AFT Teacher Leaders Program

Learning Forward Annual Conference

Nashville, TNDecember 9, 2014

Empowering teachers to lead and advocate for change

• Teachers transform their classrooms, schools and school districts.

• Teachers challenge policies and mandates.• Teachers change teaching and learning

conditions.

Agenda

• Introduction/overview • Envisioning process• Policies and classrooms• Action research question• AFT teacher leaders share their work• Q & A and discussion

Background

Ellen Meyers

The Power of Teacher Networks

And so it begins• 2011 pilot: United Educators of San Francisco, Cincinnati

Federation of Teachers, Washington Teachers Union, United Federation of Teachers, Houston Federation of Teachers

• 2012: UESF, CFT, WTU, UFT, HFT, Baltimore Teachers Union, Cleveland Teachers Union, Toledo Federation of Teachers, United Teachers of Dade

• 2013: CFT, UFT, BTU, TFT, UTD, Boston Teachers Union, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers, Kansas City Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel

• 2014: CFT, UFT, BTU, TFT, BTU, PFT, CCAFT, KCFT&SRP, HFT, Nashua Teachers Union, North Syracuse Education Association, WTU

Program overview

• Knowledge-building—readings and conversations with . . .

• Skill-building—writing, speaking, presenting, testifying

• Advocacy—what, how, to whom, when, where

• Research—focusing on question, tools, data collection & analysis, policy recommendations

• Networking—website, video conference, TEACH

Purposes and goals

• Groom leaders and spokespeople• Engage teachers in advocacy• Generate classroom research to

provide evidence to make the case• Provide teacher voice—connecting

policy to practice• Create network of teacher leaders

and connect with community

Creating Your Vision

Envisioning the "Ideal School”

• Not only physical space and comforts• Consider also

– Intellectual possibilities– Inhabitants– Rules, policies, regulations, climate– Organizing structure– Etc.

• Think-Pair-Share Table Talk• Poster• Gallery Walk

Why not?

• Brainstorm barriers to vision• Determine action plans for overcoming

barriers:– What will be done?– Who will do it?– How will it be done?– When will it be done?

Action Research Question

• What are the policies that prohibit or proscribe your vision?– national, state, district, school, building– Why do we have the cell phone policy we do?– Why do we have so many tests?– How does our discipline policy address _____?

• How do we change the policies or fix the consequences?

Teacher Leaders and their research

• Dorothy Wyatt, Baltimore City Public Schools/Baltimore Teachers Union, Foreign Language Teacher

• Tom Frank, Cincinnati Public Schools/Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, Music Teacher

• Mona Al-Hayani, Toledo Public Schools/Toledo Federation of Teachers, Social Studies Teacher

Teacher Leaders Program grows leaders

• 3 disparate stories• Each began with self-motivated teachers• Skills learned through Teacher Leaders • Research began at point A• Today’s work has grown from that

Thank you

Questions

Marjorie Brown, AFT (mbrown@aft.org)Dorothy Wyatt, BTU (DWyatt01@bcps.k12.md.us)

Tom Frank, CFT (knarfmot@gmail.com) Mona Al-Hayani, TFT (mal-hayani@tft250.org)