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ANNIVERSARY ESSAY

TAP for developing

teacher effectiveness

JOSHUA BARNETT

HE RESEARCH IS CLEAR: EFFECTIVE TEACH- Evidence and experience reveal that
ERS are the most important factor impacting stu-
dent success. Yet the quality of teaching in class- students with ineffective teachers will
Trooms varies widely, even within high-performing rarely catch up with their peers. The
schools. Evidence and experience persistently reveal the
same story — students with ineffective teachers, particularly good news is that there are solutions for
for multiple years, will rarely catch up with their peers. The improving teacher effectiveness and
good news is that there are solutions for improving teacher
effectiveness and students’ learning outcomes. students learning outcomes
In the US, the Phoenix (Arizona)-based non-profit Na-
tional Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) works for continuous improvement.
with governments, schools, and other organisations to ide- NIET not only works with schools and supervisory district
ate systems and structures that improve instruction at scale, authorities, it also provides guidance to governments to de-
across all classrooms. NIET is driven by the mission to build velop frameworks for building teacher capacity. The NIET
educator excellence to provide every student opportunity for Teaching and Learning Standards Rubric (NTLSR) provides
success. Elevating talented teachers into teacher leadership a holistic, evidence-based set of practices for teaching effec-
roles and placing them at the centre of efforts to improve tiveness and strengthening classroom observation and feed-
students’ learning outcomes is our prime objective. back. In the US, the state governments of Louisiana, South
This innovative, comprehensive approach is known as Carolina, and Tennessee, as also thousands of standalone
TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement. NIET’s schools have successfully used NTLSR for institutional im-
TAP system was developed by Los Angeles-based philanthro- provement.
pist-educationist Lowell Milken. Over the past 25 years, it Improving students learning outcomes. As policy-
has been utilized in thousands of US and partner schools makers continue to look for innovative ways to accelerate
worldwide. teacher development and help schools meet ambitious aca-
Through implementation of four interrelated elements demic goals, NIET’s TAP System has established a national
— career advancement pathway, school-based professional reputation as a comprehensive, sustainable, high return on
learning, research-based instructional strategies and fair, investment framework. Moreover, TAP’s positive impact on
performance-based compensation — teachers in schools teacher effectiveness and student achievement has proven
across the US are improving their teaching and students’ itself as an evidence-based, high-impact program. In 2023, a
learning outcomes. study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research
TAP allows teachers to pursue a variety of objectives (NBER) confirmed improvements in students’ academic and
throughout their careers based upon their interests, abili- long-term socio-economic outcomes in schools and districts
ties, and accomplishments. The system allows some effective implementing the TAP System. NBER researchers estimated
teachers to advance professionally without having to leave TAP benefits exceeded its costs by a positive 14:1 ratio.
the classroom. It also provides opportunity for teacher lead- Strengthening teaching-learning at scale. Twenty-five
ers to emerge from classrooms. Unlike traditional models of years ago, opportunities for teachers to advance their careers
professional development, TAP provides teachers with an within a school were rare. Today, however, we have strong
in-school professional development system that is ongoing, compelling evidence that a comprehensive system which in-
job-embedded, collaborative, student-centred, and led by vests in teacher leadership development through research-
teacher leaders who are locally developed content experts. based strategies such as high-quality collaborative learning,
As a complement to professional learning, TAP provides a effective teacher support, use of research-based rubrics and
comprehensive, research-based structure for observing and fair compensation, has a significant impact on teacher reten-
providing feedback to teachers and honours and rewards tion and effectiveness.
them for effective teaching. TAP also changes the compen- Robust evidence demonstrating the positive impact of
sation structure of effective teachers by providing additional TAP is a beacon for educators, policy makers, and leaders
stipends for new roles and responsibilities, accomplishments worldwide looking for better ways to support teachers and
in the classroom, and students’ learning improvement. improve students’ learning outcomes. NIET invites gov-
Creating a shared vision for great classroom teach- ernments and school leaders to connect with us to develop
ing-learning. As larger numbers of teachers enter class- teacher leaders and establish effective professional develop-
rooms through non-traditional preparation, it is important to ment systems for educators so that their students will thrive.
develop a shared vision of strong classroom teaching ground-
ed in research and best practices. NIET’s effective instruction (Dr. Joshua H. Barnett is CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in
program provides new and veteran teachers ongoing support Teaching (NIET), USA)

46 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2025