Dallas ISD’s groundwork on the Teacher Excellence Initiative paved the way for the district’s implementation of a fair, accurate and rigorous evaluation system and strategic compensation model that has been continuously molded by those it impacts most directly—teachers. Let’s revisit Dallas ISD’s timeline on the Teacher Excellence Initiative from conception to implementation. Following the Texas Education Agency’s announcement that the PDAS, or Professional Development Appraisal System, which was the traditional means of teacher performance evaluation, would cease, state school districts were given the option to create their own evaluation system. In 2011, Dallas ISD leaders proposed a pay-for-performance model that…

Leading up to Sept. 18, which is when teachers will receive their first-ever TEI scorecards, this episode of Ed Talk with Dr. Bravo provides background and context on the district’s comprehensive teacher evaluation system. TEI director Lindsay Coshatt talks with Dr. Robert Bravo, the Dallas ISD Chief of School Leadership, about the three main components—defining excellence, supporting excellence, and rewarding excellence—that make up TEI. Coshatt explains that, under TEI, an effective teacher over 15 years has the earning to potential to make $100,000 more than they could under a traditional step salary schedule. She added that no teacher would see…

Anyone who has attended a Dallas ISD school will likely agree that the district has some of the best and most dedicated teachers in the country. Those who personally know a Dallas ISD teacher have likely seen firsthand how much work goes into being an effective teacher. Whether it is staying into the evening to help a struggling student, grading assignments on the weekend or getting excited over the summer about a new lesson idea, great teachers don’t have the privilege of ever really taking a day off. It’s not lip service to say that being an effective teacher can…

At the start of the school year, some parents were feeling a bit anxious about trying to understand the new changes coming to Edison as part of the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) initiative, which aims to boost student achievement by staffing identified schools with high-performing principals and teachers. Later, after Edison’s open house was held, parents and students began to feel the change and the new “you can do it” environment after watching the new group of teachers and the new principal interacting with the students with a high level of excitement. “Students are feeling good about themselves and are embracing…