Seattle schools will be strengthened and teachers will be supported under the contract proposal from the Seattle Public School District (SPS), according to an independent report released this week.

SPS is in negotiations with its teachers’ union, the Seattle Education Association (SEA), for a new teachers’ contract that will guide teachers’ professional development, evaluation, and compensation. The vote for ratification is September 2nd.

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), an independent research group, issued a side-by-side analysis of the two proposals on Tuesday. The report praises the SPS proposal, which makes student achievement and effective teaching a priority. It concludes: “Overall, Seattle's proposals for the new teacher labor agreement are strong. Enacting them would put Seattle on the forefront of reforms and make it a national model for improving teacher quality.”

“Including an objective, third party voice in this conversation is tremendously valuable,” said Sara Morris, President & CEO of the Alliance for Education. “This independent report validates the notion that the measures for which the community has been advocating will have a meaningful, positive impact on student achievement.”

Tre Maxie, Executive Director of Powerful Schools, noted: “The district’s proposal focuses on student outcomes and creates new ways to support, acknowledge and reward teachers for the outstanding work they do every day. In addition to the responsibilities shared by parents and the broader community in improving student achievement, we are confident these classroom-focused proposals will make a major difference for students in this city.”

NCTQ previously completed an in-depth look at education in Seattle in October 2009, with a report, Human Capital in Seattle Public Schools, which showed the school system failing in two key areas: fully implementing mutual consent hiring and improving teacher evaluations.

SPS’s proposal addresses these key issues, while the union’s proposal endorses the status quo.

“These proposals would go a long way in starting to reduce the achievement gap, as well as providing a boost in educational opportunities for all students across the district,” said Kevin Washington, Chair of the Tabor 100 Education Committee. “Because the bulk of the program is voluntary, teachers have the choice to opt-in. It is also in line with what many other urban districts have implemented across the country.”

Our Schools Coalition – a diverse group of citywide organizations and community leaders dedicated to meaningful, positive improvements in Seattle’s public education system – supports much of the district’s proposal.

Polling conducted by the Our Schools Coalition in March demonstrated deep support for such changes among parents and taxpayers across the city.  Please see www.ourschoolscoalition.org for details on the public opinion research.

ABOUT THE OUR SCHOOLS COALITION:
Members of the Our Schools Coalition include the Alliance for Education, Central Area Motivation Program, CEER (Coalition for Equal Education Rights), CCER (Community Center for Education Results), Cheryl Chow, former Seattle School Board President, Council President Richard Conlin, Councilmember Tim Burgess, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Councilmember Mike O’Brien, East African Community Services, Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Horn of Africa Services, Kevin C. Washington, Chair, Tabor 100 Education Committee, King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, League of Education Voters, Mona H. Bailey, retired Seattle Public Schools District Administrator, The New School Foundation, Partnership for Learning, Powerful Schools, Rainier Scholars, Seattle Breakfast Group, Somali Community Services of Seattle, Stand for Children, Technology Access Foundation, Technology Alliance, Urban Enterprise Center, Urban Impact, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Washington Policy Center, WTIA and Youth Ambassadors.