Mary Jones South Tama Superintendent

STC has been awarded the Teacher Leadership and Compensation Grant by the Iowa Department of Education. South Tama schools joins 294 other school districts in receiving this grant that equals nearly $500,000 for the District.

This grant was passed by the legislature in 2013 as part of the state’s reform initiative. This grant “is about supporting teachers to do their best work so that students can do their best work,” said Ryan Wise, Iowa Department of Education director. The goal is to have every school in the state participate in this opportunity.

The TLC grant will utilize the expertise of our top classroom teachers in STC to improve classroom instruction and raise student success. STC’s TLC plan includes hiring 44 Teacher Leaders in the next few years, allowing for 35 percent of our teachers to hold leadership roles to serve our students.

Five new leadership positions will be created in the district: one Instructional Coach Facilitator and four Instructional Coaches who will serve at the school level. Five new teachers will be hired to fill these positions vacated by Instructional Coaches and Facilitator.

So what is an Instructional Coach?

An Instructional Coach is responsible for collaborating with teachers to make certain that teachers have the ability to deliver the best instruction to our students. These coaches will observe classroom teaching and analyze student progress. They will model and co-teach using the best instructional strategies available in the field of education.

Instructional coaches will receive training in the most current, evidence-based instructional practices and pass this learning to our STC teachers. Kevin Nelson, elementary teacher, stated, “this is student-centered approach to school improvement. This grant allows school districts across the state the opportunity to develop and retain strong teacher leaders. It provides training and compensation for teachers performing at a higher level.”

The other 39 positions will include Model Teacher Leaders and Mentor Teacher Leaders. Model teachers will demonstrate the best instructional practices in their classroom and open their classrooms as a resource for other teachers. Mentor teachers will serve new teachers by providing leadership, assisting in the planning of lessons, observing classroom practices, and providing opportunities for new teachers to reflect upon their daily work in the classrooms with students.

This student-centered approach to developing and retaining excellent teachers will compensate teacher leaders for the direction they provide to help all STC teachers improve their craft.Distributing compensation in this manner will allow STC to develop leadership opportunities for exemplary educators, improving instructional practices and ultimately increasing student achievement.