Partnership Kicks-Off at Teach to Lead STEAM Summit in San Jose
Partnership Kicks-Off at Teach to Lead STEAM Summit in San JoseWASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Department of Education and ASCD announced today that Teach Plus, a national non-profit that empowers teachers to lead improvements in policy and practice, has joined the Teach to Lead initiative as a third partner. The partnership will launch at Teach to Lead’s 16th summit in San Jose, California, Sept. 28-30, where 20 teams of teacher leaders from 17 states are gathered to work on a range of actionable projects from equitable offerings for students to school change through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
“We are so pleased with the work Teach to Lead is doing to provide professional development resources for teachers and to amplify the great work of teacher leaders,” said Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Frank Brogan. “We are grateful to Teach Plus for joining us and ASCD for leading this important effort. Now more than ever we need to champion teachers and challenge those closest to students to rethink the ways we have always done things and to turn ideas into action.”
“I am so excited to welcome Teach Plus as a partner in Teach to Lead,” said ASCD Executive Director and CEO Deb Delisle. “The Teach Plus mission of developing teacher leaders is aligned with ASCD’s own; and together, along with the U.S. Department of Education, we will continue to do the important work of empowering educators to take the lead in affecting decisions that will improve the teaching profession and benefit all students.”
“Teach Plus is proud to be a partner in the Teach to Lead initiative. Strong teacher leadership should be an inherent part of the teaching profession, since it is essential to supporting the success of students. By joining forces, we are able to expand and further empower the Teach to Lead network of teachers,” said Teach Plus President and CEO Roberto J. Rodríguez. “We’re particularly excited to kick off our partnership in California at the STEAM Summit, where Teach Plus has a cadre of teacher leaders working to shape policy and instructional practice to drive improvements for students.”
Launched in 2014, the Teach to Lead initiative was created by experienced educators with the goal of advancing student achievement by expanding opportunities for teachers to lead change and improvement in the policies and programs that affect their work without having to leave the classroom. Teach to Lead’s Teacher Leadership Summits bring together teams of educators to think deeply about ideas to improve learning in their school, district or state. Central to teams’ success are “critical friends,” for each team, from the over 170 supporting organizations that have pledged their commitment to the vision of Teach to Lead, as well as past Summit participants who wish to pay the opportunity forward for other teachers. These members of the broader Teach to Lead network have since expand access for 2700 more educators to participate in teacher-driven change through Powered-by Teach to Lead Summits, which help local, state and national organizations tailor Teach to Lead’s summits to their specific needs and community. For more information about Teach to Lead and ways to become involved visit teachtolead.org.
