Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Leaders to Address Teacher Shortages

Many schools have encountered new struggles recruiting and retaining enough teachers over the last few years — and many face chronic staffing challenges that long predate the pandemic. To help address these challenges, Bellwether scanned the country for ideas and resources to create Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Leaders to Address Teacher Shortages. Read more about Creativity From Necessity: A Practical Toolkit for Leaders to Address Teacher Shortages[…]

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September Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership

There is no doubt that teachers exert an incredible influence on students and their learning. But what if teachers hold the key to school and district-wide reform as well?  In Core Education’s September Issue Brief, we explore the many ways schools and districts are offering exceptional teachers opportunities to share their knowledge and extend their Read more about September Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership[…]

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Retaining Teachers: Fostering Conditions Where Talent Thrives

Over the last year, Education Evolving published a series of blog posts focused on the growing problem of teacher turnover, and uplifting the stories of schools, strategies, programs, and leaders that buck the trend.  This series has now wrapped up. Check out some of the top posts: Why Teachers Leave: What the Data Say How Read more about Retaining Teachers: Fostering Conditions Where Talent Thrives[…]

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10 Inevitable Education Evolutions Educators Can Lead

Recently in Getting Smart, Michael Niehoff wrote about 10 transformational practices that educators can lead. Excerpts of the piece appear below: If educators allow politicians, researchers and pundits to take charge of the evolution in education, it will be delayed and implemented with less clarity. It’s time for teachers to be change agents, thus owning Read more about 10 Inevitable Education Evolutions Educators Can Lead[…]

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Majority of States Work to Advance Leadership Opportunities for Classroom Teachers

A new analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality demonstrates that more states are recognizing the importance of leadership roles for teachers, signaling that state policy is beginning to reflect teachers’ voices. Thirty-five states now have formal teacher leadership policies, with a net of eight additional states adopting formal teacher leadership policies in the Read more about Majority of States Work to Advance Leadership Opportunities for Classroom Teachers[…]

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Teachers Learning from Teachers: Dynamic Initiative Taps into Educators’ Expertise

The Center for the Future of Teaching & Learning at WestEd collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch the Teacher Practice Network (TPN) initiative, which supports a vast national network of teacher leaders who mentor and coach their peers. By providing high-quality standards-aligned resources and ongoing professional learning led by teacher leaders, Read more about Teachers Learning from Teachers: Dynamic Initiative Taps into Educators’ Expertise[…]

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Collaborative Leadership for Thriving Teams

Education Evolving has released a new guide designed to address the unique opportunities and challenges that face school administrators using collaborative and distributed leadership models. The guide-which draws on the expertise and experience of eight administrators from teacher-powered schools around the country-is intended for any site administrator working at, creating, or converting to a collaborative leadership model Read more about Collaborative Leadership for Thriving Teams[…]

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Center on Great Teachers and Leaders releases M&I Toolkit

High-quality, evidence-based mentoring and induction (M&I) programs can transform classroom instruction, improve teacher retention rates, narrow gaps in equitable access to effective educators, and raise student performance. The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders’ updated toolkit helps states and districts design M&I programs that support beginning teachers in strengthening classroom instruction in high-need schools and Read more about Center on Great Teachers and Leaders releases M&I Toolkit[…]

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Teacher Leadership Toolkit: Strategies to Build, Support and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities

School systems—and the challenges they face—are often complex and diverse; effectively addressing these challenges may require a leadership approach that moves beyond traditional teacher and administrator roles. Teacher leadership is one strategy many states and districts are pursuing to facilitate meaningful change and support better outcomes for their students. To support these efforts, the Teacher Read more about Teacher Leadership Toolkit: Strategies to Build, Support and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities[…]

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50-State Comparison: Teacher Leadership and Licensure Advancement

On the path to strengthen teacher pipelines, support excellent teaching and improve retention, many states have developed opportunities for teacher leadership and advancement. While most states offer advanced licenses to encourage ongoing learning and growth within the teaching profession, many are now also including supports and incentives to encourage more teachers to become leaders in Read more about 50-State Comparison: Teacher Leadership and Licensure Advancement[…]

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Teacher Leadership Works

Candice McQueen and Charla Hurt recently shared the progress of a Tennessee initiative to engage effective teachers as teacher leaders for The 74. Excerpts of their piece appear below: The idea seemed like common sense: Engage the most effective teachers, ask them to come up with ideas for improving schools, and share what they know Read more about Teacher Leadership Works[…]

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March Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership

There is no doubt that teachers exert an incredible influence on students and their learning. But what if teachers hold the key to school and district-wide reform as well? In our March Issue Brief, Core Education explores the many ways schools and districts are offering exceptional teachers opportunities to share their knowledge and extend their Read more about March Issue Brief: Teacher Leadership[…]

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Study Finds Student Learning Gains in Schools with Multi-Classroom Leaders

In survey after survey, teachers report dissatisfaction with the professional development they receive. Many aren’t satisfied with their professional learning communities or coaching opportunities. Teachers say they want more on-the-job development, career advancement while teaching, and collaboration time. Some teachers are getting what they want. But is that good news for students? Do their students Read more about Study Finds Student Learning Gains in Schools with Multi-Classroom Leaders[…]

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School Leadership Counts

While the importance and impact of school and teacher leadership has been widely understood by policymakers and practitioners, the field has lacked a comprehensive, research-based analysis to identify the specific elements of school and teacher leadership that can increase student achievement. Through a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, the New Teacher Center (NTC) partnered with Read more about School Leadership Counts[…]

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Hiding in Plain Sight: Leveraging Curriculum to Improve Student Learning

A new report from a group of the nation’s boldest state and district education leaders finds that improving curriculum is a powerful, but underutilized strategy for school improvement. Curriculum has long been a third rail in U.S. education policy, dismissed by policymakers despite related, highly visible efforts to develop college- and career-ready standards, aligned assessments, Read more about Hiding in Plain Sight: Leveraging Curriculum to Improve Student Learning[…]

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The State of the Nation’s Social Studies Educators

Recently on the Brookings blog, authors Michael Hansen and Diana Quintero reviewed the data and put together a profile of the American social studies educator. Excerpts of their post appear below: To get a glimpse of the social studies teacher workforce in the U.S., we look to data from the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey Read more about The State of the Nation’s Social Studies Educators[…]

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