Three in four Cedar Rapids teachers say leadership system has improved instruction

CEDAR RAPIDS - After the first year of the Cedar Rapids Community School District's teacher leadership system, about three in four teachers say the system improved their instruction, according to survey data the district released this month.

The system, funded by a state grant, is one facet of the education reform package Gov. Terry Branstad introduced after he was elected in 2010. It provides teachers with feedback and opportunities for collaboration on a weekly basis, rather than offering professional development solely on dedicated in-service days.

Cedar Rapids was among the first districts in the state to receive a teacher leadership and compensation grant, which covers salaries for teachers given part- or full-time leave from classroom teaching to work instead in teacher leadership positions.

Those positions include department chairs, instructional design strategists and curriculum writers, among others. The Iowa City, Clear Creek Amana and Solon school districts received grants starting this school year.

The first year of the Cedar Rapids program has been a success, administrators here say, citing surveys of both teacher leaders and classroom teachers. Among the results:

◘ About three in four classroom teachers - 72 percent - said the system had improved their instructional practices.

◘ Specifically, teachers said the system provided them with additional classroom resources, new instructional strategies, more collaboration with other teachers and help reflecting on their practices.

◘ When classroom teachers were asked about the effectiveness of district-level teacher leader roles in improving instruction and learning, 81 percent of the district roles were given a favorable rating by at least 70 percent of teachers.

◘ Among teacher leaders, 89 percent said they felt they were entrusted to make decisions, and 87 percent said they received the support they needed.

The system has been successful in part because the Cedar Rapids district had similar leadership positions in place before it received the grant, said Brad Buck, the superintendent and former Iowa Department of Education director.

'Cedar Rapids had a running start on this work,” Buck said earlier this month.

In addition, 87 percent of teacher leaders in the district who had the option to continue in their roles for another year chose to do so, said Stephen Probert, the district's director of professional learning.

That can help address the 28 percent of teachers who said the system had not improved their instruction, because it will allow teacher leaders to continue to build relationships with classroom teachers, said Mary Ellen Maske, the deputy superintendent.

The district also is adjusting to account for teachers' concerns with the system, including difficulties scheduling classroom observations, Maske and Probert said.

The system still allows for each teacher to maintain her or his individual style, Maske said.

'This process is not about changing the art of teaching at all,” Maske said. 'It's about supporting teachers to improve their practice.”

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