Transforming Title 1 Schools through the New Teacher Academy: A Success Story

🧊Brain Freeze Bites

Here’s what you can expect in this weeks edition of the School Culture Scoop

1. Boost new teacher morale and efficacy in your Title 1 school.

2. Transform your school culture with the New Teacher Academy.

3. Learn practical steps to improve teacher retention rates.

🍦Scoop of the Week

As a school leader, you know how challenging it can be to improve student achievement and create a positive school culture in a Title 1 school. Having only taught and led in title 1 schools myself for the past 10+ years I know that we often face unique challenges, including high poverty rates, limited resources, and high teacher turnover. But what if there was a solution that could address many of these challenges at once?

Enter the New Teacher Academy, a comprehensive program designed to support new teachers in Title 1 schools and transform school culture.

Today, we'll explore the success story of how the New Teacher Academy transformed one Title 1 school and provide you with practical steps to implement this program in your own school.

First, let's define what the New Teacher Academy is and how it works. The program is a year-long professional development program that provides new teachers with ongoing support and training. The program includes consistent professional development sessions, regular coaching and mentoring, and opportunities for collaboration with other new teachers.

The benefits of the New Teacher Academy are numerous. By providing new teachers with the support and training they need to succeed, schools can improve teacher retention rates and reduce teacher turnover. Additionally, new teachers who participate in the program report feeling more confident and effective in their teaching, which can lead to improved student achievement.

Now, let's look at a real-world example of how the New Teacher Academy transformed one Title 1 school. This particular Houston Middle School was facing numerous challenges, including low student achievement and high teacher turnover. Here is some more context about them:

• 6th-8th Grade

• Title 1 School

• 1,000+ students

• 83+ teachers

• Leadership Team: 1 Principal, 3 APs, 1 Instructional Coach, 1 IB Coordinator

• Pandemic active

With a whopping 24 new staff members to hire, including 13 first-year teachers, this school faced a daunting challenge: without targeted support, they risked losing these valuable teachers.

Recognizing the need for immediate action, and understanding that their leadership team had limited capacity, they turned to Tierraney Richardson Consulting, LLC to partner with their leadership team to develop a weekly New Teacher Academy (NTA) aimed at increasing teacher retention and providing all students with the best possible education.

The NTA happened every single week after school and teachers were compensated for their time. Additionally, all the training Tierraney Richardson Consulting, LLC led for their teachers was aligned to their district teacher performance rubric and campus priorities for the year. Each training was designed to be low lift & high impact for teachers and included embedded work blasts alongside ample opportunity to practice the skill & get feedback before implementing it live with students the very next day.

Teacher retention rates improved, and new teachers reported feeling more supported and effective in their teaching. As a result, student achievement also improved, and the school culture became more positive and collaborative.

Teachers’ Instructional Practice Improved

• 100% (13 out of 13) of teachers who participated agreed or strongly agreed that the NTA helped them improve their confidence as a first year teacher.

New Teacher Retention Increased by 70%

• 9 out of 13 teachers who participated in NTA returned for the following school year.

School saved $270,000

• Research shows it costs around $30,000 when a teacher is lost. With NTA teachers returning, I helped save the school $270,000 (Learning Policy Institute).

So, how can you implement the New Teacher Academy in your own school? At a high-level here are some practical steps to get started:

1. Define your goals: What do you hope to achieve by implementing the New Teacher Academy program? Is it to improve teacher retention rates, boost student achievement, or create a more positive school culture? Identify your goals and use them to guide your program implementation.

2. Identify your resources: What resources do you have available to implement the program? This may include funding, staff time, and support from district leaders. Use these resources to design a program that meets the needs of your school and your new teachers.

3. Design your program: Use the New Teacher Academy model as a guide to design your own program. This may include monthly professional development sessions, coaching and mentoring, and opportunities for collaboration with other new teachers.

4. Implement and evaluate: Once you have designed your program, implement it and evaluate its effectiveness. Collect data on teacher retention rates, student achievement, and teacher feedback to determine if the program is achieving your goals.

In conclusion, the New Teacher Academy program is a powerful tool for transforming Title 1 schools and improving student achievement. By providing new teachers with the support and training they need to succeed, schools can create a more positive school culture, reduce teacher turnover, and improve student achievement.

So why not give it a try in your own school? With the right resources and support, you can create a successful New Teacher Academy program and transform your school. You can hand-off your new teachers to me and my team to fully run your New Teacher Academy just like the school above did. Or you can join the New Teacher Academy Workshops with your leadership team - and learn how to do it yourself the first of 4 workshops is on June 29th.

New Teacher Academy Workshops: For school leaders who want to provide targeted support and professional development that is tailored to your new teachers’ needs and aligned to your schools’ strategic priorities through a school-based new teacher academy leading to increased teacher retention up to 70% and improvement in new teachers instructional practice in just 1 academic year. CLICK HERE for the interest form.

P.S. Did you know solid onboarding increases the retention rate of new teachers by over 93%? Onboarding is that critical part that happens after you've successfully secured your new hire. That's why I am going to give you a BONUS called my "I want to stay" new teacher onboarding plan customized for your campus and ready to implement as soon as your new hire signs the offer letter. You will get access to unlock this bonus when you submit your interest form for the new teacher academy workshops within the next 48 hours of receiving this email and if you choose to enroll in the new teacher academy workshops CLICK HERE for the interest form.

🍒Toppings Bar

Simple teacher morale boosters

Classroom Makeovers: Surprise a teacher by giving their classroom a makeover. School leaders can work with volunteers, parents, and students to transform a classroom into a more vibrant and welcoming space. This can include painting the walls, adding decorations or furniture, or updating technology. The teacher can be surprised by the new look during a staff meeting or after school hours.

🍨Sweet Treat Spotlight

Sundaes are better when shared with friends

Learn how I led and implemented a school-based new teacher academy that increased new teacher retention by 70% and saved a large title 1 middle school campus $270,000 within 1 year. Refer someone in your network to this newsletter and get complimentary access to this case study below.

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