-
Rachel EvansLanguage Arts and LiteratureSeattle Public Schools,
WATeacherpreneur
The public schools of today and tomorrow face a future of
increasing complexity and growing uncertainty. All students must
now meet higher, internationally benchmarked standards of academic
achievementcreating knowledge and communicating what they know and
can do with ever-evolving technological tools. And schools must
serve these increasingly diverse and mobile students with fewer
resources, stronger competition, and greater accountability.
Meanwhile, teachers must adapt to rapidly shifting technology as
well. To meet these challenges effectively, schools must develop
transformative organizational structures, mindsets, cultures,
resources, partnerships, and management systems. Principalseven
with a small team of assistantsdo not have the bandwidth to take on
all of these issues within a school hierarchy designed for a bygone
era.
The promise we see in teacher leadership as a driver for
educational transformation is grounded in powerful evidence.
Economists have discovered that students score higher on
achievement tests when their teachers have opportunities to work
with colleagues over long periods of time and spread their
expertise to one another.1 Other
CTQ and teacher leadership:
High-quality public education for all students will not be
achieved without a bold brand of leadership from their
teachers.
researchers have found that students achieve more in schools
that have higher levels of collaboration2 and when teachers report
frequent conversations with their peers that centered on their
teaching, and when there was a feeling of trust or closeness among
(them).3
Also, nations whose students perform the best on international
measures of academic
achievement, such as Finland and Singapore, have built their
success
by investing in teachers and their leadership in the
profession.4 And finally, a recent poll found that 23 percent of
our nations teachers are extremely or very interested in serving in
hybrid roles as teachers and
leaders.5 These findings are compelling, especially
considering that the vast majority of teachers84 percentare
not
very or not at all interested in becoming principals, whose jobs
have
simply become not doable.6
The challenges of our time call for school leadership that is
well-distributed, responsive, and grounded in the needs of students
as well as classroom, school, and community realities. We believe
the time has come to cultivate a bold brand of teacher
leadership.
Why invest in teacher leaders
4 1TEACHINGQUALITY.ORG605 W Main Street : Suite 207 : Carrboro
NC 27510
Our StrategySpring FY15
FOLLOW OUR WORK teachingquality.org @teachingquality
Thought leadershipto transform the profession
CULTIVATE SCALEINCUBATEDeepening and assessing
the impact of teacher leadership on learning
Developing and marketing a system to spread teachers
knowledge and skills as leaders of their profession
Advancing school designs for 21st century teacher leadership and
student
learning
The practitioner-driven thinking and reporting from CTQ has had
a tremendous impact on me and has inspired new visions for this
noble and important profession.
Jason Glass, Superintendent and Lead Learner of Eagle County
Schools (CO)
OUR STRATEGIES
Expert Teachers
Research Evidence
-
in schools act upon it, and others respect the work by giving
that teacher space, time, and resources to continue that great
work.
The Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) is a national nonprofit
that seeks to create a high-quality public education system for all
studentsdriven by the bold ideas and expert practices of teachers.
CTQ was launched in 1999 as a regional think tank supporting the
research and development initiatives of the National Commission on
Teaching and Americas Future, as outlined in its landmark 1996
report. Over the last 15 years, CTQ has evolved into an incubator
of teacher leaders and thought leadership advancing a 21st-century
teaching profession. Since 2003, we have supported growing numbers
of teacher leaders in our vibrant online community, now known as
the CTQ Collaboratory. As of spring 2015, the CTQ Collaboratory
includes more than 9,000 members fueling the work of teachers as
instructional leaders, assessment experts, virtual community
organizers, policy researchers, and published writers.
In the United States, teaching policy has recently focused on
firing ineffective teachers and recruiting smarter ones. These are
important issues, to be sure... yet addressing them as isolated
concerns will not transform teaching and learning for all students.
To do so will require a laser-like focus on better utilizing the
many effective teachers already in our nations classrooms.
CTQ has begun this work including the cultivation of
teacherpreneursclassroom experts who teach students regularly but
also have time, space, and reward to incubate and spread their own
ideas. The mission of CTQ is to connect, ready, and mobilize
teachers so they can transform their profession in students best
interests.
At CTQ, we connect teachers virtually with one another, as well
as with other
stakeholders who support their leadership. This extends teachers
professional learning networks and
spreads their ideas and expertise, breaking down geographic
barriers.
We ready teachers to lead with schools, districts, state
agencies, and associations to meet pedagogical and policy
challenges and opportunities
through informed risk-taking and authentic collaboration.
And we mobilize teachers to pursue (and create!) opportunities
that transform schools and their profession, tackling important
challenges and
goals, both locally and globally.
Through our thought leadership, CTQ also works to articulate the
promise of systemic change to help all stakeholders embrace the
necessity of reforms that are comprehensive and wide-reaching
(beyond the confines of an individual school or school
district).
We are a catalytic nonprofitand we deeply value targeted
partnerships that bring coherence and bridge perspectives for
collective impact on education systems. We draw upon the strengths
of diverse organizations as well as investors and funders for
maximum benefit to students.
We connect, ready, and mobilize teachers to transform the
professionand 21st-century student learning
32
The core work of CTQOur approach to advancing a high-quality
public education system is informed by evidence on how teachers
matter for student learning and how their expertise can spread
effectively to their colleagues and administrators, as well as
policymakers, parents, and
the public writ large.
We believe strongly in cultivating teachers active leadership,
not merely their voice or engagement. Teacher leadership does not
come at the expense of administrators and policy leaders. But it
ensures that those who teach students and work most closely with
them and their parents can craft innovative solutions to complex
problems of teaching and learning, now and in the future.
Measuring progress toward our goalsOver the next several years,
we should evaluate our progress on the basis of the following
developments:
The health of targeted, strategic partnerships that enable CTQ
to spread our approach throughout the education system;
The growth of demand for CTQ-developed tools, products, and
services;
The visibility of teachersand CTQas thought leaders for
advancing teaching as a profession;
An increase in numbers of states, districts, and professional
associations recognizing and investing in a bold brand of teacher
leadership, including teacherpreneurs; and
A more diversified stream of revenue that allows CTQ to invest
flexibly in yet-to-be known innovations, as well as new
technologies to support our growing community.
to advance bold school reforms for a high-quality public
education system for all students, and where todays policy elite
will increasingly turn for answers.
Shannon Cde Baca Award-winning Science Teacher, Iowa Learning
Online, CTQ Board of Directors
Our organization must become the place where large numbers of
teachers
THINK DOAND
2003A few dozen
teachers on a listserv
TODAY educators and
advocates in the Collaboratory
Jos Luis Vilson Award-winning Math Teacher, Inwood 52 Middle
School NYC,CTQ Board of Directors
Teacher leadership shouldnt be some-thing granted by a higher-up
like a gift or a favor. Its the idea that teachers who
SEE THEMSELVESAS THE CHANGE
In the CTQ Collaboratory, educators connect deeply with
forward-thinking peers,
sharing insights and crafting solutions.
1 Jackson, C. K., & Bruegmann, E. (2009). Teaching students
and teaching each other: The importance of peer learning for
teachers (No. w15202). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Retrieved November 21, 2012 from http://www.nber.org/papers/w152022
Goddard, Y. L., Goddard, R. D., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2007). A
Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Teacher Collaboration
for School Improvement and Student Achievement in Public Elementary
Schools. Teachers College Record, 109(4), 877-896.3 Leana, C.
(2011). The missing link in school reform. Stanford Social
Innovation Review, 30-35.4 Ibid. 5 Asia Society (2013). How the
best school systems invest in teachers. Retrieved on May 28, 2014
from
http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/how-best-school-systems-invest-teachers6
MetLife Corporation (2013). The MetLife Survey of the American
Teacher: Challenges for school leadership. Retrieved on February
24, 2013 from
https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/foundation/MetLife-Teacher-Survey-2012.pdf
En
dn
ote
s
-
in schools act upon it, and others respect the work by giving
that teacher space, time, and resources to continue that great
work.
The Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ) is a national nonprofit
that seeks to create a high-quality public education system for all
studentsdriven by the bold ideas and expert practices of teachers.
CTQ was launched in 1999 as a regional think tank supporting the
research and development initiatives of the National Commission on
Teaching and Americas Future, as outlined in its landmark 1996
report. Over the last 15 years, CTQ has evolved into an incubator
of teacher leaders and thought leadership advancing a 21st-century
teaching profession. Since 2003, we have supported growing numbers
of teacher leaders in our vibrant online community, now known as
the CTQ Collaboratory. As of spring 2015, the CTQ Collaboratory
includes more than 9,000 members fueling the work of teachers as
instructional leaders, assessment experts, virtual community
organizers, policy researchers, and published writers.
In the United States, teaching policy has recently focused on
firing ineffective teachers and recruiting smarter ones. These are
important issues, to be sure... yet addressing them as isolated
concerns will not transform teaching and learning for all students.
To do so will require a laser-like focus on better utilizing the
many effective teachers already in our nations classrooms.
CTQ has begun this work including the cultivation of
teacherpreneursclassroom experts who teach students regularly but
also have time, space, and reward to incubate and spread their own
ideas. The mission of CTQ is to connect, ready, and mobilize
teachers so they can transform their profession in students best
interests.
At CTQ, we connect teachers virtually with one another, as well
as with other
stakeholders who support their leadership. This extends teachers
professional learning networks and
spreads their ideas and expertise, breaking down geographic
barriers.
We ready teachers to lead with schools, districts, state
agencies, and associations to meet pedagogical and policy
challenges and opportunities
through informed risk-taking and authentic collaboration.
And we mobilize teachers to pursue (and create!) opportunities
that transform schools and their profession, tackling important
challenges and
goals, both locally and globally.
Through our thought leadership, CTQ also works to articulate the
promise of systemic change to help all stakeholders embrace the
necessity of reforms that are comprehensive and wide-reaching
(beyond the confines of an individual school or school
district).
We are a catalytic nonprofitand we deeply value targeted
partnerships that bring coherence and bridge perspectives for
collective impact on education systems. We draw upon the strengths
of diverse organizations as well as investors and funders for
maximum benefit to students.
We connect, ready, and mobilize teachers to transform the
professionand 21st-century student learning
32
The core work of CTQOur approach to advancing a high-quality
public education system is informed by evidence on how teachers
matter for student learning and how their expertise can spread
effectively to their colleagues and administrators, as well as
policymakers, parents, and
the public writ large.
We believe strongly in cultivating teachers active leadership,
not merely their voice or engagement. Teacher leadership does not
come at the expense of administrators and policy leaders. But it
ensures that those who teach students and work most closely with
them and their parents can craft innovative solutions to complex
problems of teaching and learning, now and in the future.
Measuring progress toward our goalsOver the next several years,
we should evaluate our progress on the basis of the following
developments:
The health of targeted, strategic partnerships that enable CTQ
to spread our approach throughout the education system;
The growth of demand for CTQ-developed tools, products, and
services;
The visibility of teachersand CTQas thought leaders for
advancing teaching as a profession;
An increase in numbers of states, districts, and professional
associations recognizing and investing in a bold brand of teacher
leadership, including teacherpreneurs; and
A more diversified stream of revenue that allows CTQ to invest
flexibly in yet-to-be known innovations, as well as new
technologies to support our growing community.
to advance bold school reforms for a high-quality public
education system for all students, and where todays policy elite
will increasingly turn for answers.
Shannon Cde Baca Award-winning Science Teacher, Iowa Learning
Online, CTQ Board of Directors
Our organization must become the place where large numbers of
teachers
THINK DOAND
2003A few dozen
teachers on a listserv
TODAY educators and
advocates in the Collaboratory
Jos Luis Vilson Award-winning Math Teacher, Inwood 52 Middle
School NYC,CTQ Board of Directors
Teacher leadership shouldnt be some-thing granted by a higher-up
like a gift or a favor. Its the idea that teachers who
SEE THEMSELVESAS THE CHANGE
In the CTQ Collaboratory, educators connect deeply with
forward-thinking peers,
sharing insights and crafting solutions.
1 Jackson, C. K., & Bruegmann, E. (2009). Teaching students
and teaching each other: The importance of peer learning for
teachers (No. w15202). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Retrieved November 21, 2012 from http://www.nber.org/papers/w152022
Goddard, Y. L., Goddard, R. D., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2007). A
Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Teacher Collaboration
for School Improvement and Student Achievement in Public Elementary
Schools. Teachers College Record, 109(4), 877-896.3 Leana, C.
(2011). The missing link in school reform. Stanford Social
Innovation Review, 30-35.4 Ibid. 5 Asia Society (2013). How the
best school systems invest in teachers. Retrieved on May 28, 2014
from
http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/how-best-school-systems-invest-teachers6
MetLife Corporation (2013). The MetLife Survey of the American
Teacher: Challenges for school leadership. Retrieved on February
24, 2013 from
https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/foundation/MetLife-Teacher-Survey-2012.pdf
En
dn
ote
s
-
Rachel EvansLanguage Arts and LiteratureSeattle Public Schools,
WATeacherpreneur
The public schools of today and tomorrow face a future of
increasing complexity and growing uncertainty. All students must
now meet higher, internationally benchmarked standards of academic
achievementcreating knowledge and communicating what they know and
can do with ever-evolving technological tools. And schools must
serve these increasingly diverse and mobile students with fewer
resources, stronger competition, and greater accountability.
Meanwhile, teachers must adapt to rapidly shifting technology as
well. To meet these challenges effectively, schools must develop
transformative organizational structures, mindsets, cultures,
resources, partnerships, and management systems. Principalseven
with a small team of assistantsdo not have the bandwidth to take on
all of these issues within a school hierarchy designed for a bygone
era.
The promise we see in teacher leadership as a driver for
educational transformation is grounded in powerful evidence.
Economists have discovered that students score higher on
achievement tests when their teachers have opportunities to work
with colleagues over long periods of time and spread their
expertise to one another.1 Other
CTQ and teacher leadership:
High-quality public education for all students will not be
achieved without a bold brand of leadership from their
teachers.
researchers have found that students achieve more in schools
that have higher levels of collaboration2 and when teachers report
frequent conversations with their peers that centered on their
teaching, and when there was a feeling of trust or closeness among
(them).3
Also, nations whose students perform the best on international
measures of academic
achievement, such as Finland and Singapore, have built their
success
by investing in teachers and their leadership in the
profession.4 And finally, a recent poll found that 23 percent of
our nations teachers are extremely or very interested in serving in
hybrid roles as teachers and
leaders.5 These findings are compelling, especially
considering that the vast majority of teachers84 percentare
not
very or not at all interested in becoming principals, whose jobs
have
simply become not doable.6
The challenges of our time call for school leadership that is
well-distributed, responsive, and grounded in the needs of students
as well as classroom, school, and community realities. We believe
the time has come to cultivate a bold brand of teacher
leadership.
Why invest in teacher leaders
4 1TEACHINGQUALITY.ORG605 W Main Street : Suite 207 : Carrboro
NC 27510
Our StrategySpring FY15
FOLLOW OUR WORK teachingquality.org @teachingquality
Thought leadershipto transform the profession
CULTIVATE SCALEINCUBATEDeepening and assessing
the impact of teacher leadership on learning
Developing and marketing a system to spread teachers
knowledge and skills as leaders of their profession
Advancing school designs for 21st century teacher leadership and
student
learning
The practitioner-driven thinking and reporting from CTQ has had
a tremendous impact on me and has inspired new visions for this
noble and important profession.
Jason Glass, Superintendent and Lead Learner of Eagle County
Schools (CO)
OUR STRATEGIES
Expert Teachers
Research Evidence
