David S. Knight

Lessons Learned From the Great Recession Layoffs and the RIF-Induced Teacher Shuffle

One consequence of the Great Recession is that teacher layoffs occurred at a scale previously unseen. In this article, we assess the effects of receiving a layoff notice on teacher mobility using data from Los Angeles and Washington State. Our analyses are based on 6-year panels of data in each site, including 4 years of layoffs. We find that the layoff process leads far more teachers to leave their schools for other district schools than is necessary to reach budget savings targets. In other words, the layoff process induces teacher churn, impacting even teachers who are not actually laid off. Placebo tests confirm that this “structural churn” results from the layoff process rather than from differential mobility of targeted teachers.

Who Bears the Costs of District Funding Cuts? Reducing Inequality in the Distribution of Teacher Layoffs

Massive funding cuts to public education took place around the country following the Great Recession. Many school districts were forced to conduct teacher layoffs at a larger scale than any other time in recent history. We show that prior to a district intervention, the layoff process disproportionately impacted historically disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. We then demonstrate the success of a policy designed to reduce inequality in the distribution of teacher layoffs.

Are School Districts Allocating Resources Equitably? The Every Student Succeeds Act, Teacher Experience Gaps, and Equitable Resource Allocation

Ongoing federal efforts support equalizing access to experienced educators for low-income students and students of color, thereby narrowing the “teacher experience gap.” I show that while high-poverty and high-minority schools have larger class sizes and receive less funding nationally, school districts allocate resource equitably, on average, across schools. However, the least experienced teachers are still concentrated in high-poverty and high-minority schools, both across and within districts. I then show that additional state and local funding is associated with more equitable district resource allocation. The study offers recommendations for state and federal education policy related to the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Principal Burnout: How Urban School Leaders Experience Secondary Trauma on the U.S.-Mexico Border

ABSTRACT The mental health needs of school principals have been consistently overlooked in the field of educational leadership and in the preparation and professional development of principals. This mixed-method study compares rates of burnout and secondary trauma of principals in one urban school district along the U.S.-Mexico border with other human-service professionals and provides examples of how two principals experienced burnout and secondary trauma. Most principals reported low rates of burnout and secondary trauma, but follow-up interviews with two newer principals revealed significant exposure to trauma. Findings inform new directions for research and new emphases for preparation.

Expanding the Use of Educational Data for Social Justice: Lessons From the Texas Cap on Special Education and Implications for Practitioner–Scholar Preparation:

Educational data offer a powerful tool for supporting equity. In this article, the authors call for a shift toward greater use of data in educator preparation programs. The authors motivate their proposal by highlighting findings from the Department of Education report released January 2018, which found that the Texas Education Agency systematically denied students special education services. The article outlines three basic metrics that stakeholders can use to identify potential noncompliance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The authors describe other ways data can be used to promote equity and close with recommendations for educator preparation policy and practice.

A Balancing Act: School Budgeting and Resource Allocation on a New Dual Language Campus

Dual language instructional models have great potential to create inclusive learning environments for traditional under-served students and boost student outcomes. However, principals face many barriers to implementation. One of the key challenges is aligning resources to ensure that the school has (a) an appropriate number of certificated teachers, (b) effective professional development for teachers, (c) staffing to work with the local community to garner buy-in from parents, and (d) adequate curricular materials in two languages. This case study demonstrates that successful implementation of dual language may require substantial reallocation of resources, without necessarily creating additional expenditures in the budget.