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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman this morning released a new four-year plan for the school system that calls for major changes in the way CMS hires, trains and pays teachers.
In his annual State of the Schools speech at ImaginOn, Gorman said CMS leaders have determined that relying on experience and credentials is not the best approach in determining what makes an effective teacher.
Gorman said the new four-year plan, titled "Strategic Plan 2014: Teaching Our Way to the Top," will revamp the way his staff evaluates effective teaching.
"There are 15,000 school districts in America, and I'm concerned there are 15,000 definitions of effecting teaching," Gorman told a crowd of community leaders. "We can't have that.
"We need consistent standards across the country."
Strategic Plan 2014 is the second of Gorman's four-year plans, replacing Strategic Plan 2010, which was released in 2006.
The 2006 plan had goals -- all of which were met, CMS officials say -- of moving CMS toward a goal of providing "the best education available anywhere."
Now, Gorman said, he wants the school system to focus on finding a definition for effective teaching -- then making sure CMS hires and rewards those people.
Gorman also said the plan is not limited to teachers, that it will include employees in all jobs. He wants CMS employees to understand how their effectiveness -- or lack of such -- affects others in the school system. Staff members will work to develop new tools to evaluate teachers and other staff members, then set goals that are measurable.
“Great teaching and great leadership will take the high fliers even higher," Gorman said during his address this morning.
"It will take good students closer to great. And it will take the ones who need help over the academic hurdles to success. When we improve teaching and manage performance, every child gets a better education.”
Gorman outlined six areas of focus that support the goals:
-- Effective teaching and leadership
-- Performance management
-- Increasing the graduation rate -- Teaching and learning through technology
-- Environmental stewardship -- Parent and community connections
Harvard University is working with the school system on ways of determining which teachers are effective, and which methods are succeeding with students.
CMS has provided pay incentives to teachers in recent years. Instructors who agree to move into the system's lower-performing schools have been rewarded with pay bonuses. In addition, teachers who receive National Board Certification receive extra pay.
