Extending the Reach of Excellent Teachers to More Students: School Models
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Tailoring Models to Fit Your School Using Excellent Teachers’ Time Wisely Model Contributors and Reviewers Coming in 2012: |
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Reach Extension PrinciplesSome models for extending the reach of excellent teachers will look familiar. But to fit our criteria, school designs must follow these Reach Extension Principles:
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Introduction to School Models
Only about one of every four U.S. classrooms has an “excellent teacher,” one who produces enough learning progress to close achievement gaps and help all students leap ahead to higher-order learning. Three-quarters do not.
The school models presented here aim to change that. These models use job redesign, technology, or both to help excellent teachers reach more students. Done right, all the models presented here can meet our Reach Extension Principles. Most models can be used for whole schools or single courses.
Here’s a quick overview: Our primary goal is to enable schools to reach significantly more students with excellent teachers. Every model outlined here identifies the excellent teacher in charge—the person who is truly accountable for learning. In more detailed models coming in 2012, we also indicate what people, technology, and other resources the excellent teacher has authority to choose and change. We organized the models around two key dimensions:
- Where is the teacher? That teacher can work in person, teaching face to face in a school and/or leading other teachers. Or, when not enough excellent teachers are available in person, excellent teachers can work remotely, with on-site monitors' help. Remote, excellent teachers can reach students via webcam, online whiteboard, email, and other methods that let the teacher communicate personally—live, but not in person—and at times convenient for all.
- How is the teacher’s reach extended to more students? There are many ways to think about this, but here we focus on what we think will be most useful to you, people trying to make schools great. Willing, excellent teachers can have larger classes (within reason!), or they can specialize in the most crucial subjects and most difficult teaching roles, while other team members take on the rest. Or they can swap technology—online digital instruction—for some of their teaching time, enough time that the teacher can teach more students. Or they can lead other teachers, and co-teach with them, with authority to: select, assign roles, develop, and evaluate the team. Many of the models can, and should, be combined to make the best use of excellent teachers’ time. All of them require thinking about not just which teachers’ reach to extend, but also which roles will be best for each person—providing career opportunities as well as more pay.
Some of these models might look familiar. Several of them have been put to use—either in whole or in part—in a small but increasing number of schools across the country. In all of these models, the roles of the excellent teacher and other professionals change enough to let that teacher successfully teach more students, for more pay, within budget. In some, but not all, technology plays a critical part to allow those role changes. Changing schools this way sets up a virtuous cycle of increased career opportunities for excellent teachers, excellent outcomes for students, and financially sustainable excellence for schools. [Back to Top]
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Click on any category or model name in the table below to see its definition, or scroll down the list below.
Models for “Extending the Reach” of Excellent Teachers to More Students:
Overview Table
Where is the Excellent Teacher-in-Charge? |
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How Do Excellent Teachers Reach More Students?
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In-Person |
Remote |
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Class-Size Changes |
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Specialization |
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Leading Other Teachers |
Multi-Class Leadership (Pods) |
Multi-Teacher Leaders (Remote Pods) |
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Time-Technology Swaps |
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Note: Shaded items may require new technology. |
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When Learning is Outside the School: Community-Based Organizations and Home
In the table above, all of the models assume that students are physically located in schools. But in other cases, students may be located elsewhere. Community-based organizations may host dropout recovery and other programs. And more students every year are learning at home. These students need excellent teachers in charge of their learning, too. So, here we also include brief descriptions of four models for combining excellent remote teachers, digital instruction, and parents or community organization staff members as monitors.
Model Descriptions
These are brief descriptions of models for extending the reach of excellent teachers to more students, for more pay, within budget. Scroll down the list, or click on the models that interest you in the model table above.
We have included with most model definitions an estimate of the additional percentage of students that excellent teachers may reach within our five principles, expressed as a “Reach Effect.” For example, if a calculus teacher reaches double the number of students by having students learn online during class time every other day while she works with another group of students on personalized and enriched learning, the Reach Effect is 100%. If an elementary teacher agrees to take 30 students in a class, rather than the U.S. average of 24, then the Reach Effect is 25%, or ((30 – 24) ÷ 24).
Estimates of how many more students can be reached effectively are based on analysis of teacher time data from the National Center for Education Statistics, consideration of planning time required, feasible student loads, and class sizes in educationally high-performing nations.
These estimates are to provide ranges, and they do not apply equally to all teachers or schools. School design teams will need to make choices about the group, class, and total student load sizes to fit the teachers and students involved.
Class-Size Changes
Excellent teachers choose to teach larger classes, within limits appropriate for each teacher, the students, and each school.
Educationally high-performing nations’ class sizes vary from averages of about 19 to 35 students. OECD-reporting nations with graduation rates over 90% have average class sizes of 27 students. Current U.S. classrooms average 24 students. In these models, we limit class sizes to 35. Many schools would choose different limits, depending on the teachers and students involved. [Back to Table]
In-Person Models:
Schools increase the size of all classes for which willing, excellent in-person teachers are available, without reducing other class sizes, and they raise these teachers’ pay proportionally. Class sizes stay within limits indicated by educationally high-performing nations. Smaller overall staff size enables increased pay for excellent teachers who reach more students. Reach Effect: 10%–40% more students reached with excellent teachers. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Schools shift students from some teachers’ classrooms into classes of willing excellent teachers, and they pay these excellent teachers more. Other teachers have proportionally smaller classes and, as new people enter under new employment arrangements, lower pay. Smaller classes for some teachers will lessen the need for instructional specialists, freeing funds to pay excellent teachers more. This model can be used to induct newer teachers with smaller classes, or simply to maximize the number of students benefitting from each school’s best teachers. Class sizes stay within limits indicated by educationally high-performing nations. Reach Effect: 10%–40% more students reached with excellent teachers. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Remote Models:
In schools without enough excellent teachers working in person, excellent remote teachers teach students in larger-than-usual group sizes (staying within reasonable class-size limits), and schools pay these excellent teachers more. Students may be co-located (e.g., interacting as a group with a live teacher on large screen with two-way cameras) or not (e.g., interacting from multiple schools with a live teacher using webcams or online whiteboards). In-person monitors are required. Reach Effect: 10%–40% more students reached with excellent teachers. [Back to Table]
In schools without enough excellent teachers working in person, students shift from other teachers’ classrooms into classes of willing excellent teachers who are teaching remotely (staying within reasonable class-size limits), and schools pay these excellent teachers more. Other teachers, whether teaching on site or remotely, have proportionally smaller classes and, as new people enter under new employment arrangements, lower pay. This model can be used to induct newer in-person or remote teachers with smaller classes, or simply to maximize the number of students benefitting from available, excellent remote teachers. In-person monitors are required. Reach Effect: 10%–40% more students reached with excellent teachers. [Back to Table]
Specialization
Excellent teachers specialize in high-priority subjects and the most crucial, challenging roles, focusing on the subjects and instructional roles in which each excels. [Back to Table]
In-Person Models:
Subject Specialization (Elementary)
The best teachers teach one or two priority subjects, leaving other subjects and many noninstructional tasks to other teachers and staff. A likely combination would be subject pairs: 1) math/science and 2) language arts/social studies. A third set of teachers cover other subjects that core classroom teachers currently cover, homeroom, most administrative work, and transitions. For example, elementary teachers now spend about 8 of their nearly 32 instructional hours weekly on math and science combined. An excellent teacher could teach three times the current student load and gain up to 8 school-day planning hours weekly. A second set of teachers could teach language arts and social studies, on which teachers now spend about 14 hours weekly, gaining up to 4 planning hours weekly. Higher pay is funded by lower pay for the third set of teachers (educators not teaching designated subjects), and reduction of instructional specialists. Reach Effect: 100%–300% more students reached with excellent teachers. Note: Subjects for specialization will vary based on school priorities and available teachers. This is just one example. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Role specialization can take several forms. The goal is to focus excellent teachers’ time on the instructional roles that are most challenging and critical for success, and on high-value noninstructional work related to student outcomes. In addition, focusing excellent teachers’ time on the instructional roles in which each excels may magnify their effectiveness. All of these role changes require that other staff members or technological tools perform the instructional and noninstructional roles that excellent teachers no longer play. If enough excellent teacher time is saved, then these teachers can teach more students. Reach Effects: will vary widely. Examples include:
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- Excellent teachers use their time exclusively for academic instruction and planning. This is enabled by having other team members cover noninstructional duties that do not affect student learning, and by using time-saving technology.
- Excellent teachers focus on the most critical, challenging instructional roles in which each excels. Other team members perform remaining instructional duties. Instructional roles include (among others): planning instruction, lecturing, motivating, monitoring student progress, reviewing student work, providing feedback, diagnosing next-step student needs, monitoring students’ independent work, leading individual and small-group instruction, grading, providing instructional administrative work, addressing social/emotional/ behavioral learning barriers, and communicating with parents. [Back to Table]
Remote Models:
Remote excellent teachers teach priority subjects, leaving other subjects and many noninstructional tasks to other teachers and staff. On-site monitors selected for their classroom management and social/emotional development skills manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties; they may provide academic support, and they provide vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns to the remote teachers.
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- Elementary. A likely approach would be having the best remote teachers teach one of two core subject pairs: math/science or language arts/social studies. For example, excellent remote math teachers relieved of on-site duties could teach four times the current student load within standard work hours, using all noninstructional time for the planning and follow-up that are essential to instruction.
- Secondary. Excellent single-course remote teachers may teach students in multiple locations, using a combination of synchronous instruction (e.g., using webcams, online whiteboards) and asynchronous, personalized communications (e.g., email for feedback on student work, answering students’ questions).
Higher pay is funded by lower pay for the on-site paraprofessional monitors and the reduction of instructional specialists in subjects taught by the excellent remote teachers. Reach Effect: 100%–400% more students reached with excellent teachers. Note: Subjects for specialization will vary based on school priorities and available teachers. [Back to Table]
Remote role specialization is the same as in-person, except that the excellent remote teachers collaborate with in-person staff (or other remote instructors). An in-person adult is responsible for all activities unrelated to instruction and for monitoring student time and behavior.
Role specialization can take several forms, and the goal is to focus excellent teachers’ time on the instructional roles that are most challenging and critical for success, and on high-value noninstructional work related to student outcomes. In addition, focusing excellent teachers’ time on the instructional roles in which each excels may magnify their effectiveness. All of these role changes require that other staff members or technological tools perform the instructional and noninstructional roles that excellent teachers no longer play. If enough excellent teacher time is saved, then these teachers can teach more students. Reach Effects: will vary widely. Examples include:
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- Excellent teachers use their time exclusively for academic instruction and planning. This is enabled by having other team members cover noninstructional duties that do not affect student learning, and by using time-saving technology.
- Excellent teachers focus on the most critical, challenging instructional roles in which each excels. Other team members perform remaining instructional duties. Instructional roles include (among others): planning instruction, lecturing, motivating, monitoring student progress, reviewing student work, providing feedback, diagnosing next-step student needs, monitoring students’ independent work, leading individual and small-group instruction, grading, providing instructional administrative work, addressing social/emotional/ behavioral learning barriers, and communicating with parents. [Back to Table]
Leading Other Teachers
School-based or remote instructional teams report to excellent teachers with leadership skills. The teacher-leaders are fully accountable for multiple classrooms, and they both teach and lead other team members, who use the leader’s methods and tools in varying roles the leader assigns. [Back to Table]
In-Person Models:
Multi-Classroom Leadership (Pods)
Excellent teachers with leadership competencies lead teams of other teachers to meet the leaders’ standards of excellence. Teachers, including the teacher-leader, play instructional roles determined by the leader and use the leader’s methods and tools. The teacher-leader chooses, evaluates, and develops the team (dismissing low performers when necessary), establishing each person’s roles and goals at least annually. (S)he earns more than the others—funded by the reduction of specialists, lower pay for others with narrower instructional roles and fewer work hours, and in some cases a reduction of team size—and is accountable for all students’ learning. Reach Effect: 100%–400% more students reached by excellent teachers in charge. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Remote Models:
Multi-Teacher Leadership (Remote Pods)
Excellent teachers with leadership competencies lead teams of other teachers to meet the leaders’ standards of excellence. Team members may be co-located or remote. In-person and remote teachers (using webcams or similar tools), including the teacher-leader, play instructional roles determined by the leader and use the leader’s methods and tools. The teacher-leader chooses, evaluates, and develops the team (dismissing low performers when necessary), establishing each person’s roles and goals at least annually. A remote teacher-leader may direct multiple teams at different sites. (S)he earns more than the others—funded by the reduction of specialists, lower pay for others with narrower instructional roles and fewer work hours, and in some cases a reduction of team size—and is accountable for all students’ learning. Reach Effect: up to 400% more students reached with excellent teachers in charge. [Back to Table]
Time-Technology Swaps
Digital instruction replaces enough excellent in-person or remote teacher time that these teachers can teach more students. Students are likely to use digital instruction for 25% or more of learning time. The swap may be on a fixed schedule (Rotation) or a flexible one (Flex) determined by students’ changing needs:
Rotation: Alternating digital and live-teacher learning time (with teacher in-person or remote) on a fixed schedule. Digital learning time likely to be 25%–50% of in-school learning time.
Flex: Digital, small-group, and large-group learning time individualized for each student and frequently changing. Digital learning time may be 50% or more of in-school learning time. [Back to Table]
In-Person Time-Technology Swaps:
Rotation: Students spend 25%–50% of their in-school time engaged in personalized digital learning, replacing in-person teachers’ whole-group and lecture instruction. Students rotate on a fixed schedule between digital and face-to-face learning. To extend their reach, excellent teachers use freed time to teach additional classes, focusing primarily on personalized and enriched portions of instruction. Digital lab monitors and others supervise and work with students individually and in small groups during digital learning time. Reach Effects: Excellent teachers reach 33%–100% more students, varying with the percent of digital instruction time. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Flex: Students spend the majority of their in-school time engaged with digital learning. Excellent teachers pull out students in frequently changing, flexible groupings for project-based learning, tutoring, and targeted direct instruction. The amount and type of in-person instruction varies by day and student. Teachers differentiate instruction based on individual student needs, which they assess in part using data generated from digital assessments. Teachers may be assisted by paraprofessional lab monitors and tutors. Reach Effect: 50%–200% more students reached per excellent teacher, if digital time is limited to 2/3 of school time, and if student-load increases of teachers at secondary level are limited to allow for extra, needed planning time. [Back to Table]
More detail on this model coming soon!
Remote Time-Technology Swaps:
More detail on these two models coming soon!
Remote Rotation: When not enough excellent teachers are available in person for a school or specific subjects, excellent remote teachers provide instruction (e.g., via webcams) to students, who may be in one school or various schools. In addition, personalized digital instruction replaces 25%-50% of instructional time, such as basic knowledge and skill instruction, enabling fewer, more-effective remote teachers to reach a great number of students with personalized and enriched portions of their instruction. Remote teachers are fully accountable for learning outcomes. On-site monitors manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties; they may provide academic support, and they provide vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns to the remote teachers. Reach Effect: 33% –500% more students per excellent teacher, and teachers can teach students in any location. [Back to Table]
Remote Flex: Students spend the majority of their in-school time engaged in personalized digital learning, but remote excellent teachers are accountable for organizing combinations of digital, remote, and in-person learning to produce learning outcomes in designated subjects. These teachers pull out groups of students, who are supervised remotely or by on-site monitors working under the direction of remote teachers, for project-based learning, tutoring, and targeted direct instruction. The amount and type of digital, remote, and paraprofessional in-person instruction varies by day and student. Remote teachers differentiate instruction under the flex model based on individual student needs, which they assess in part using data generated from digital assessments. Remote teachers are assisted by on-site monitors who manage student time and behavior and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties; they may provide academic support, and they provide vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns to the remote teachers. Reach Effect: 50%–200% increase, if digital learning time is limited to 2/3 of student time. [Back to Table]
Likely Combinations
Likely combinations include:
- Any of the models combined with Homework Flipping
- Any other models combined with Specialization or Multi-Class Leadership
- Schools committed to reaching every student in every valued subject with excellent teachers will use Multi-Combinations [Back to Table]
Additional Terms:
Homework Flipping: Knowledge and skill-focused digital instruction is given as homework. Data reports inform teachers about students’ at-home learning. At school, teachers may then focus more time on personalized, enriched portions of instruction. Note: Flipping models today are not necessarily used to help already-excellent teachers reach more students, as described here. [Back to Table]
Multi-Combinations: Multi-combinations use multiple modes (in-person, remote, and digital) and models (class-size changes, specialization, time-technology swaps, and leading other teachers). They are for schools with severe shortages of excellent in-person teachers and/or a high commitment to reaching every student with excellent teachers in every grade and subject by any means possible. [Back to Table]
Examples:
Flipping + Time-Technology Swaps. Excellent teachers assign digital instruction on basic knowledge and skills as homework. At school, students spend 25% or more of their day on digital instruction, projects, and tutoring with paraprofessionals. As a result, the time excellent teachers spend with students can be focused largely on personalized, enriched in-person instruction on a fixed, rotating schedule (Rotation) or frequently changing, flexible groupings (Flex). Reach Effects: 33%–200% more students reached by excellent in-person teachers (up to 400% more, with subject specialization). Note: Flipping models today are not necessarily used to help already-excellent teachers reach more students, as described here.
Specialization + Time-Technology Swaps. Combining Subject Specialization with Rotation or Flex models, excellent teachers focusing on subject specialties (math/science; language arts/social studies) teach students on a fixed, rotating schedule (Rotation) or frequently changing, flexible groupings (Flex). Students spend 25% or more of in-school time engaged in a combination of digital learning, project-based learning, and tutoring with paraprofessionals. Reach Effects: 100%–400% more students reached by excellent teachers.
Remote Specialization + Time-Technology Swaps. Excellent remote teachers focusing on subject specialties (math/science; language arts/social studies) teach students on a fixed, rotating schedule (Rotation) or frequently changing, flexible groupings (Flex). The teachers teach live, using large-screen video, computer screen webcams, or online whiteboards, and may have personalized follow-up with students via email or other means. Students may be in one school location or many. Students also spend 25% or more of their in-school time engaged in a combination of digital learning, project-based learning, and tutoring with on-site paraprofessionals. On-site staff members also manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties. They also provide vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns to the remote teachers. Reach Effects: Combining remote specialization with time-technology swaps lets excellent teachers reach 100%–500% more students.
Multi-Classroom Leadership (“Pods”) + Time-Technology Swaps. Using either a Rotation or Flex model, one excellent teacher-leader who has leadership competencies leads a team of multiple classroom teachers and paraprofessionals. Digital instruction (supervised by a monitor) replaces a portion of in-person teachers’ instructional time, such as whole-group instruction and lectures, to enable fewer, more effective in-person teachers to reach a greater number of students with the personalized and enriched portions of their instruction. This model enables paying the teacher-leader more and/or saving more money than a multi-class leadership model alone, because the wages of digital lab monitors are less than that of most other instructional staff. Reach Effect: Up to 400% more students reached per excellent teacher.
Remote Flipping + Time-Technology Swaps. Remote excellent teachers assign digital instruction on basic knowledge and skills as homework. At school, students spend 25% or more of their day on digital instruction, projects, and tutoring with paraprofessionals. As a result, the time remote excellent teachers spend with students can be focused largely on personalized, enriched instruction on a fixed, rotating schedule (Rotation) or frequently changing, flexible groupings (Flex). The teachers teach live, using large-screen video, computer screen webcams, or online whiteboards, and may have personalized follow-up with students via email or other means. On-site paraprofessionals monitor remote and digital instruction. They manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties. They also provide vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns to the remote teachers. Reach Effects: 33%–300% more students reached by excellent teachers remotely (up to 500% more, with subject specialization). Note: Flipping models today are not necessarily used to help already-excellent teachers reach more students, as described here.
Multi-Combination Example: Excellent teachers with leadership competencies lead teams of subject and role specialists, replace a portion of teaching time with digital instruction, and provide excellent remote teachers in subjects for which an excellent in-person teacher is unavailable, while also using time-saving technology tools for grouping students, grading, and the like. Reach Effect: Potentially coverage of all students by excellent teachers in all chosen subjects.
Community-Based Organization (CBO) Monitored
Students spend the school day at the facility of a community-based organization, receiving instruction from remote, excellent teachers.
CBO-Monitored Remote. Students receive instruction from excellent remote teachers on a schedule determined and monitored by staff at a community-based organization. Remote teachers teach at scheduled times, using webcams, online whiteboards, or similar technology. They may teach students in one or multiple locations simultaneously, and they may assign, review, and discuss work with individuals or groups of students, synchronously or asynchronously (e.g., via email). The remote teachers are the adults accountable for learning outcomes in each subject they teach. On-site CBO monitors manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties; they may provide academic support, and they share vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns with the accountable, remote teachers. Informal educators who are nonetheless experts may provide instruction in some subjects best taught on-site, such as art and music. The CBO as an organization is accountable for overall learning outcomes, just as a school would be, and thus bears responsibility for choosing excellent remote teachers. [Back to Table]
CBO-Monitored Remote + Digital Instruction. Students receive instruction from excellent remote teachers on a schedule determined and monitored by staff at a community-based organization. The remote teachers teach at scheduled times, using webcams, online whiteboards, or similar technology. They may teach students in one or multiple locations simultaneously, and they may assign, review, and discuss work with individuals or groups of students, synchronously or asynchronously (e.g., via email). In addition, digital instruction replaces a substantial portion (at least 25%) of instructional time, such as basic knowledge and skill instruction, enabling fewer, better remote teachers to reach more students with personalized and enriched portions of their instruction. The remote teachers are the adults accountable for learning outcomes in each subject they teach. On-site CBO monitors manage student time and behavior, supervise recess and lunch, and perform all in-person supervisory and administrative duties; they may provide academic support, and they share vital information about students’ social, emotional, and behavioral concerns with the accountable, remote teachers. Informal educators who are nonetheless experts may provide instruction in some subjects best taught on-site, such as art and music. Reach Effect: 33%–500% more students per excellent teacher; teachers can teach students in any location, while students may spend their days in environments suitable to their individual needs. [Back to Table]
Parent-Monitored
Parent-Monitored Remote. Students receive instruction from excellent, remote teachers on a schedule determined and monitored by a parent, using webcams, online whiteboards, or similar technology. Teachers teach at times as scheduled to one or many students in multiple locations simultaneously, or they asynchronously assign, review, and discuss work with individuals or groups of students. Parents are the adults accountable for choosing and changing remote (and complementary digital) instruction to meet their children’s needs. Parents are also responsible for other aspects of each child’s development and time-management. Remote teachers are able to teach more students than in a site-based position, because they do not have as many administrative duties and can teach outside of typical school hours. Teachers can reach students living anywhere. [Back to Table]
Parent-Monitored Remote + Digital Instruction. Students use digital instruction on a schedule determined and monitored by an excellent, remotely located teacher, who schedules in cooperation with the parent. The remote teachers are the adults accountable for choosing and changing digital instruction in each assigned subject to meet their students’ needs. Parents are responsible for managing behavior, time-management, and other aspects of each child’s development. The remote teachers are able to teach more students because of the time freed when students are using digital instruction and their reduced administrative duties because they are not on site. [Back to Table]
Note: Parent-monitored models fit Public Impact’s reach extension guidelines only loosely, because parents are not part of an employed team that can be held accountable to remote teachers or an organization that is accountable for learning outcomes. We include these models here because of the growing use of digital learning in homeschooling, to elevate the potential of pairing excellent, remotely located teachers with parents as monitors.
