An Evaluation of a Strategic Staffing Initiative in a Large Urban School District

Abstract

As educational leaders focus on strategies for improving student learning, new initiatives are being implemented that reorganize the structure of schools. This study evaluated a school district-wide Strategic Staffing Initiative (SSI) that paid school personnel to transfer to low-performing schools. Three different stakeholder groups, including principals who transferred to low-performing schools (N = 9), staff who received bonuses for working in the low-performing schools (N = 32), and other staff members in the school who did not receive additional pay (N = 91) responded to a survey about the effectiveness of the SSI. The findings suggest that the SSI had inconsistent outcomes. SSI had a positive impact on student achievement and increased the number of effective teachers in the schools, but principals reported that more high quality staff was needed to make a long-term impact on student achievement. Implications and reform policies for educational leaders are discussed.