Teachers United Programs
As teachers, we believe that our school system must do better to provide equal opportunities for all of our students. Through advocating for solutions that will help our students, sharing transformational instructional practice, and working with great teachers to take positions of leadership beyond their school, we aim to transform the profession of teaching and most importantly, the education of all of our students.
Leadership:
A blessing and curse of our current system is that we have great teachers who are working incredibly hard for their students. Teaching, when done at the level of excellence, is immensely difficult. We believe that working with these great teachers to make their heart and soul the DNA of our school system can be transformational. To this end, we encourage and support great teachers in leadership within non-profit organizations and in the teachers union.
Instruction:
So many teachers who are making huge differences for students are working largely within the four walls of their classroom. Their practices shouldn't be wasted. This year, we will work to build out structures by which these teachers can share what is working in a network of other great teachers in order to disseminate transformational instructional practice.
Policy:
High expectations for the success of all of our students is necessary if we truly want all of our students to graduate high school prepared for college or their career. We work with lawmakers to ensure that policy supports high expectations, and that the hearts and minds of great teachers are behind each piece of legislation.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
This past year, a group of Teachers United teachers decided to research the issue of charter schools in advance of the ballot initiative in November. After reading over 20 research papers, editorials and white papers from all angles, interviewing national experts in alternative models of schooling and several of the authors of the ballot initiative, they traveled to New Orleans to actually visit charter schools in action.
As a result, a group initially divided moved to support the ballot initiative. Over two months, teachers published op-eds across the state, participated in debates, were featured in commercials and statewide mailers. It was estimated that a group of teachers in support of the initiative had up to a 3% effect on the vote. The initiative passed, and we believe that this reform has the potential to provide educational opportunities for low-income students that can be an important example in our state.