Teacher

An update to the first release issued in 2011, this brief by Public Impact examines policies for reaching far more students with gap-closing, bar-raising excellent teaching and for providing well-paid, sustainable career-advancement opportunities for educators. The report distinguishes between policies that are urgent for successful pilot schools in a state and policies that are optimal for a successful scale-up throughout a state. 

Distinguishing flipped classrooms from Flipped Learning, this report by the Flipped Learning Network, George Mason University, and Pearson provides an overview of research and surveys on Flipped Learning, whereby students are provided with ways to learn subject content individually so that group learning time can be used for more interactive and applied activities as well as individualized or small-group instruction. 

This report by the Aspen Institute argues for a shift in school culture, making a case for the redistribution of leadership tasks to teachers. The strategy, aimed at teacher retention, offers teachers opportunities to participate in more leadership activities, thereby increasing their potential to move up the career ladder and ease the workload of the school principal. Profiles of innovative initiatives at school, district, and state levels are included.

A joint initiative begun in spring 2014 by the National Education Association, the Center for Teaching Quality, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the Teacher Leadership Initiative is an effort to recruit, prepare, and support teachers to lead a transformed teaching profession. The initiative’s goals are to create accomplished-level teacher leader standards, develop training and support to meet those standards, and activate at least 1,000 teachers to be leaders by 2017.

TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement allows teachers to pursue a variety of leadership positions throughout their careers, including mentor and master teacher. TAP provides training and certification services to prepare master and mentor teachers to conduct professional learning activities. Master and mentor teachers take on additional responsibilities and authority, including conducting evaluations, and are required to have a longer work year.

New York City has a variety of opportunities for teachers interested in teacher leadership, from roles for specific instructional hurdles (such as the implementation of the Common Core standards) to more general roles, such as lead teachers or mentors. 

The one-year Emerging Leaders Program is designed to strengthen the leadership skills of talented teachers, coaches, and assistant principals in partner districts and charter management organizations.  

The National Network of State Teachers of the Year provides training workshops led by state teachers of the year for teacher leaders. The workshops are based on the seven domains of the Teacher Leader Model Standards and cover strategies on leading adult learners, creating a collaborative environment, and facilitating highly effective teams.

The National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE) two-year program is designed to enable experienced, high-performing teachers to deepen their classroom practice and gain skills to lead other teachers. Each participant uses the case study method, and develops and implements a year-long inquiry project focused on their school’s needs.

The Learning Forward Academy is a two-and-a-half-year program designed to empower teacher leaders to improve their instructional practice and become professional learning subject-matter experts so they can lead change in others. It includes in-person learning days, annual conferences, and ongoing virtual collaboration with academy participants.