As schools nationwide grapple with teacher shortages, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools has been ahead of the curve, taking proactive steps to support and retain outstanding educators. We prioritize our educators with competitive pay, robust benefits, professional development, and regular personal coaching—because investing in teachers is investing in students. By fostering stability and a supportive environment, we attract and retain passionate educators who drive exceptional learning and academic achievement for our scholars, nearly all of whom are accepted to college and go on to earn four-year degrees at a rate 3.5 times that of their peers.
Our commitment to recruiting and attracting a new generation of top talent is reflected in our partnerships with Marshall Teacher Residency and USC’s Rossier School of Education. Through these collaborations, we’re proud to offer living wage resident stipends and scholarships to nearly 20 aspiring teachers annually, making it possible for first-generation college graduates and those who share similar lived experiences as Alliance scholars to participate in the program. Upon completion of the year-long program, residents will earn a Preliminary Credential and be eligible for a full-time teaching position at Alliance—where they’ll receive the most competitive pay in Los Angeles, starting at $70,000.
For our current teachers, Alliance’s updated salary scale means an average compensation increase of $14,000. Unlike other public school networks and districts, experienced educators joining Alliance won’t face salary caps or distracting and ineffective point schedules—instead, we recognize and reward all years of aligned experience. This reflects our commitment to valuing our teachers, their expertise, and their impact in the classroom.
Alliance is proud to provide a highly competitive health and benefits package that ranks in the top 10% among similar K-12 organizations. Another key component of Alliance’s multi-pronged employment strategy is professional development and regular coaching. Our educators set individual professional development goals each year and are supported to grow toward those goals with regular coaching from mentor teachers and school leaders. Additionally, our teachers are given continual access to a range of training programs, workshops, and conferences designed to enhance their skills and facilitate higher engagement. Collaboration and mentorship place our diverse educator workforce at the forefront of effective, and innovative teaching practices.
Most importantly, Alliance fosters open dialogue and actively seeks feedback from our educators to ensure our practices remain competitive and aligned with educators’ needs. This year, Alliance expanded one of our most innovative pilot programs “Reimagining the Alliance Educator” to additional Alliance schools. Created to address the ongoing need of educators nationally to find a greater balance between planning and instruction, this initiative provides nearly double the planning time for teachers, allowing them to focus more on impactful instruction and scholar success.
One of the crowning achievements of our recruitment efforts and educator development strategies is that more than 100 alumni have returned to work at Alliance as proud teachers and staff. They are uniquely positioned with a firsthand understanding of our culture and our core mission, a strong sense of school pride, and a passion for teaching excellence. They are deeply committed to educating the next generation of thinkers, inspiring our scholars by showing them that their professional goals are within reach.
We are proud that our commitment to supporting educators has led to a 87% educator retention rate—well above the national average of 77% for public school teachers in 2023-24. This success reflects our dedication to creating a workplace where educators feel valued, supported, and empowered to make a lasting impact.
We know that K-12 students achieve greater academic success when they are taught by exceptional, well-supported educators who are passionate about their work. We hope other networks and districts can look to our model as a blueprint for investing in teachers and creating an environment where educators can thrive.
