Creating a Foundation for Success: Establishing the TAP System to Support Educators

In the fall of 2021, the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) began partnering with districts in Texas­ with the goals of increasing educator effectiveness and improving student achievement. The partnership, Texas IMPACT (Improving Management Systems for Principals and Classroom Teachers), is supported by a Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Incentive Program grant. All schools in the partner districts are considered high-need, as they serve a high proportion of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Key findings from examining the impact of the partnership through the second year of the grant include:

• 90% of classroom teachers and 91% of school leaders were considered effective educators in their respective roles based on their observation scores by the end of Year 2.
• Student performance in partner districts improved on the state assessment, with a 10-point increase in reading/ELA and a 7-point gain in math from baseline to Year 2.
• 89% of effective classroom teachers and 93% of effective school leaders from Year 2 were retained into Year 3 by their respective districts.