Teacher and School Leader Perceptions of the Newark Public Schools Contract and Associated Initiatives

• In Event: Can a High-Quality Measure of Teacher Effectiveness Be Used to Support, Reward, and Retain Teachers?

Abstract

This paper will examine teacher and school leader perceptions regarding the NPS/NTU Teacher Contract. We collected electronic survey data and plans to conduct focus groups to obtain feedback on the different district-wide changes that accompanied the contract, including the changes in the evaluation system, the new pay scale, the length of the school day, and contract flexibility.
All NPS teachers, principals, vice principals, and chief innovation officers (CIOs) were invited to participate in an online survey in May/June 2015. The teacher response rate was over 55% with about 25 schools out of 64 reaching teacher response rates of at least 70%. For the school leaders survey, vice principals had a response rate of 58% and principals and CIOs had a response rate of 70%.
Significant differences that may exist between individuals who completed the survey and those that did not will be investigated. If substantial differences exist, we will adjust individuals’ responses using estimated weights from the regression models (Montaquila & Olson, 2012). We will then combine the survey items appropriately in order to answer questions that will inform the following constructs: teacher evaluation, teacher input, differentiated pay, extended school day, and flexibility. Teacher data will also be merged with staff administrative data to examine how survey responses differ by various characteristics (e.g. years of teaching experience, prior year’s evaluation rating, whether the teacher is teaching at a renew or extended learning time school, whether the teacher received a bonus).
Initial survey findings conducted on the unweighted data indicate that 21% of teachers believed to a large extent that all of the evaluation components combined constitute a valid measure of their effectiveness, while 66% of principals and CIOs and 54% of vice principals believed that the evaluation components are valid. Moreover, 15% of teachers indicated that they fully understand the current teacher contract, in comparison to 61% of principals and CIOs and 28% of vice principals.
In addition to the survey analysis, we plan to conduct teacher focus groups in Fall 2015 to collect detailed qualitative data about teacher perceptions of the NPS/NTU Teacher Contract. Approximately 20 on-site focus groups are planned to be held throughout the district to hear staff perspectives from a range of school levels and locales. A rigorous process will be used to ensure the summary of the qualitative data is defensible (given the study constructs) and transparent (able to be demonstrated to others) (Thomas, 2006). Our qualitative analysis approach also encourages sensitivity to any contrasts or irregularities within and across sites (Delamont, 1992). These rich data will provide support to the survey analysis with illustrative examples of first-person experiences with the NPS contract and related initiatives. The major themes that emerge from the focus groups can provide feedback on implementation as well as answer the related research questions. A complete summary of focus group findings is planned to be finished by December 2015.

Authors

• Brenna O'Brien, American Institutes for Research

• Martyna Citkowicz, American Institutes for Research

• Melissa Yisak

• Ryan Eisner, American Institutes for Research