Since its launch in 2010, the T3 Initiative has played a key role in the urgent movement to turn around low-performing schools. T3 launched its first cohort in three Boston public schools in 2010, and expanded to three more BPS schools in fall 2011. The Boston program continued to grow in 2012 with three more schools added, as well as two schools in Fall River, MA and three in the Achievement School District in Memphis, TN.

In the T3 partner schools we have seen the following results so far:

• Attracted large numbers of excellent teachers to work in low-performing schools. Teach Plus has had 5 qualified applicants from within the district and around the nation for each of the teacher leadership positions we have filled in Boston, Fall River, and Memphis.
• Given a clear teacher leadership opportunity for highly skilled and experienced teachers. T3 teacher leaders have, on average, 9 years of experience.
• During the first two years of implementation, the six pilot schools show accelerated student achievement across grade levels in both ELA and math. See data below.

Student data from the first two cohorts of T3 partner schools in Boston (as measured by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System [MCAS]) reveals that the six schools participating in T3 during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years are accelerating student achievement across grade levels in both English language arts (ELA) and math. In grades 3 to 8, T3 Initiative partner schools are seeing greater gains, on average, in student achievement than their counterparts across Boston Public Schools or across the state’s pool of “turnaround” schools.

• In many cases, T3 schools have eliminated the gap with other schools in BPS and are now exceeding the district average. Cohort 1 schools (Orchard Gardens K-8, Blackstone Elementary, and Trotter Elementary) have eliminated the achievement gap at the middle school level in both ELA and math. Cohort 2 schools (Roger Clap Innovation School, UP Academy Middle School, and Dearborn Middle School) have eliminated the gap in math at both the elementary and middle school levels.
• In most cases, T3 schools started with lower levels of achievement than other turnaround schools and have been able to surpass their turnaround peers:
  • Cohort 1 T3 schools have seen student achievement gains in ELA outpace Massachusetts turnaround school gains by 9.7 percentage points in the last two years.
  • Cohort 2 T3 student achievement gains in ELA have outpaced Massachusetts turnarounds by 10.7 percentage points.
  • T3 student achievement gains in math have outpaced Massachusetts turnaround school gains by 12.2 percentage points in the first cohort and 17.5 percentage points in the second cohort.
• In the first cohort of T3 partner schools, the percent of students in grades 3 to 8 earning advanced or proficient status on the MCAS has increased by 12.8 points in ELA and 16.5 points in math over two years (2010-2012).
• In the second cohort of T3 partner schools, the percentage of students achieving advanced or proficient status increased by 11.3 points in ELA and 16.3 points in math in just one year (2011-2012).
• The Orchard Gardens K-8 School was at the 96^th percentile of all schools statewide in producing student growth in ELA and at the 98^th percentile in mathematics in the middle school grades on the 2010-2011 MCAS. The median middle school student at Orchard Gardens demonstrated more growth in mathematics than 82% of other students statewide.

As the T3 Initiative expands around the country, we will continue to provide powerful teacher leadership opportunities for experienced teachers with a track record of excellence with urban children. We know that great teachers working together to build the capacity of a whole school team can radically change the trajectory of students' lives. T3 is our proof of the power of teacher leadership. Please join us in supporting the power of this work.