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Resources

The links below represent state-of-the-art research in strategic compensation reform. Please understand that ACPS rejects the failed "merit-pay" plans of the 1980s. At the same time, ACPS seeks to do more than the "pay-for-performance" models currently en vogue. Our goal is to create the best-possible, total rewards system for employee excellence and student success. Please read these links with this understanding.

Core Websites for Our Committee Research

We will use the following four websites for much of our work. Please become familiar with these sources.

The Center for Educator Compensation Reform (CECR)
The CECR is a premier organization that works to raise national awareness of alternative and effective strategies for educator compensation reform. This Website serves as the primary online repository for information, tools, and resources in compensation reform for school community. It is funded under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education. In particular, we will follow it's guide for reforming compensation systems located at http://www.cecr.ed.gov/pdfs/guide/CECRchecklist.pdf.

The Strategic Management of Human Capital (SMHC) Public Education Project
The SMHC action project shares nationwide best-practices in the human capital system (recruit, train, retain and reward top teacher and school administrator talent). SMHC is led by co-directors: Dr. Allan Odden, one of the nation's foremost authorities on school restructuring and school finance; and James Kelly, founding president and chief executive officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

The Virginia Department of Education - Performance and Evaluation
We continue to monitor the development of the value-added evaluation system in Virginia. The new standard starts with the 2012-2013 school year. This page provides links to all new documents, and will also host training materials as they become available. All work groups (professional learning, student learning, career-ladders and benefits) will use this web page in their research. New standards for principals and superintendents will be developed over the next 2-3 years.

The Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE)
Want to know how ACPS compares to Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Loudoun, Prince George's, and/or Prince Williams school divisions? The WABE Annual Guide compares these local school divisions in the northern Virginia area. Each year, the group surveys its members to publish the annual WABE Guide. This guide enables local school systems to learn about each other by reporting comparable information in a standardized format.

Websites

Research Articles

School District Reform Models

Please note that these districts may call their model a pay-for-performance plan. ACPS does not call its plan pay-for-performance - we are a total rewards plan.

Books

Management science. Here are three research works that we will use to help us think about how to manage the committee process and work plan:

Brookfield, Stephen D. (2010). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. This is a guide on techniques to develop authentic frameworks of understanding and new thought for the adult learner.

Fink, Arlene. (2009). How to conduct surveys: A step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. A very concise, clear read about the essentials of survey design, analysis and presentation techniques.

Marx, Gary. (2006). Future-focused leadership: Preparing schools, students and communities for tomorrow's realities. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). This book describes visioning, communications and issue management for complex issues such as strategic reform in education.

Teacher Motivation

Goodlad, John (1984, reprint 2004). A Place Called School: Prospects for the Future. Dr. Goodlad, Ph.D. is President of the Institute for Educational Inquiry and founder of the Center for Educational Renewal at the University of Washington in Seattle. This is a seminal work. From the book cover, the report is "the largest survey of US schools ever conducted. Data was gathered from more than 27,000 students, teachers and parents, and over 1,000 classrooms were observed by trained researchers." From eric.ed.gov:, "The suggestions for significant improvement begin with the premise that the schools must be redesigned piece by piece. All aspects of schooling are considered, including curriculum, school/community relations, quality of teaching, time spent by students on a task, and instructional methods".

Lortie, Dan. (1975, 2nd Edition 2002) Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study. This is a classic. Dr. Lortie is Professor Emeritus of Education at University of Chicago. Amazon.com describes this seminal work as the best social portrait of the profession since Willard Waller's classic The Sociology of Teaching. Lortie is also the author of School Principal: Managing in Public (2009).

Pink, Dan (2010). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Daniel H. Pink examines what truly motivates people to work at top performance. He reveals that performance is not always driven wiith external rewards such as money but the ability and capacity to manage our work, to discover and learn about our work, and to do work that makes a difference. For Pink, motivation comes down to three main components—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and the best workplaces provide these rewards. See more at www.danpink.com/drive.