Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/812811
Beverly Association talks with Beverly Hills Education Association President Telly Tse, pictured with Marla Weiss, thinks PAR is "a good thing for teachers." WE'RE HOLDING PRINCIPALS ACCOUNTABLE TO HELP TEACHERS. HAVING THEM DO WHAT'S NECESSARY TO HELP TEACHERS WASN' T ALWAYS THE CASE, SO WE BARGAINED FOR IT." — JULIA WRIGHT, DOWNEY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Education Association member. "Providing teachers help they need is the best thing for our district. It can really make a huge difference. It did for me."' I N VE S T I N G I N T E A C H ER S PAR is re-emerging as a priority in California, thanks to the Local Control Funding Formula, which allows districts to apply funds where they are needed the most. When districts fund PAR, they are investing in teachers by providing them with qual- ity professional development, which in turn benefits students. PAR not only boosts teacher retention during an epic teaching shortage, but attracts new teachers who see the additional sup- port as a safety net, say participants in a 2012 study by Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project on the Next Generation of Teachers. e cost is between $4,000 and $7,000 per partici- pant, according to the study. Beverly Hills is one example where PAR made a comeback. After starting in 2000, it was eliminated a few years later, then reinstated in 2012. "I think it's a good thing for teachers," says Beverly Hills Education Association President Telly Tse. "It offers a way for teachers to get assistance and work with colleagues to achieve their goals for improvement in a way that is fair. I'm very happy it has come back to our district." PA R p r o v i d e s e d u c a t o r s w h o a r e st r u g g li n g a n o pp o r tu n i ty t o i m p r o v e by working with exemplar y "consulting t each ers" — som etim es called suppor t providers — who provide intensive pro- fessional development through modeling lessons, observing classroom instruction, and providing feedback. The program is discreet; participants are usually unknown to oth er staf f m emb ers at school sit es. Most teachers exit PAR after a year. While teachers unions partner with dis- trict administrators to coordinate PAR, the program is based on the premise that teach- ers know best when it comes to helping their colleagues master curriculum, tech- nology or classroom management skills. When legislation was enacted in 1999 to fund PAR programs statewide, the goal was to help permanent teachers whose evaluations were unsatisfactory. However, som e di stricts, through c ol lective bar - gaining, expanded the program's scope to include new teachers and self-referrals. For a decade, PAR programs blossomed. But in 2009, when categorical funding was cut, PAR programs withered and died. Nonetheless, PAR has remained high on CTA's priority list, and is tied to the organi- zation's long-term strategic plan in the areas of "transforming the profession" and "mem- ber engagement." CTA President Eric Heins encourages C TA c h a p t e r s t o r e - e s t a b l i s h PA R o r expand the scope of existing programs to strengthen the profession. 23 April 2017