In late 2008, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) participated in The New Teacher Project's (TNTP's) research for a national study, "The Widget Effect," published in June 2009. In summer 2009, CPS, the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the Cincinnati Association of Administrators and Supervisors (CAAS) asked TNTP to explore a broader range of topics and identify policies and practices that prevent teachers from maximizing their impact on student learning. The areas TNTP examined included selection, hiring, placement, evaluation, professional development, compensation, retention, dismissal, leadership and working conditions. Based on their findings, TNTP makes five recommendations: (1) Strengthen teacher effectiveness; (2) Retain and leverage most effective teachers; (3) Swiftly turn around chronically low-performing schools; (4) Improve or exit persistently less effective teachers; and (5) Optimize the new teacher supply.