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National Institute for Excellence in Teaching

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The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) is an American nonprofit organization focused on K–12 education. It aims to improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement across the United States.[1] Founded in 2005, NIET's main initiative is the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement (TAP System), a multi-measure school reform model.

History

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The concept for NIET began in the late 1990s when Lowell Milken, Chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, began exploring strategies to improve teaching quality,[2] leading to the creation of the TAP System in 1999.[3] As the system was implemented in various schools, the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching was established in 2005 as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to oversee its expansion and research.[4]

TAP System

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The TAP System incorporates four main components:

  • Multiple Career Paths: Provides opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles, such as mentor or master teacher, while continuing to teach.[5]
  • Ongoing Applied Professional Growth: Involves weekly, job-embedded professional development and coaching aligned with student needs.[6]
  • Instructionally Focused Accountability: Utilizes multiple evaluations per year by certified evaluators, focusing on feedback using research-based, well-defined instructional standards.[7]
  • Performance-Based Compensation: Allows teachers to earn additional pay based on multiple measures, including classroom observations and student achievement growth.[8]

NIET supports the implementation of the TAP system, sometimes adapting its elements to fit specific state and local contexts.[9][10]

Development and expansion

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In the late 2000s, NIET was awarded federal grants through the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) to help high-need schools implement performance-based teacher support systems.[11] By 2020, NIET had worked with schools in several states, including Louisiana, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee.[12] NIET also collaborates with universities to incorporate its principles into teacher preparation programs.[13] TAP’s implementation models vary to meet state and local contexts. Some districts fully adopt TAP’s four elements, while others customize implementation to meet their specific needs.[14]

In 2024, ASCD published Unleashing Teacher Leadership: A Toolkit for Ensuring Effective Instruction in Every Classroom authored by Dr. Joshua Barnett.[15] The book outlines strategies based on NIET's work with teacher leaders.[16]

Research and impact

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Several independent studies have evaluated NIET's models:

  • A 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper found positive long-term effects of TAP in South Carolina on student test scores, graduation rates, and reduced felony arrest rates and social welfare reliance, suggesting a cost-effective return on investment.[17]
  • Mathematica Policy Research found modest but statistically significant improvements in teacher retention and test scores in TAP schools.[18]
  • The American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that districts working with NIET through the Teacher Incentive Fund reported stronger teacher collaboration and improved instructional quality.[19]

Some critics question the use of standardized test scores in performance-based pay systems. NIET states that TAP uses multiple measures, including both student growth and teacher evaluations based on instructional standards.[20][21] Research on the program's long-term effectiveness continues.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Sawchuk, S. (2011, March 29). "Lowell Milken’s Teacher Advancement Program Gains Traction". Education Week.
  2. ^ Staff Writer. (2000, September 10). "Milken Foundation Launches Teacher Advancement Pilot". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ Sawchuk, S. (2011, March 29). "Lowell Milken’s Teacher Advancement Program Gains Traction". Education Week.
  4. ^ Hershberg, T. (2005). "Value-Added Assessment and Systemic Reform". Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 276–283.
  5. ^ Glazerman, S. & Seifullah, A. (2012). "An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report". Mathematica Policy Research.
  6. ^ Glazerman, S. & Seifullah, A. (2012). "An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report". Mathematica Policy Research.
  7. ^ Glazerman, S. & Seifullah, A. (2012). "An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report". Mathematica Policy Research.
  8. ^ Glazerman, S. & Seifullah, A. (2012). "An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report". Mathematica Policy Research.
  9. ^ Solmon, L. & Podgursky, M. (2009). "Evaluating the Teacher Advancement Program". Journal of Education Finance and Policy, 4(2), 123–139.
  10. ^ The 74. (2019). "District Innovations: How TAP Transforms Professional Development". The 74.
  11. ^ American Institutes for Research (AIR). (2013). "Teacher Incentive Fund: Implementation and Impact on Student Achievement and Teacher Practices".
  12. ^ U.S. Department of Education. (2016). "Teacher Incentive Programs in Action: Spotlight on NIET Partnerships".
  13. ^ Barnett, J. & Hudgens, T. (2014). "Embedding TAP in Teacher Preparation Programs: A Collaborative Approach". Teacher Education Quarterly, 41(3), 45–67.
  14. ^ RAND Corporation. (2012). "Building Effective School Leadership: Lessons from Educator Evaluation Reforms".
  15. ^ [Barnett, J. H. (2024). Unleashing Teacher Leadership: A Toolkit for Ensuring Effective Instruction in Every Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. ISBN 978-1-4166-3276-4.]
  16. ^ ASCD. (2024). Unleashing Teacher Leadership: Ensuring Effective Instruction in Every Classroom. ASCD. (Note: This reference originally pointed to a conference session; it's often better to cite the primary work, the book itself, or find a secondary source discussing its adoption.)
  17. ^ Cohodes, Sarah, Ozkan Eren, and Orgul Ozturk. (2023). "The Long Run Effects of a Comprehensive Teacher Performance Pay Program on Student Outcomes". NBER Working Paper No. 31056, National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved from https://www.nber.org/papers/w31056.
  18. ^ Glazerman, S., et al. (2013). "Impacts of Performance Pay Under the Teacher Advancement Program". Mathematica Policy Research.
  19. ^ American Institutes for Research (AIR). (2013). "Teacher Incentive Fund: Implementation and Impact on Student Achievement and Teacher Practices".
  20. ^ Glazerman, S. & Seifullah, A. (2012). "An Evaluation of the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) in Chicago: Year Two Impact Report". Mathematica Policy Research.
  21. ^ Thomas B. Fordham Institute. (2015). "Pay for Performance: Evaluating Outcomes in TAP Schools"
  22. ^ Thomas B. Fordham Institute. (2015). "Pay for Performance: Evaluating Outcomes in TAP Schools"
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