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2 named to pilot Gates grant

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN

sackerman@tampatrib.com

Published: November 5, 2009

TAMPA - One woman has spent 35 years as an educator. The other is relatively new to teaching.

Both will oversee a $2.2 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation research grant awarded to the Hillsborough County school district last month.

Officials have named Marshall Middle School Principal Faychone Durant as administrator of the "Measures of Effective Teaching" project and district resource teacher Danni Greenberg as supervisor.

"I'm very excited," Durant said after Tuesday's school board meeting where her appointment was announced. "Having the means where you can measure effective teaching, ... that drives good teachers in the schools and that's what it's all about."

The grant will allow Gates' researchers to spend two years observing teachers in the classroom, using student test scores to evaluate teacher effectiveness, testing teachers on their subject knowledge, and videotaping classes.

Seven hundred to 1,000 teachers will take part in the research and receive a stipend.

The purpose of the research is to increase promotion rates at all grade levels, in addition to graduating more students, district officials said.

The hope is to motivate students to become responsible learners while challenging them with equally motivated teachers.

Durant and Greenberg will handle the scheduling of teachers whose classrooms will be monitored, communicate with principals and others, and provide support to staff and researchers.

"Personally, I just feel it's very important to have these measures," said Greenberg, who graduated from college with a marketing degree and switched career paths to become a middle school teacher in 2003.

Teachers need to understand what they're teaching, she said, and they need to share that knowledge with students on a deeper level than what a textbook can provide.

"Test scores are important," Greenberg said, "but they're not the only measure."

Hillsborough is among at least three school districts nationwide participating in the research, which means measures uncovered here could have far-reaching effects, board member April Griffin said.

"I just want us to think about what matters when we are doing our observations in the classrooms," she said.

The district also is a finalist for a $100 million Gates foundation grant expected to be announced in a few weeks. That grant also would focus on improving the quality of teachers and, eventually, public school education.

Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144.

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