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Project Goal

There's no doubt: teacher turnover affects student achievement. As Burnett Middle School's Literacy Coach, my goal is to attract and keep excellent Literacy educators at Burnett. And I have just the trick! I'm requesting a donation of $440 to use for teacher incentives, note cards, small gifts, raffles, and snacks to nosh on during bi-monthly PLC's, and weekly collaborative lesson planning sessions, etc.
Let's give the Literacy teachers at Burnett something to be excited about and a reason to smile! Burnett's Literacy department does receive a small sum of funds to be used solely for student incentives.
Here's the problem: during the 2022-23 school year, Burnett Middle School's Literacy department vacancies were at an all-time high and created a revolving door of more than 14 substitute teachers (just in the Literacy department!) And students were negatively affected.
The article "How to Increase Teacher Retention" explained that while teacher attrition is a nationwide concern, "good teachers who stay deliver the best outcomes for students, fellow teachers, school leaders and the wider community."  

 

How Project Benefits Students

All students in grades 6-8 at Burnett Middle School are required to have an English Language Arts course. With increased teacher retention, that means the approximately 660 students enrolled at Burnett will likely be greeted daily by THE SAME, excited ELA/Reading teacher at the door! Consistency matters!
As Literacy Coach, I strive to build teacher capacity and in turn boost schoolwide Reading scores.

The Institute of Educational Sciences recently published an article entitled "Addressing Working Conditions to Improve Teacher Retention: An Exploration of the Research" and it acknowledges that, "teacher mobility and attrition negatively impact student achievement."

The article further explains that teachers' "use of time" matters. While meetings, coaching, and lesson planning are unavoidable, the article mentions, "teachers may be more likely to stay if schools protect teachers’ time to work together to share ideas and develop materials for instruction."

So, please help me make collaborative lesson planning more engaging and something to look forward to!

When students receive high-quality, year-round Literacy instruction, it ideally offers consistency in classroom management, well-planned, quality lessons, and strong teacher practices.
Consistency makes all the difference.

It's not always a cakewalk clocking in for a day's work at Burnett Middle School. Burnett is an amazing middle school tucked away in Seffner, where much of the population is bused in from inner city areas and some are transient.
We're a Title I, "Transformation Network" school where only a sliver of students (28%) earned a proficient achievement score on last Spring's 2023 F.A.S.T. Progress Monitoring 3. More than 90% of our students receive free or reduced lunch. Student behavior concerns skyrockets when there's a sub in charge. I want to retain our Literacy teachers and avoid burnout.

With these funds, we can regularly celebrate Burnett's Literacy department teachers with wonderful treats, small gifts such as a cool coffee mug for their birthday! An amazingly-positive and uplifting note card left in a Literacy teacher's mailbox at the end of the week. A perfect pen with a positive message inscribed along the side. A delicious donut and OJ surprise at the start of our weekly collaborative lesson planning sessions! My goal for the 2023-24 school year for Burnett's Literacy Department, is simple: same face at the door. Every. Single. Day. Teacher retention equals increased student outcomes!  

 

Expected Outcome(s)

With the funds requested for Burnett Middle School's Literacy department's teachers, I expect to see improved morale and an undoubtable boost in school culture and climate! No longer will Literacy teachers drag their exhausted, mentally-drained selves into the room for our weekly lesson planning sessions. They will have fun things and goodies to look forward to from time to time! The expectation is 100% Literacy department teacher retention at Burnett during the 2023-24 school year and increased year-end Reading scores! It all starts with the smiling face at the door!
 

 

Detailed Cost Summary

The items listed are all Amazon, Oriental Trading, and Sam's Club products that would be given to teachers at the following intervals: beginning-of- the-year, end-of-quarter gifts, teacher appreciation week, teacher birthdays, celebration of mid-year scores, raffles during PLC meetings.
The snack items listed will be provided to teachers to snack on during weekly PLCs/ collaboration lesson planning sessions. 

 

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