The Challenge

The major factor in student achievement is teacher quality, yet teacher shortages are predicted in the near future because a high number of teachers are slated to retire. Further, a large percentage of teachers who graduated from regional teachers colleges have chosen to teach in more affordable areas. According to researchers, the shortfall of fully prepared teachers will rise by 60 percent over the next six years unless something is done to alter that course. Although the economic downturn has deferred the shortfall, it has by no means eliminated it.

Of equal or greater concern is the attrition of teachers before they retire. Twenty-two percent of teachers in California leave after only four years in the profession. This is especially troubling because research shows that teachers do not reach maximum effectiveness until their third or fourth year. We must therefore recruit the best teachers, more of them, and retain the great teachers we already have.

Our Approach

The Alliance for Teaching is a response to a confluence of issues facing our schools: the projected number of retirees, a reduced number of candidates, the high cost of living for those who do choose to teach here, and the demands of our valley for highly trained employees in math, science, and technology.
The Alliance addresses public school teachers in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Two taskforces have been organized to focus on teacher excellence and community support for our teachers.

Growing Teacher Excellence

Three areas are being addressed: Recruitment, Professional Development, and National Teacher Certification

Recruitment

Problem

With large numbers of teachers approaching retirement, significantly fewer students entering the field of teaching and the high cost of living in Silicon Valley, systematic teacher recruitment is imperative. With 55 school districts in Silicon Valley competing for a dwindling pool of California applicants, districts must recruit out of state and abroad. Considerable costs are incurred by each district when traveling and recruiting independently.
JVSVN Solution

A Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between districts will be designed to recruit the very best teachers in states where the student population is declining and the teacher training institutions are highly regarded.

Representatives from designated member districts will represent the JPA in recruitment efforts across identified states. Highly qualified candidates will be brought to Silicon Valley for specific district interviews and placement.

Recruitment packages will be created to explain existing housing assistance programs, district support, professional development opportunities, local graduate programs and the like.

Teacher Development in Math and Science

Problem

California ranks 45th in the nation in 8th grade math and 48th in the nation in 8th grade science. The majority of teachers in elementary & middle schools do not have specific training in the content areas of Math or Science. As the material becomes more complex, many teachers feel less comfortable in these subjects. Furthermore, student test scores in Silicon Valley and throughout the nation have fallen woefully behind those of students throughout Europe and Asia.

JVSVN Solution

Math Matters, a rigorous professional development program for math teachers in grades 4-8, has been established and will be available for teachers in 2010. At the heart of the program is an intense summer institute that addresses content standards, in-depth knowledge of the material and a range of pedagogical strategies with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) throughout improving classroom. The task force on professional development is currently working on establishing a similar program in science.

National Board Certification

Problem

The Teacher remains the single most important factor in determining student achievement. However, our educational system defines highly qualified teachers in terms of their course work completed rather than their competence. The ability to measure teacher effectiveness, however, has long been debated. Though it may never be an exact science, it is confounded by the socio-economic status of the students being taught, parent involvement, and the resources available to teachers. Although some criteria for excellence are widely accepted, there continues to be disagreements between and among teachers and administrators. Furthermore, the notion of merit pay based on those measures of effectiveness has been widely opposed by teacher unions.

JVSVN Solution

The only national standard for teacher excellence is the successful completion of the National Board Certification for Teachers (NBCT). Developed in 1987, NBCT requires a highly rigorous process taking between one and three years to complete. The cost for a teacher to embark on the NBCT is approximately $2,700.
The likelihood of teachers entering into the process is dramatically increased when reasonable incentives are available to those teachers who have successfully completed their certification. North Carolina, for example offers a 12 percent increase to the salaries of nationally board certified teachers. It is not surprising that over 14 percent of their teachers have earned certification as compared to California’s 1.3 percent. The percentage of teachers in Silicon Valley with national Board certification is approximately 1.2 percent.
When additional incentives are made available to those Certified Teachers working in high-need schools, equal access to excellent instruction becomes a reality.
The likelihood of successfully completing the process in one year is significantly increased when a support program exists for teachers within the region to study and work together. A strategy for funding the application costs, a support structure and the provision of incentives will be developed along with a fund raising model. Our goal is to have 10 percent of our teachers certified by 2015 and 25 percent certified by 2020.

Creating Community Support

Three areas are being addressed: expanding what works for teachers, celebrating teachers, and thanking teachers.

Expand what works for teachers

Problem

Various agencies, foundations, and corporations offer programs and services to schools and teachers in across of Silicon Valley. However, no such organization currently has the bandwidth to offer these services across the region uniformly or consistently. Furthermore, many of these programs struggle to sustain themselves from year to year.

JVSVN Solution

The Alliance for Teaching is identifying those programs that best meet the needs of our teachers to increase their availability throughout Silicon Valley. The programs identified will be both portable and sustainable.
RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers), one of the most popular programs for teachers, is the first such program to be identified for expansion. RAFT opened its first branch in San Mateo at the County Office of Education in March 2009. Over 500 new teachers have become members.

Celebrate Teachers

Problem

The status of teachers and the teaching profession in America has deteriorated significantly over the last 40 years. Alternative career options for women and the relatively low wages are thought to have contributed to the relatively low stature of teachers.

JVSVN Solution

A media campaign to promote teachers and the teaching profession is underway. The campaign will eventually include radio, television, and print media. Other marketing opportunities available through local transportation - VTA & SamTrans - are being pursued.

Thank teachers

Problem

A common complaint among teachers is that they are not respected or thanked for their work. Furthermore, the relatively low pay of teachers makes it difficult for them to participate in offerings within the valley or even feel they are an integral part of the community.

JVSVN Solution

A newly developed website, hatsofftoteachers.org, features local retailers that offer free or discounted products, services, and entertainment specifically to teachers in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Volunteers are needed to assist in reaching out to local merchants. The public launch was held in May, 2009 and 200 businesses have now signed up to participate.

Catalyst Club

Our Early Funders:

Becky Morgan
President, Morgan Family Foundation

John Sobrato
General Partner, Sobrato Development Companies

Judy Koch
Founder and President, Bring Me a Book Foundation

Randy Pond
Vice President, Cisco

Joe Parisi
President & CEO, Therma

Taskforce Members

Building Teacher Excellence

Ellen Metzger, Chair
Science Professor, San Jose State University

Sue Allen
Technology Staff Development, Ravenswood City School District

Muhammed Chaudhry
CEO, Silicon Valley Education Foundation

Sandy Dean
Director, National Board Resource Center, Stanford University

Shari Liss
Education Director, IISME

Kurt McMullin
Professor, San Jose State University

Susan Meyers, Ed. D.
Dean, College of Education, San Jose State University

David Mills
Program Director, Knight Foundation

Cam Nelson
Community Relations, Hewlett-Packard

Carolyn Nelson
San Jose State University

Maureen Scharberg
Asst. Dean and Professor of Chemistry, San Jose State University

Mary Simon
President and CEO, RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers)

Kaye Storm
Director, Stanford Science Outreach

John Thompson
Assistant Superintendent, South San Francisco Unified School District

Jim Vanides
Program Manager, Education Grants, Hewlett Packard

Linda Verhulp
Director, Morgan Family Foundation

Jocelyn Zona
IBM Community Affairs

Gary Nakagire
Science Coordinator, San Mateo COE

Sandra Yellenberg
Science Coordinator, Santa Clara COE

Creating Community Support

Kathryn Cross
Past President, District 17, PTA

Lawren Farber
President, 2nd Story Media

Dan Fenton
President & CEO, San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau

Maurice Ghysels
Superintendent, Mountain View Whisman School District

Lisa Gonzales
Vice President, Silicon Valley Education Foundation

Memo Morantes
San Mateo County Board of Education

Cam Nelson
Global Social Investment, Hewlett Packard

Lang Anh Pham
Deputy Director of Operations, Stanford University School of Medicine

Barbara Spreng
6th District PTA President

Kim Worrall
Community Volunteer

Daniel Yost
Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Program Funders

Morgan Family Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Cisco Foundation
Hewlett Packard Corporation
Freida C. Fox Family Foundation
Intel Corporation
Silicon Valley Bank