Mass. launches recruitment campaign for turnaround school teachers
Massachusetts kicked off a statewide recruitment campaign to encourage
outstanding educators to apply for vacancies in the state's lowest performing
schools with the launch of a new website, www.amazingteachers.org. Teachers also
can be nominated as candidates for positions in turnaround schools on the
website.
The website appeals to teachers who want a new challenge to join teams of
educators leading the transformation of the state's so-called "Level 4" or
turnaround schools.
Among the benefits to working in a turnaround
school, according to the website, are the ability to have an impact with
underserved students, to participate in high-quality, job-embedded professional
development, to work with quality student data, to have more time to collaborate
with colleagues and to earn additional pay for extended school days or school
years and for performance based on student results. Each district is also
developing unique incentives to attract teachers to apply for their open
positions.
In March, the state released a list of 35 persistently low-performing schools
in 9 urban school districts. Two-thirds of the schools are located in the state's two largest cities,
Boston and Springfield. The other schools are in seven other cities: Fall River,
Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford and Worcester. In all, 20 are
elementary schools, 8 are middle schools, 3 are K-8 schools and 4 are high
schools.
More than 17,000 mainly minority students attend the 35 schools. Nearly 9 out
of 10 students in the schools are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch based
on family income, 21% are students with disabilities and 26% are limited English
proficient.
Massachusetts is eligible for an estimated $76 million over the next three
years from the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for school improvement in
low-performing schools. States will be able to offer competitive grants over the
next three years to support intervention efforts in these schools. Districts
that commit to one of four intervention models identified by USED can apply for
grants of $500,000 or more per year on behalf of each Level 4 school.
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