What is required in the application?
The “application” is a short form asking some basic questions about your current programs and your district’s interest in the work. You can view the questions here.
Who should complete and submit the application for a district?
The application can be submitted by the executive sponsor of the work, by the person who will be leading the work, or by an administrative assistant. What is important is that the responses accurately capture your district context.
When are applications due?
We want to move quickly and will review applications on a rolling basis, so the sooner you express interest the better. That said, we also want to find partners who are committed to the work and enthusiastic about taking advantage of this opportunity so will be selecting partner organizations carefully.
What can we expect in the initial call and who should attend?
Once you have submitted the short application, we will reach out to schedule a call. Ideally the key people at your district who will be deciding if this is the right partnership and championing the work if we move forward should be part of the conversation. The call is about sharing current practices, values, and approaches so that we can mutually decide if we want to move forward.
What will participating in TIP 2.0 cost?
Torace will not charge any fees for our support on this project. Your district will, however, need to dedicate a certain amount of staff time to scope the work, collaborate on design, and to implement. The amount of time that this will require may vary depending on your starting place. Keep in mind, that work aims not only to implement best practices and improve learning experiences and leadership development but it will also generate significant efficiencies. If you have staff that are dedicated to making student placements, you will be saving them a considerable amount of time which can be redeployed to support related aspects of this work. In the medium and longer term you will also be saving resources by improving your recruitment pipeline and increasing retention. The data behind these savings are real!
Who needs to be brought on board for a TIP 2.0 partnership to be successful?
If selected as a partner, we will help you to create a stakeholder engagement plan tailored to the needs of your district. Typically strengthening the placement process may require changes to workflow with your preparation partners, principals, and potential mentor teachers. These changes are all designed to give everyone an appropriate voice in the process and to make the process easy for all.
How will staff workload change with a TIP 2.0 implementation?
This will really depend on your current process. Typically, however, implementing Torace streamlines existing processes. Some stakeholders may be asked to participate in new ways, but usually these are viewed positively because they are both simple and empowering. When staff voices are listened to and respected the processes is not perceived as burdensome or bureaucratic.
How will specific stakeholder groups benefit from the work?
Practicum and student teachers will get a great introduction to your district where their needs are taken into account. They will be more likely to get placements aligned to their interests and future job opportunities and will have stronger matches to mentors.
Experienced teachers will benefit from a more transparent mentor selection process and from a scaffolded path to becoming a mentor and accessing leadership development opportunities. Teachers will have more of a say in the process and be better matched based on what they, their classrooms, and their school site have to offer.
Principals will easily be able to approve teachers for different levels of mentoring as well as okay their participation based on readiness, workload, and other opportunities.
Prep partner placement coordinators can be brought into the process as needed, and their students will receive stronger matches, richer learning experiences, and be better prepared to lead their own classrooms.
District HR staff will benefit from data and reports that provide insight into staff desired career trajectories and professional development needs which can inform resource planning, professional development planning, recruitment strategies, and hiring decisions.
Students will have more prepared and engaged early career teachers with less disruption from turnover. Students also benefit from better performance! Student teachers that match with high performing mentors as opposed to average mentors start off their career like a third-year teacher (read more about this data here)!
What will happen once the TIP 2.0 project is completed?
Part of our goal is to share learning and best practices with the field. We would like to collaborate on a short case study that will highlight your program, your goals, what you accomplished and what you plan to do in the future. You can see some examples from TIP 1.0 here. There is no obligation to continue using Torace in subsequent years, but we are confident that your district find it valuable and cost effective. As a thank you for participating in the case study and for your role in furthering innovation, you will receive a discount on a paid subscription following the project. At the very least we believe you will leave TIP 2.0 with a better understanding of your process, improved efficiencies, and a clear idea of how you can continue your work to improve outcomes.
Please email [email protected] with TIP 2.0 questions that were not addressed here.