IMPACT STATEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS A Letter From Our CEO & Founders
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Teaching Trust Programs 2 Our Path to Impact
3
Who We Serve
4
Our Impact
6
Financials & Funders 8 Our Team
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By 2020, Teaching Trust will develop leaders who have established a culture of excellence and driven significant academic gains in 50 schools, while sharing proof points and practices to improve the profession across our country.
My greatest joy has come with the epiphany that, as educators, we can truly give our scholars from the most challenging situations and depleted communities the schools they deserve. There is real palpable hope for the students who need us most.
MICHAEL GAYLES Assistant Principal, T.W. Browne Middle School, Dallas ISD Teaching Trust Aspiring Ed Leader
A LETTER FROM OUR CEO & FOUNDERS
WHAT WE BELIEVE Guided by the conviction that strong school leadership is essential to whole-school improvement, we have built our approach upon the following key beliefs:
Dear Friends and Supporters, Teaching Trust was founded five years ago with the conviction that leadership is the most important educational imperative of our time. We embarked on this journey with the goal of radically rethinking how school leaders are prepared and supported to achieve significant, lasting success on their campuses. As we approach the halfway point on our path to our 2020 Impact, we are inspired and humbled by the emerging evidence of progress across our expanding community of leaders. To date, we have worked with over 500 leaders who are shaping the future of our communities by improving the educational experience of more than 60,000 students every day. Their growing impact on student achievement is cause for optimism over the next five years. We acknowledge that more work is needed to refine our approach to ensure we reach our desired impact. We continue to monitor and apply best emerging research and practice about leadership and school improvement— including our own lessons learned—and remain relentlessly committed to continuous improvement and growth.
Patrick Haugh CEO
We are resolute in our belief that high quality leaders must be developed at all levels and concentrated within and across schools—particularly where the need for transformation is most profound. We are working extensively to support the development of accountable, collaborative teams throughout schools to ensure significant and sustained improvement. This year’s Impact Report provides an opportunity to share emerging bright spots as well as critical questions and challenges we are seeking to address. Sharing our bold aspiration for impact serves as a request to you—that you hold us accountable for achieving annual results and improving our approach to this work. We are deeply grateful for all of our partners, funders, friends, advocates, and program participants. We are fortunate to be bolstered by a community of supporters who share our belief that significant improvement in educational outcomes is essential and that no solution works without outstanding school leaders.
Rosemary Perlmeter Co-Founder & Senior Program Officer
• TRANSFORMATION TAKES TRUST. People who care about students have more in common than is often acknowledged—whether they are in traditional districts or charter schools, are veteran educators or new to the profession. Transformation requires all of us working together for the benefit of schools. • IT TAKES A TEAM. A strong school leader is the most critical lever to improve schools. However, a singular leader cannot do it alone. It takes a robust team, trained to work accountably together, to achieve significant outcomes. • ACADEMICS AND CULTURE DRIVE PROGRESS. To deliver long-term results for all students, school leadership teams must set a high bar for significant academic improvement and build a sustainable culture. Focusing on one or the other is simply not enough. • VALUES AND SKILLS MATTER. School leaders need training in hard skills for instruction, planning, and managing performance in addition to soft skills for relationship building and teamwork.
Ellen Wood Co-Founder & Director, Major Gifts
• PRACTICE TRUMPS THEORY. For training to “stick,” leaders need opportunities to practice and receive feedback as often as possible in their schools. Making practice public is the first step in building competence and allows leaders to model vulnerability and persistence in order to improve their practice.
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TEACHING TRUST PROGRAMS Our three reinforcing programs develop effective leaders at every level, within and across schools. ASPIRING ED LEADERS
HOW WE APPROACH OUR WORK
FUTURE PRINCIPALS
This five-year program equips future school leaders to lead effective teams to drive improvement in complex urban schools. Offered in partnership with Southern Methodist University’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Aspiring Ed Leaders combines rigorous coursework, an intensive in-school residency, and five years of coaching and support. Participants earn Texas Principal Certification and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership.
EXECUTIVE ED FOR TEAMS
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAMS
This one-year program builds strong leadership teams at the campus level with the right technical skills, helping principals and their school leadership teams work together to create and implement a robust plan for improvement. This program helps ready the broader leadership team within each school to realize their vision of an aspirational school culture and sustained academic gains.
• Rigorous candidate selection, assessing values and skills • Robust levels of practice-based instruction and field experiences • Focus on feedback and peer accountability
ED FELLOWS
TEACHER LEADERS
This one-year program targeting teachers seeking to deepen their instructional competence, bolsters their influence skills to improve performance in their current roles and prepares them to take on roles leading teacher teams at the department or grade level.
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• Ongoing development, coaching, and support
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
OUR PATH TO IMPACT
• Achieving our desired impact requires deeper and ongoing support for leaders and schools.
60,000
60,000
Students1
50,000
Leaders2
304 40,000
40,000
28,000
20,000 10,000
400
300
Schools3
30,000
130
3,100 18 18 0 2012
12,000 60 35 2013
200
192
85
• Leaders are hungry for opportunities to continue their learning and development.
103 100
LEADERS/SCHOOLS
STUDENTS
EXPANDING OUR REACH
• Dramatic, whole-school improvement is possible only when leaders at all levels are developed and empowered.
54 0 2014
2015
2016
OUR RESPONSE: NEW INITIATIVES INCREASING OUR DEPTH
THIS YEAR, 58% OF OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS HAVE AT LEAST TWO TEACHING TRUST LEADERS.
Pathway to Impact: Additional content and on-campus coaching for Teaching Trust alumni principals and key team members Teaching Trust Alumni Network: Opportunities for leaders across all programs, schools, and districts to connect, collaborate, and innovate to continuously improve
1 Students estimated based on school size and leader level of responsibility. 2 Unique participants in good standing within a Teaching Trust program in the academic year. 3 Any school with at least one Teaching Trust leader in the academic year.
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WHO WE SERVE
Teaching Trust leaders are concentrated in 5 districts,
STRONG SCHOOL CULTURE REAPS BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS
TEACHER TEAMS FOCUS ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
APRIL SANDOLPH School Director, Uplift Mighty Preparatory
MONICA MORRIS Assistant Principal, Woodrow Wilson High School, Dallas ISD
“My staff knows I care about them as people and as teachers, so it encourages them to share those same values with our scholars. That’s how you transform schools—by giving adults the ability to lead.”
“As leaders, we have to continuously increase expectations. Every time we set goals for students, they blow past them, proving that we need to be more ambitious. It is so rewarding to see students proud of their own success.”
An early participant in Teaching Trust’s Aspiring Ed Leaders program, April Sandolph is now Director (Principal) of Uplift Mighty Primary after serving as Instructional Dean for Uplift Mighty Middle during her Teaching Trust residency. As an educator, April developed extraordinary instructional knowledge, engaging students in their own learning and analyzing data to track progress toward goals. April explains the key to her transformation, from great classroom teacher to effective principal, was learning to value and
invest in adult learning. April prioritized building trusting relationships with her staff and holding others accountable to create a culture of success at Uplift Mighty. April links Uplift Mighty’s successes, including significant gains in math over the past two years, to the skills and values she learned from Teaching Trust. “We are all here for the same shared mission and vision and we are working hard to achieve it.”
MATH STAAR STUDENT PROFICIENCY | GRADES 3–8 69% 57% 47%
2013
2014
2015
+22%
After spending eight years as a high school math teacher, Monica Morris joined the first Aspiring Ed Leaders cohort, leading to her position as Assistant Principal (AP) at Woodrow Wilson, which also participated in the Executive Ed for Teams program. She was excited by the challenge of leading the math department as one of her many roles as an AP. Initially, nearly all of the math teachers were first-year teachers or new to the subject and required intense support.
She spent every day in classrooms observing teachers and giving actionable feedback that enabled teachers to improve significantly in their first year. Monica also focused on developing a strong team of teachers who studied the curriculum together, practiced lessons, and observed and gave feedback to each other. The continuous cycle of practice and reflection led to strong improvement and three-year gains in math of 29%.
ALGEBRA I STAAR STUDENT PROFICIENCY 72%
79%
86%
57%
2012
2013
2014
+29%
2015
Teaching Trust leaders include veteran and novice educators, career-changers, and those in both traditional and charter public school districts. 4
serving 103 schools, and leading more than 60,000 students. TEACHER INFLUENCES PEERS AND LEADS POSITIVE CHANGE
LEADERSHIP CONCENTRATION ACCELERATES IMPROVEMENT
ALICIA IWASKO Instructional Coach, Blanton Elementary School, Dallas ISD
ZACK HALL Principal, Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, Dallas ISD
“Being a leader is hard, but you have to be patient and believe in your plan. Now at my new school, I’m excited to use the leadership skills I gained through Teaching Trust to help close the achievement gap for my students.”
“My primary focus is supporting great teaching. I want to bring the highest quality talent to our campus to move the needle for our kids. I’m investing in a team that wants to stay and develop a stable environment for the students we serve.”
Alicia Iwasko gets emotional when describing the impact that two Teaching Trust programs have had on her growth as an educator and a leader. As a teacher and Instructional Coach at Silberstein Elementary, Alicia participated in both the Ed Fellows and Executive Ed for Teams programs, gaining knowledge and skills to help drive student achievement at her school. As part of her Ed Fellows program, Alicia executed a Campus Action Project (CAP) to increase students’ computational fluency, considered essential for success in math.
For her CAP, Alicia developed Skill-Based Centers for second through fifth grade math students, employing individualized goal setting and regular follow up. A public “data wall” helped drive all students toward the shared goal of increased proficiency and contributed to significant gains. Recently assigned to Blanton Elementary, Alicia looks forward to implementing her CAP to accelerate student learning. She is happy that math teachers at Silberstein are continuing to implement her Skill-Based Centers to improve computational fluency.
MATH STAAR STUDENT PROFICIENCY | SILBERSTEIN ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-5 84% 75% 64%
2013
2014
The profile of schools we serve is comparable to a high needs district.
+20%
2015
Zack Hall joined Dallas ISD through Teach For America before entering Teaching Trust’s Aspiring Ed Leaders program. In 2014, Zack was appointed Principal at Stephen C. Foster Elementary, a campus with a stable and committed teaching staff who were nonetheless wary of Zack’s youth and bold ideas for improvement. Zack’s transition to leadership benefited from the presence of David Villegas and Doug Burak (pictured), who were also participating in the Aspiring Ed Leaders program.
Zack leveraged the shared skills and values of these experienced educators to help support and implement his plans. He strategically built leadership teams across grade levels to balance strengths throughout the school. David explained, “The school already enjoyed a strong culture. Ever since Mr. Hall arrived, you can really feel that sense of trust among all members of the faculty. He has reignited that fire and passion for teaching in every one of our teachers.”
READING STAAR STUDENT PROFICIENCY | GRADES 3–5
+10%
69% 59%
2014
2015
87%
74%
18%
39%
36%
of students identified as economically disadvantaged
of students identified as Hispanic
of students identified as African American
of students identified as Bilingual
of schools have >20% students who transfer during the year
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98% of Aspiring Ed Leaders have been successfully placed in leadership roles after the first two years of the program.
DATA TAKEAWAYS
OUR IMPACT
Significant improvement in school results doesn’t happen overnight. We believe, and research indicates, that it takes at least three years.
One-year results in Teaching Trust schools are on par with partner districts and the state.
Two-year results in Teaching Trust schools exceed district and state data.
Additional alumni support through Pathway to Impact and The Network will further accelerate improvement.
ONE-YEAR PROFICIENCY GAINS ON PAR WITH PARTNER DISTRICTS AND STATE Teaching Trust Schools1
READING ELEMENTARY
MIDDLE
HIGH
ELEMENTARY
MIDDLE
HIGH
n=17
n=4
n=4
n=17
n=4
n=4
5.7%
0.7%
-1.2%
-1.3% -3.3%
0.4%
GAIN IN % PROFICIENT
GAIN IN % PROFICIENT
0.8% 0.5% 0.7%
0%
-4%
6
6%
4%
-2%
State
MATH
6%
2%
Partner Districts2
4% 2%
2.9% 3.2% 2.2% 0.4%
0.4%
1.1%
0% -0.7% -0.5%
-2% -4%
-1.0%
A HIGHER PROPORTION OF TEACHING TRUST SCHOOLS ACHIEVE TOP QUARTILE GAINS 2013–2015 Teaching Trust Schools1
READING % of schools in top quartile of state3
State
MATH % of schools in top quartile of state3
46%
n=13
Partner Districts2
38%
n=13
17%
30% 25%
0%
25%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
TWO-YEAR PROFICIENCY GAINS EXCEED PARTNER DISTRICTS AND STATE Teaching Trust Schools1
READING
Partner Districts2
State
MATH ELEMENTARY
MIDDLE
HIGH
ELEMENTARY
MIDDLE
n=9
n=3
n=1
n=9
n=3
6%
15%
HIGH n=1 14.2%
3.7%
12% 0.2%
0%
-1.0%
-3% -6%
-2.9%
-3.4%
-3.3% -4.6% -6.5%
-9%
GAIN IN % PROFICIENT
GAIN IN % PROFICIENT
3%
9% 6%
8.4% 5.9%
5.1% 2.4%
3% 0%
0.4%
0.3% -0.9%
-10.1%
-12%
8.8%
-3%
Gains calculations based on the change in percentage of students proficient at Level II: Satisfactory on the Texas STAAR/EOC exam in reading or math between two given academic years. All aggregates weighted by number of students. Source: TEA, Fall 2015. 1 Teaching Trust schools have a principal that has completed either the Teaching Trust Aspiring Ed Leaders or Executive Ed for Teams programs by the end of the academic year. 2 Aggregate of the respective districts with Teaching Trust schools for the academic year. Sourced from Dallas ISD and Uplift Education for elementary, middle, and high school one-year and two-year gains, with addition of Irving ISD at high school level for one-year gains. 3 Quartile analysis examined gains from 2013 to 2015 in reading or math from all schools in Texas that had test data in both years and at least 25 students tested per subject. Cut-off for top quartile of state gains identified as 3.3% in reading and 9.1% in math.
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FINANCIALS & FUNDERS Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2014
Statement of Activities Revenues, Grants, and Contributions Program Fees
5,490,458
CUMULATIVE INVESTMENT SINCE INCEPTION $1,000,000 and Above Raise Your Hand Texas* Communities Foundation of Texas*
AUDITED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS June 30, 2015
TEACHING TRUST FUNDERS
2,526,595
229,830
3,390
$5,720,288
$2,529,985
2,287,723
1,595,587
358,722
376,676
$500,000–999,999 Michael & Susan Dell Foundation The M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation* The Meadows Foundation* The Texas Instruments Foundation*
Expenses Program Administrative Fundraising
51,096
31,001
$2,697,541
$2,003,284
$3,022,747
$526,701
Cash
1,265,276
1,067,394
Pledges Receivable—Short Term
1,186,916
300,000
Pledges Receivable—Long Term
1,920,831
0
53,729
83,618
(22,522)
(69,529)
$4,404,230
$1,381,483
Change in Net Assets Statement of Financial Position Snapshot
Other Assets Less: Current Liabilities Total Net Assets
Teaching Trust received a five-year grant from Raise Your Hand Texas dated July 2014. $1 million of cash was received in June 2014 for FY 15 and $1 million in June 2015 for FY 16. The remaining $3 million to be received over FY 17–19 was also recognized in the FY 15 financials and is reflected in short and long term Pledges Receivable.
$100,000–499,999 The Boone Family Foundation* College Football Playoff Foundation* Rainwater Charitable Foundation The Rees-Jones Foundation* Sid W. Richardson Foundation* Laurie and Tom Saylak* The Harold Simmons Foundation* Ellen Wood* The George & Fay Young Foundation
$50,000–$99,999 Ford Motor Company H-E-B Ann and Lee Hobson* The Hoglund Foundation* Catherine and Will Rose The Mike and Mary Terry Foundation* Stacey and Reid Walker* $10,000–$49,999 JP Morgan Chase The Dallas Foundation* Energy Future Holdings* Other Becky Christensen* Nancy Dennis* Shannon and Sam Gilliland Rachel Khirallah* Jerry Magar Denise and Dustin Marshall* Jennifer and Jon Mosle* Rosemary Perlmeter David Wallenstein* Julie and Mike Weinberg*
We are extremely grateful to Southern Methodist University’s Annette Caldwell School of Education & Human Development for providing seed funding to launch the Aspiring Ed Leaders Program and for the general annual financial contribution to offset part of the tuition cost for the Aspiring Ed Leaders. *Represents gifts received July 1, 2014–December 31, 2015.
Forbes challenged experts to single out five big ideas that could make U.S. students top in the world. Of the five ideas— teacher efficacy, school leadership, universal pre-K, blended learning, and college-ready standards—school leadership produced the highest return on investment at over 5000x. Forbes, America’s Education Moon Shot, December 15, 2014 8
OUR TEAM Jessica Dirks | Senior Director, Planning, Talent & Operations Lauren Frank | Director, Teacher Leadership Melissa Fullmore | Program Officer, Aspiring Ed Leaders Andy Fung | Program Manager, Executive Ed for Teams Chris Garcia | Leadership Development Director Lillian Hartmann | Leadership Development Director Patrick Haugh | Chief Executive Officer
THE TEACHING TRUST TEAM IS MADE UP OF SEASONED EXPERTS WHO HAVE SERVED IN VARIOUS LEVELS OF EDUCATION LEADERSHIP.
83% of Teaching Trust team members have served as classroom teachers. They spent on average 5.1 years in the classroom.
Teresa Khirallah | Program Officer, Executive Ed for Teams Lindyn Kish | Leadership Development Director Laura Lund | Manager, Evaluation Abby McCone | Leadership Development Director Britan Mills | Senior Manager, Recruitment Melissa Monaco | Leadership Development Director Rosemary Perlmeter | Co-Founder & Senior Program Officer Matt Pierson | Program Officer, The Network and Ed Fellows Haley Pittman | Program Coordinator, The Network
71% of Teaching Trust Program team members have served as principals or district leaders. They served for a combined 67 years as principal or higher.
Ali Saiyed | Leadership Development Director Stephanie Stewart | Academic Officer Amanda Thornton | Executive Assistant & Office Manager Anne Marie Tucker | Senior Director, Evaluation Courtney Tungate | Manager, Planning, Talent & Operations Anna Williams | Program Coordinator, Ed Fellows Ellen Wood | Co-Founder & Director, Major Gifts
79% of Teaching Trust team members’ professional experience has been in education. They served for a combined 271 years.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carrie Kirby, Chair Executive Vice President Human Resources Energy Future Holdings Terry Flowers, Secretary Headmaster & Executive Director St. Philips School and Community Center Ellen Wood, Treasurer Co-Founder & Director, Major Gifts Teaching Trust Thaly Germain Executive Director Lynch Leadership Academy Boston College Miguel Quiñones O. Paul Corley Distinguished Chair Department of Management & Organizations Cox School of Business Southern Methodist University Bruce Ware Director DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc.
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Thank you to our amazing partners.