Dive Brief:

• The Equity Project (TEP), a Manhattan charter school that pays teachers $125,000 a year with the belief that higher wages will produces better academic results, has released its first long-term study —​ and the results show students reaping the benefits.
• According to the Wall Street Journal, the study — which was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — found that after four years at TEP, eighth-graders grew an additional year-and-a-half in math and almost half a year more in English compared to similar students at nearby public schools.  
• While the study indicates stellar gains, it also noted non-academic issues like teacher retention: 47% of the teachers left after one year, while nearby public schools saw an attrition rate of only 27%.

Dive Insight:

Part of the TEP model is that teachers take on more responsibilities since they are being paid so much more — while the starting rate is $125,000, they have opportunities for raises and bonuses depending on student achievement. These extra responsibilities and demands run the risk of contributing to teacher burnout, a challenge the school is currently working to address. While amazing teachers are wonderful, school stability is key for building culture and community. A high turnover rate hurts this.

It is also important to note that while the school's in-house study found tremendous gains in comparison to nearby districts, on the New York state standardized test, only 43% of the students passed the math exam in 2013. While this number is basically double that of the city average of 26%, it still indicates the school has more progress to be made.