performance. Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

7. 1996 -- The National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future To improve the profession, we must "develop a career continuum for teaching linked to assessment and compensation systems that reward knowledge and skills" Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

8. 2002 -- Bryan Hassell, Writing for the Progressive Policy Institute “Teacher-pay reform and salary increases amount to a ‘grand bargain’ for our nation’s teachers. The public will invest in raising teachers’ income when such hikes are tied to reform goals and results.” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

9. ProComp: an Overview

10. ProComp Stands on a Very Simple Policy Premise ProComp links the District’s single largest expenditure, teacher salaries, with the District’s sole purpose, which is to improve student learning. Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

11. ProComp Aligns Teacher Compensation with the District’s Goals • Replaces a capped system of entitlements with an uncapped system of earned increases • Allows teachers to build a professional compensation package based on a wider range of choices • Requires a $25 million property tax increase to be fully funded Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

12. ProComp -- Background • 1982 to 1999 -- Protracted disagreement about changing teacher compensation • 1999 -- Landmark agreement to pilot “pay for performance” • Introduced objective setting process • Showed that improved student learning was associated with high quality objectives • Proved the value of collaborative activity between DPS and DCTA • Taught us that we needed a more comprehensive pay system than “pay for performance” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

13. ProComp -- Background • 2001 -- Convened Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation • Body independent from the Pay for Performance Pilot, charged to create a recommendation for a new teacher compensation system based, in part, on academic growth • March 2004 -- Joint Task Force recommendation ratified by the Board of Education and members of DCTA • June 2004 -- Beginning of the “ProComp Transition,” or the period of time prior to the mill levy election when DPS and DCTA collaborate to fully develop the systems needed to fully implement ProComp Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

14. The ProComp “Menu” Is Composed of Nine Different Elements Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

15. ProComp Has Three “Bread & Butter Elements” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

16. ProComp Has Three “Bread & Butter Elements” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

17. ProComp Has Three “Bread & Butter Elements” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

18. ProComp Has Three “Bread & Butter Elements” Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

19. Student Growth Objectives Professional Development Units Professional Evaluation The Three Bread and Butter Elements Work Together to Reinforce Student Learning and Quality Teaching Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

20. ProComp Reprioritizes How We Invest Our Salary Increases Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

21. Five Lessons Learned from the Denver Experience

22. The Denver Experience: Five Lessons Learned • The six year development project, even though it was somewhat improvised, built systems capacity, political credibility, and great civic capital. • The labor/management part, though tense at times, made the project more durable. • Intense focus on student learning outcomes has had a lasting impact on teaching and learning. Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

23. The Denver Experience:Five Lessons Learned • Money changes teacher behavior. • It does not defeat collegiality or introduce undue competition. • It does draw attention to different organizational outcomes. • ProComp created catalytic opportunity to reform both business and instruction systems in DPS. • With the Denver Plan, we are creating an ambitious 10 strategic plan. Conference on Innovation in Education, November 18, 2005

24. Thank You DPS/DCTA ProComp Project http://DenverProComp.org procomp@dpsk12.org