SAN ANTONIO – Among the common themes that Democratic state Rep. Diego Bernal found on his tour of all 55 schools in his urban core, north and west side District 123, was teacher retention.
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“If I had to choose between an iPad for every student or a few more top notch teachers, I would take the teachers in a heartbeat."
But it’s not just a one-and-done issue. It involves many layers, some of which are experience, leadership turnover, specialized areas like social work, and the types of certifications teachers hold.
Read Diego Bernal's report on his tour of schools in his district
In his extensive report, Bernal noted that if school leaders had to choose between a good teacher or a piece of technology, the human won every time.
“If I had to choose between an iPad for every student or a few more top notch teachers, I would take the teachers in a heartbeat,” one school leader told Bernal.
But there are systemic reasons why good teachers are hard to find. One of them is a lack of mentoring programs. Another is professional development opportunities.
Bernal also found that the schools most in need of changing need the most experienced teachers, not rookies.
Experience makes the difference
Those teachers who are young and those who hold alternative certifications for programs like Teach for America may not be the best for a struggling school. One school leader said that in a disadvantaged school, having a bulk of inexperienced teachers on staff is not fair to the students there.
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Teachers also want to teach -- which related back to Bernal’s theme on time -- and not have to tend to administrative duties. A school leader told Bernal that he or she attempts to have the office staff take on as much of the paperwork as possible to allow teachers to stay focused on the classroom.
Leadership
If the school leadership isn’t strong, Bernal reported that it’s harder to hang onto teachers.
Bernal made one observation about that: “Leadership matters,” he said. “Strong, ascending schools usually have strong leadership. You can also visit a school and ascertain very quickly that the principal is completely checked out, and it shows everywhere.”
Read Diego Bernal's report on his tour of schools in his district
On the relationship between schools and communities, he wondered if stable communities drive stability in schools or if a crop of teachers who stay at one school for a period of time help make the community better. “Both?” he asked in his report. “Either way, both types of stability seem to create better outcomes for families.”
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Below is an in-depth look at each of the main areas Bernal looked at in his study. Click on the icon for each of the stories.
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