By Heather Jung
Teachers, who are working with students every day, have the
most important perspective on the issues surrounding education, but are often
reticent to make their voices heard when it comes to educational policy issues.
The egalitarian nature of the teaching profession can make teachers reluctant
to take on leadership roles. Although most
teachers do not want to leave the classroom or become administrators, their integral knowledge of both the community and student
learning needs is essential to promoting positive change in our schools. There has been research, showing that actively
involving teacher leaders is the
best way to advance the vision of school and district communities. Teachers who lead from the front of the
classroom, rather than leaving it, have the strongest impact on student
learning. Helping
teachers recognize that they are leaders, offering them opportunities to
develop their leadership skills, and creating school cultures that honor
teacher leadership can open up new avenues for providing support and resources
to teachers and elevate the level of professionalism surrounding the field of
education. Still, many teachers struggle to find their voice on policy
issues and appropriate forums for expressing their ideas. Teach to Lead is one
avenue that is available to teachers who want to advocate and promote policy
change.
Teach to Lead is a joint venture between the U.S. Department
of Education and the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards that was
started in the spring of 2014. Teach to
Lead has created an online community called "Commit to Lead." As a part of this community, teachers summit
their ideas addressing current issues in education. They then use social media and crowdsourcing
to promote their concepts. Community members comment and vote on the
initiatives that have been submitted. Teachers
whose proposals generate the most conversation are invited to attend various "Teach
to Lead" summits where they can collaborate with other teacher leaders, principals,
districts, supporter organizations, and state leaders to implement their policies.
Here is a link to a proposal that I have submitted to Commit
to Lead:
