Minnesota Educator November 2009 : Page 4
MEEt A ProfESSioNAL GroUP Minnesota is home to dozens of active specialty organizations that support the work of our schools through professional development, scholarship and peer interaction. The Minnesota Educator is featuring information about a different organization each month to introduce the groups more widely to all our public educators. This month state chapter President Anne Kirpes introduces the State of Minnesota PDK Chapter #1612. Organization State of Minnesota PDK Chapter #1612 its main purpose Phi Delta Kappa International has three tenets: research, leadership and service. Independent chapters located in Minnesota recently merged and formed the new State of Minnesota PDK Chapter, which emphasizes the goal of service. PDK members receive relevant, current information about education through an annual subscription to Phi Delta Kappan, the most referenced education publication in the country, as well as other publications like EDge: The Latest Information for the Education Practitioner and Classroom Tips. PDK is committed to offering its members professional learning opportunities, such as on-site professional development training sessions for schools, the PDK Annual Summit, and education-focused international travel. PDK also helps members establish professional connections through PDKConnect, a social networking community. For more than 100 years, PDK has been one of the largest education associations with more than 35,000 members and 250 local PDK chapters spread throughout the world. Chief events 2009 PDK International Summit on Quality Educator Recruitment and Retention Oct. 15-17, 2009 international affiliation Phi Delta Kappa International 408 N. Union St., Bloomington, IN 47405-3800 Number of members 300 members in Minnesota Who is eligible to join? PDK offers a variety of membership types that include professional memberships for educators from pre- school to higher education, student memberships for those preparing to become educators, and associate memberships for parents and community members who are interested in education issues. What are the main issues at the moment? The State of Minnesota PDK chapter is working to cultivate and support the next generation of educators. The chapter will use its financial and human resources to foster the development of Future Educators Association chapters in high schools and colleges throughout the state. More information on FEA may be found at www.futureeducators.org. Contact information For more information about State of Minnesota PDK Chapter 1612, contact state chapter President Anne Kirpes, AKirpes@datarecognitioncorp.com, or Margo Tech, Chapter/Member Liaison – Region B, mltech@ ties2.net. For more information about FEA, contact Lori Maxfield, lrmaxfield@stkate.edu. Web site www.pdkintl.org Harvard scholars propose alternative teacher pay model A study of teacher pay systems publ ished last month makes the case for a new structure that aligns teacher pay with broad educational goals. Minneapolis is among the districts observed by education scholars Susan Moore Johnson and John Papay of Harvard University in the study of alternative pay systems. Johnson and Papay system proposes two interrelated parts. Its “tiered pay-and- career structure” is a four- level system of increasing responsibility, professional skill and pay. In it teachers can advance as they develop and exhibit leadership skills. The second part is the “learning and development fund” for ongoing development of skills that advance the school’s core goals of promoting excellence in teaching and learning. T h e i r p r o p o s a l i s published by the Economic Policy Institute as a book, “In Redesigning Teacher Pay: A System for the Next Generation of Educators.” The authors argue for a new pay structure designed to reward and foster leadership and excellence in the teaching profession. The structure intends to align teacher pay with broader educational goals such as improving educational outcomes and enabling school districts to attract and retain high- qual i ty t eache r s . The structure also provides a way for schools to leverage the skills of the most gifted and accomplished teachers by enlisting them as trainers and mentors in efforts to raise the quality of teaching throughout a school. The authors built their plan on an examination of those previous and current results, positive and negative, to learn from and avoid the pitfalls of changing from a familiar system to an unknown one. Among the school districts with alternative teacher pay plans described by the authors as case studies are: Minneapol is, Houston, Tex.; Hillsborough County (Tampa), Fla., and Charlotte- Mecklenburg, N.C. P A G E 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 | W W W . E D U C A T I O N M I N N E S O T A . O R G
MEET THE EDUCATION LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION PHI DELTA KAPPA.
HARVARD SCHOLARS PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PAY MODEL
A study of teacher pay systems published last month makes the case for a new structure that aligns teacher pay with broad educational goals.<br /> <br /> Minneapolis is among the districts observed by education scholars Susan Moore Johnson and John Papay of Harvard University in the study of alternative pay systems.<br /> <br /> Johnson and Papay system proposes two interrelated parts. Its “tiered pay-andcareer structure” is a four-level system of increasing responsibility, professional skill and pay. In it teachers can advance as they develop and exhibit leadership skills. The second part is the “learning and development fund” for ongoing development of skills that advance the school’s core goals of promoting excellence in teaching and learning.<br /> <br /> Their proposalis published by the Economic Policy Institute as a book, “In Redesigning Teacher Pay: A System for the Next Generation of Educators.” <br /> <br /> The authors argue for a new pay structure designed to reward and foster leadership and excellence in the teaching profession. The structure intends to align teacher pay with broader educational goals such as improving educational outcomes and enabling school districts to attract and retain high-quality teachers . The structure also provides a way for schools to leverage the skills of the most gifted and accomplished teachers by enlisting them as trainers and mentors in efforts to raise the quality of teaching throughout a school.<br /> <br /> The authors built their plan on an examination of those previous and current results, positive and negative, to learn from and avoid the pitfalls of changing from a familiar system to an unknown one.<br /> <br /> Among the school districts with alternative teacher pay plans described by the authors as case studies are: Minneapolis , Hous ton, Tex.; Hillsborough County (Tampa), Fla., and Charlotte- Mecklenburg, N.C.
