Three years ago, the state of Iowa began providing funding to schools for a program called Teacher Leadership and Compensation, or TLC. In the beginning, it was provided to approximately a third of the districts in the state, but this year funding has been extended to all schools. The Mid-Prairie school district took part in some of the TLC programs since its inception, but this is the first year they’ve been able to use the government funds as opposed to their general fund. Superintendent Mark Schneider explains the TLC funds are a way to provide leadership opportunities for teachers. Many districts like Mid-Prairie use teachers as instructional coaches, or model teachers, and as support for teachers entering the district. The overall purpose of the funds is to increase teachers’ teaching and leadership abilities, and providing teachers that take on extra responsibilities the means to accomplish that.
Mid-Prairie employs three full-time TLC lead teachers, as well as model teachers in each building, and Schneider believes the program has been beneficial to the district. Among the duties of the TLC teachers are to aid with technology integration, help with curriculum, measure student engagement in the classroom, and improve instructional approaches.