At the request of the Education Reform Project of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, the National Council on Teacher Quality undertook an analysis of the teacher policies in the Baltimore City Public Schools. Their analysis looks at the teachers’ contract, school board rules and state laws. They also collected personnel data from the school system and spoke with teachers, principals, union leaders and district administrators to learn how the policies play out in practice.
The purpose of this study was to identify areas in which better district and state policies and practices might lead to improved teacher quality in Baltimore City, even absent other enhancements such as increased funding or better school leadership.
While Baltimore appears to have made great improvements in the past few years to better align its teacher policies with teacher quality goals, much work remains to ensure that every child has an effective teacher.
Their analysis is framed around 10 policy goals for improving teacher quality. These goals fall under three areas: I.) Hiring, transfer and assignment; II.) Developing an effective teacher corps; and III.) Working conditions and compensation.