As we enter a new year, many people are taking the time to reflect on the past and to set goals for the future. At EdFuel, each year we strive to build capacity for individuals and organizations to develop stronger internal talent systems.
In 2017 EdFuel was awarded the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act grant by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Grantees are charged with working to improve performance and educational outcomes in order to increase the number of high-quality public charter school seats in the District of Columbia. The grant permitted EdFuel to convene a Talent Development Learning Cohort (TDLC) with four Washington, D.C. area charter schools: Achievement Prep, DC Bilingual, Eagle Academy, and Ingenuity Prep.
EdFuel’s Talent Development Learning Cohort (TDLC)
Through monthly cohort convenings and individualized school-specific support, the TDLC focused on strengthening each school’s capacity to recruit and retain diverse and highly effective staff. Over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, all four partners received approximately 1,000 hours of direct support from EdFuel to learn best practices in talent management and to design and implement new or updated talent systems. While the TDLC only spans the course of one year, we anticipate that the best practices established at each school will have a positive impact on staff, and ultimately students, for years to come. Here’s a closer look at what one cohort member has done to build high-impact sustainable talent systems at their school.
2017-2018 TDLC Spotlight: DC Bilingual Public Charter School
Founded in 2004, DC Bilingual PCS provides an innovative dual immersion Spanish and English learning program for all students, regardless of their native language. “Through rigorous academic curriculum, comprehensive arts, technology, and athletics programs, and our celebration of diverse cultures, DC Bilingual’s students learn the skills and values they need to become influential participants in their community.” In service of this sentiment DC Bilingual is also deeply committed to nurturing talented staff through coaching, collaboration and community. As a part of the TDLC, the DC Bilingual team decided to build out a framework giving current teachers and coaches a pathway to leadership.
“High staff retention is key to student achievement. When staff members know what they need to do to advance in their careers they stay longer.” – DC Bilingual, Director of Data and Accountability
DC Bilingual’s Leading and Learning Framework
For years, DC Bilingual has had the Leading and Learning Framework, an effective competency model and performance management system, in place to define and hold people accountable to a high bar for instruction. The framework outlines the competencies and conditions necessary for teachers, coaches and ultimately students to thrive at DC Bilingual. While the Leading and Learning framework had proven effective for teachers and coaches, as a growing school, DC Bilingual was interested designing a more comprehensive competency framework that included all staff. DC Bilingual’s work with EdFuel as a Talent Cohort partner was to extend the Leading and Learning framework, and its supporting systems, to include instructional leadership roles, like Principal and Principal-in-Residence. The result was a model that defined career pathways for aspiring school leaders and a blueprint for non-instructional performance management.
The introduction of career pathways, using a competency model, serves as a guide for navigating lateral and upward movement on the DC Bilingual instructional team. Managers use it to facilitate and inform goal-setting, coaching and development. Meanwhile, staff have a tool to help map out future roles, by identifying and pursuing the skills they need to get there. A Tier 1 school, DC Bilingual has an incredible community of teachers and students that they want to retain, grow, and develop. Looking ahead, they hope to extend this career pathway framework to non-instructional staff as well.
Join the Action
We are thrilled to have four new members of the 2018-2019 Talent Development Learning Cohort, including EL Haynes PCS, DC Prep, DC International School and Washington Latin PCS, and look forward to sharing stories of this group in action. Being a member of the TDLC isn’t the only way to strengthen your organization’s leadership and talent development. EdFuel’s annual D.C. Talent Summit is an opportunity to build your capacity to think creatively and holistically about talent.
Join us at the Talent Summit for half a day in April 2019 and walk away with talent management tips and tools that you can use for years to come. We will provide education leaders from across the city an opportunity to share best practices and build skill in the areas of talent recruitment, development and retention. All participants will walk away with a set of resources and actionable next steps to take back to their respective organizations.
Look out for the exact Talent Summit date and registration details coming soon via email and on www.edfuel.org!
For more information on the Talent Summit, please contact Cortney Graham at cgraham@edfuel.org.
For more information about the TDLC or how to get involved with EdFuel more broadly, please reach out to Kelly Gleischman at kgleischman@edfuel.org.