What are The VIVA Project Idea Exchanges?
Click on the image to take a visual tour of the New York and National projects’ online idea exchange platform. Then either look at the actionable ideas that resulted from the Idea Exchange or download the full teacher-written report.
New York Idea Mine
Download the NY report:
Opening Doors to Professional Communication and Collaboration (PDF)
List of Actionable Ideas
Recommendation 1: Teacher evaluations must take place in the context of a Professional Learning Community
Recommendation 2: Multiple measures must be used to evaluate a teacher’s performance in a manner that is adjusted for the particular context in which the teacher works.
Recommendation 3: Additional flexibility and data will be necessary when using multiple measures of teacher performance for high stakes decisions such as tenure or compensation
Recommendation 4: New evaluation approaches should be developed for non-tested subjects with significant input from subject matter teachers
Recommendation 5: Adjustments for Teachers of Students with Disabilities or English Language Learners should be consistent across the state
Recommendation 6: Use existing rubrics to evaluate NY teachers, but adapt them for specific local circumstances
National Idea Mine Front Page
Download the National report:
Voices from the Classroom (PDF)
List of Actionable Ideas:
Clinical Training for Teachers
1. Create National Education Standards for Teachers
2. Dramatically Increase the Amount of Mandatory Pre-Service Training Hours
3. Build a Specialized Training Structure for Novice Teachers (First and Second Years)
4. Offer Professional Development That Links More Tightly and More Directly to Classroom Practice and Teachers’ Working Skill Set
5. Make Professional Development More Efficient By Embedding it More Centrally in Classroom Activities
6. Offer More Thorough and Timely Teacher Remediation Support
Effective Teacher and Administrator Evaluations
7. Redefine the Purpose of Evaluation
8. Create a Comprehensive Approach to Teacher Evaluation by Implementing Evaluation Managers
9. Change the Evaluation Structure so that Evaluations Play a Meaningful Role in Actual Teaching Practice
in a Single School Year
10. Improve and Align the Administrator Evaluation Process to the Teacher Evaluation Process
11. Create Incentives to Reduce Administrative Turn-Over Rates
Consideration of Performance-Based Compensation Systems
12. If a Fair System for Determining Excellence Can Be Devised, Award Annual Bonuses to Teachers Who Meet that Standard of Excellence
13. Implement the Use of Tax Credits as Incentives for Employment in High Need Schools and Individual Professional Growth
14. Institute Various Low-Cost, Immediate, and High-Impact Incentives to Reward Teachers for Outstanding Work
Appropriate Support for Teachers
15. Create Equity Across All Classrooms in the United States Regarding Class Size
16. Increase Cross-Training and Numbers of Administrators
17. Increase Non-Instructional Support Staff to Afford Teachers More Instructional Time and Students More Opportunities for Learning
18. Create School Schedules that Maximize the Effectiveness of Teaching and Learning and Incentivize Collaboration and Co-Teaching
19. Increase Efforts to Ensure that Every Classroom has Necessary Resources Available to Each Student
Parent and Community Partnerships
20. Begin Parental Engagement During the Preschool Years
21. Provide On-Site Coordinators in All Schools
22. Fund Full-Service Community Schools