The Educator Effectiveness Process

To help schools keep their best teachers and principals, Youth Empowerment Services (YES) created the Educator Effectiveness Process (EEP), a system that combines fair evaluations, targeted professional learning, and performance-based pay. In 2016, YES received a five-year federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant to refine and implement this approach in 16 high-need schools in Texas and Arizona, and Basis was brought in to collect data and identify what was working and what needed adjustment. By closely examining how EEP was rolled out – how teachers were observed and coaches, how feedback was used, and how incentives were tied to effectiveness – Basis identified specific ways to strengthen induction for new teachers, improve professional development of instructional coaches, and sharpen communication so staff clearly understood the system.

Over three years, the evaluation moved from diagnosing early implementation challenges to testing refinements and planning for long-term sustainability so the reforms could be incorporated into schools’ everyday culture. The findings informed concrete changes, such as adding targeted co-observations, creating a structured review process for professional development, and revising supports for new teachers entering EEP schools – all aimed at making it more likely that effective educators would feel supported, grow in their practice, and choose to stay.