Tulsa World: TPS holds breath on big grant

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TPS holds breath on big grant
Tulsa Public Schools will hear in August if it is among the finalists for the five-year partnerships.

By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/4/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 7/4/2009 3:22 AM

A partnership that Tulsa Public Schools is seeking with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation could be a major "transformational moment" in the future of Oklahoma's largest school district, Superintendent Keith Ballard said.

TPS is at the mid-point in an intensive process of applying for a $17 million grant that would change the way it recruits, prepares, develops, distributes and compensates its more than 3,000 teachers.

"There is a lot at stake with this," Ballard said in an exclusive interview with the Tulsa World. "I am often asked why TPS was named a finalist and I'm not going to sugarcoat this: We have significant achievement gap issues, graduation rate problems and difficulties with preparing kids for college. This school district is ripe for improvements."

The Gates Foundation, which was established by the co-founder of Microsoft and his wife, has spent about $2 billion on efforts to improve high schools and increase graduation rates.

Officials announced in April that TPS is among 10 urban school districts in the running for five, five-year grants to research ways to identify and reward effective teachers.

A decision about the final five is expected in August, although the details of the partnerships won't be firm until fall.

In the meantime, the Gates Foundation is paying a national consulting firm called the McKenzie Group to provide TPS with technical assistance in developing its application, which is due July 24.

"We've got six, full-time consultants here each week providing us with very meaningful data, research and information about best practices that is so voluminous that we can use it to apply for other grants," Ballard said. "It has caused me to say we are already a winner, no matter what happens."

The focus of TPS' application is on four issues that affect teacher quality and, as a result, student achievement:

Recruitment: How can the district attract high-quality teachers?

Assessment: What are some innovative ways to assess good teaching?

Development: How can the district better prepare teachers for an urban school setting?

Distribution: Are the best teachers working in schools with the highest levels of need?

If TPS is chosen for a partnership, teacher pay could be significantly enhanced in an effort to attract and reward the best teachers, Ballard said.

"If we pay better than any other district and teachers know that our schools are safe and they have the support they need, then teachers are going to want to come here. Why wouldn't they?" he said.

Ballard noted that a supportive school board and open-minded officials with the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association have been critical in the application process.

"TCTA really wants improvement and what's best for kids, so the leadership is open to the kinds of things we're talking about," he said. "Gates insists on collaboration, so TCTA will have to sign off in the end."

TCTA has done that.

"We have been every bit a moving force toward change as anyone else at the table," said Linda Hendrix, Oklahoma Education Association advocate for TCTA. "All of us are looking toward the single goal of identifying effective teaching, promoting that and meeting the needs of our students."

Andrea Eger 581-8470
andrea.eger@tulsaworld.com By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "TPS seeking Gates Foundation grant," which was published on 7/3/2009.

	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (7/4/2009 2:22:24 AM) The Gates foundation is not only great they are the best and a very big help.
	Report Comment tulsan09, Tulsa (7/4/2009 7:11:05 AM) Wheter or not TPS gets this grant, there are great things in store of TPS due to the leadership of Dr. Ballard. The school board finally got it right.
	Report Comment spandex, (7/4/2009 8:59:46 AM) This is great news. Good schools are vitally important to the growth of the city as well as being critical the future of the school students. The most "out of the box" way to see what schools & teachers are working and what are not is to abolish attendance boundaries and let students and parents choose their schools. Then allow the students to pick the teachers they might like to have teach them in the year to come. The kids know who the good teachers are and who to avoid. Obviously, space limitations prevent everyone from getting what they want but it would sure show what is working and what isn't.
	Report Comment nucleardad, Tulsa (7/4/2009 12:24:58 PM) I hate to burst everyone's bubble but dumping more money into TPS won't accomplish a thing. The reason our, and I say OUR because I live here and have children in TPS, is that all the higher income, more stable familes choose to live in Jenks, BA, Owasso, Berryhill, Bixby, etc. That leaves a HIGH percentage of lower income, single parent (disfunctional) familes living in Tulsa. Students from these environments have no support/incentive from their messed up families to work hard or even behave in school. And because there are so many of these kids in TPS, no caring parent wants to send their kids to school with them. SO more move away from Tulsa. TPS is looked upon as "ghetto culture"/"white trash" influenced. I'm not sure what the answer is....too much low-rent, gov't subsidised housing in Tulsa? Not enough discipline? Low standards? Let's figure this out because I'd like to see TPS prosper.
	Report Comment tulsan09, Tulsa (7/6/2009 8:25:28 AM) Nucleardad--you missed the whole point. This isn't about more money--it's about change.
	Report Comment Tough but Fair, COWETA (7/13/2009 7:35:28 PM) Thank you tulsan09! Nucleardad - I'm the Mom in a Tulsa "single-parent family" (not my choice - their very upright, white, Republican, born-again Christian, Air Force Lt Col "father" ran off with his 23 year old office clerk while "serving his country" on a remote tour to Greece). I'm mighty proud to report that my children graduated high school, one in Tulsa, and made it to college - no thanks to their "good" father. One has a Master's Degree from University of North Carolina and works as a public health expert for the American Board of Pediatrics. The other graduated from Northeastern State University and works as a Tulsa probation officer. Oh yeah - they are women as well. And neither has ever been in any kind of trouble, in spite of being from Tulsa! Where do you get your ignorant information? Such narrow-minded folks as you need to stay out of Tulsa - you bring down the standards for the rest of us.

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