January 12, 2011 December , 2010 Dear Parent: Now that the 2010/2011 school year is in full swing, I wanted to update you on a very important effort underway here in Hillsborough County called Empowering Effective Teachers. The goal of this initiative is simple: to improve student achievement by making sure every classroom has a highly effective teacher. We’ll do this by transforming how we recruit and retain the best teachers and how they are evaluated and compensated. These changes will be rolled out during the next seven years and are supported by a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. What’s New This Year One change students may have already noticed is the presence of an additional teacher observing in the classroom at certain times. This fall, a group of over 100 energetic and highly trained mentors and peer evaluators are beginning their work with teachers. They’ll provide ongoing support and feedback as part of a redesigned evaluation system for all teachers. Mentors will provide guidance to new teachers, while peer evaluators will be assigned to experienced teachers. The support of these peers and mentors will help our teachers enhance their skills so students can keep learning and growing. Keeping You Informed On the reverse side of this letter is a fact sheet with more information about this effort. We hope that you will join us in this exciting initiative by staying informed and providing us with any feedback or suggestions you may have for improving our schools. I encourage you to stay up to date by visiting our website: www.empoweringteachers.mysdhc.org. There, you can watch videos, read answers to common questions and check out the quarterly e-magazine we have developed to keep our community informed. You can also e-mail us with questions or comments: greatteachers@sdhc.k12.fl.us.   We all win when our students succeed. We know that the Empowering Effective Teachers initiative will transform our schools and help ensure that all children have the chance to reach their full potential. I hope you will become as proud and excited as we are. Sincerely, MaryEllen Elia Superintendent of Schools FACTS FOR PARENTS About the Initiative Empowering Effective Teachers is a bold new effort by Hillsborough County Public Schools to improve student achievement by ensuring every classroom has a highly effective teacher. The initiative is funded by a seven-year, $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ours was one of four communities selected by the Gates Foundation from over 16,500~school districts across the country. Our Goals Increase the percentage of students who graduate ready to take on college or a career. Help all students achieve their potential, including high-needs students. How We’ll Do It We’re focusing on teaching excellence because research shows that a teacher’s effectiveness has more impact on student learning than any other factor under the control of school systems. New mentors and peer evaluators will provide feedback to teachers on how to improve their classroom skills. We’re revamping the way we evaluate, promote and compensate teachers—all focused on how effectively they are helping their students learn and grow. New programs and incentives will place highly effective teachers with students who need the most help. The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association is a partner in this initiative. Teachers are providing input at every step of the process. We’re taking the time to get it right, rolling out changes gradually over seven years and ensuring that the new systems are fair and consistent. What’s At Stake for Parents and Our Community This effort goes to the heart of every parent’s dream for their children: to secure a good education that will prepare them for success in life. Outstanding public schools attract new companies, residents and investment, securing a healthy economic future and quality of life. Our children are tomorrow’s citizens, voters, employees and leaders. We need the involvement not only of teachers, principals and staff but also parents, students, business leaders, elected officials and all citizens of the county. Together, we can provide a model for successful public schools for the entire nation. Be informed, share your ideas, lend your support! . www.empoweringteachers.mysdhc.org