Interim Study of Iowa’s Teacher Leadership System Shows Positive Results

The first school districts to launch teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System reported a positive impact on educators’ professional climate and classroom instruction, according to an interim evaluation report released last week by the Iowa Department of Education.

Teachers and administrators in the first 115 school districts chosen to launch teacher leadership plans – 39 districts in the 2014-15 school year and 76 in 2015-16 – reported greater availability, frequency and quality of teacher leadership roles, support through professional development, and collaboration among teachers compared to school districts that had not yet entered the system. Teachers and administrators also reported the system had improved instruction, teacher satisfaction and professional climate.

The interim report, conducted by American Institutes of Research (AIR), concluded it’s too soon to determine how the teacher leadership system is impacting student achievement. This is because the benefits of the support structures put in place for teachers may not yet be apparent. A data analysis – focused only on the 39 districts in their second year of implementation during the 2015-16 school year – showed students improved slightly less on state assessments than their counterparts in other Iowa school districts.

“Iowa’s teacher leadership system is about supporting the complex work of teaching so that teachers can do their best work, which will position students to do their best work,” Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise said. “The investment we’ve made in Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System will have a lasting return over the long term. This interim report shows we’re heading in the right direction and, at the same time, a lot of work lies ahead.”

 To read more, visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website.