NEW ORLEANS’ ALGIERS CHARTERS JOIN TEACHER ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM (TAP) TO HELP STRENGTHEN SCHOOLS DURING REBUILD
lTAP to help develop high quality teachers, improve student achievement

May 30, 2006

Santa Monica, CA---Citing strong schools as the centerpiece of the rebirth of New Orleans, the Algiers Charter School Association’s (ACSA) six schools will implement the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) this fall to help attract, develop, motivate and retain high quality teachers to improve student achievement. The Algiers Charter Schools mark the latest additions to TAP, bringing the total number of TAP schools in Louisiana to 39.

Initially launched by the Milken Family Foundation in 1999 and now operated by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), the Teacher Advancement Program is a comprehensive reform that restructures schools to offer teachers multiple career paths with opportunities for more responsibility and commensurate pay; ongoing applied professional growth providing embedded professional development regularly during the school day; instructionally focused accountability incorporating fair evaluations based on clearly defined, research-based standards; and performance-based compensation allowing for salaries and bonuses to be tied to responsibilities, classroom performance and student achievement growth.

In Louisiana, TAP is currently implemented within the Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Rapides, and Caddo parishes. The 26 TAP schools in the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools System represent the largest TAP implementation within a school system to date. There are over 125 TAP schools nationwide, impacting more than 3,500 teachers and 56,000 students.

“We have seen tremendous progress and expansion in Louisiana’s TAP schools since the program started there in 2003,” said Lewis C. Solmon, president of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. “When the devastating hurricanes hit, TAP’s structure and collaboration helped keep schools united and strong. We look forward to working with the Algiers Charter Schools to help them meet their educational needs during this critical time.”

Teddy Broussard, state TAP director, also sees the rebuilding effort in New Orleans schools and TAP as a good fit. “I commend the leaders in the Algiers Charter Schools for wanting to implement the Teacher Advancement Program. They clearly see the opportunity for school-based, high quality professional growth for teachers focused on strengthening instructional capacity and raising student achievement,” said Broussard. “I look forward to supporting them in their efforts.”

Currently the Algiers Charter Schools Association is the largest provider of public education services in New Orleans. The foundation of ACSA was built on two basic principals: accountability for teachers, principals, administrators, and students; and innovation. Its schools service roughly 4,000 students from across the city, with diverse educational backgrounds and needs. Five of the schools were among the first to reopen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

ACSA’s schools are: Martin Behrman Elementary, Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary, William J. Fischer Elementary, Alice M. Harte Elementary, Edna Karr Senior High, and O. Perry Walker Senior High. William J. Fischer Elementary opened last March.

“TAP is the engine that is going to help drive our teachers and our students into a better and stronger educational environment,” said Dr. Brian Riedlinger, CEO of ACSA. “We are proud to be working with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, and look forward to the outstanding things that are going happen for our teachers and in our schools.”

For more information about the Teacher Advancement Program, visit www.tapschools.org. Information about ACSA can be found at http://www.algierscharterschools.org.