Gwinnett County Public Schools was one of eight districts honored for its efforts to recruit, train and retain top teachers by the National Council on Teacher Quality. It was the first time the group gave out its Great Districts for Great Teachers awards. Gwinnett, along with the District of Columbia, were noted for greatly exceeding the standards for teacher quality.
Gwinnett superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks has made something of a career of earning and accepting these awards. He called it due recognition for the system.
“We are proud to have been named a Great District for Great Teachers winner and that our work to recruit, reward, and recognize our teachers is getting noticed,” Wilbanks said in a written release. “We have some of the most outstanding educators in the profession and their dedication to their students and to providing a world-class education for students is a driving force in our district’s success…. This national recognition is a testament to the hard work our teachers do every day and our district’s work to support and develop educators.”
The winners were chosen during an 18-moth process that included data from teacher contracts in the districts, surveys and interviews with teachers and leaders in the districts and focus group sessions.
Criteria included salaries, professional development, efficiency, teachers in leadership roles and support offered teachers.
Council leadership said the winning districts should set examples for other districts.
“We hope these winners will inspire other districts in their own transformations so that sometime soon, all districts will be great districts where great people want to work,” Katie Walsh, the group’s presidents, said in the release.
Other winners were Boston, Broward County (Fla.), Denver, New York City, Pinellas County (Fla.) and Pittsburgh.
Four school systems were honorable mention: Duval County (Fla.) for teacher support and feedback, Indianapolis for staffing structure, Newark for compensation and Osceola County (Fla.) for professional support.
