Creating a Teacher Leadership and Compensation System in Iowa

Abstract

In the 30 years following the publication of A Nation at Risk (1983), states have struggled to create effective systems of teacher leadership and compensation. Despite decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, states’ efforts have yielded limited results. In January 2013, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Director of Education Jason Glass unveiled a legislative proposal to build a statewide system of teacher leadership and compensation designed to end this futility and re-imagine the teaching profession in Iowa. This capstone describes my role in facilitating a task force of educational leaders and in crafting their ideas into a report that formed the basis of the Governor’s proposal. It also describes the iterative feedback process and financial modeling I engaged in to help develop the system. The results of these efforts included an actionable, research-aligned, consensus-based report; a financial model that informed the development of the teacher leadership and compensation system; and a politically and financially viable legislative package. This project generated important lessons for the Iowa Department of Education in engaging in future policy efforts, for other states interested in creating a similar system of teacher leadership and compensation, and for my own development as an educational leader.