Free Course, Available July 7, Equips Teachers with Skills to Influence ESSA Implementation in their States and Districts
BOSTON, MA, June 21, 2016 ⎯ Teach Plus, a national non-profit that empowers teachers to lead improvements in policy and practice, is launching a free online course to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to advocate for impact. “Teach Plus Online: What Teachers Need to Know to Influence Policy Decisions” launches at a time when the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is driving major state-level policy decisions that directly affect teachers and their students. The course draws on Teach Plus’ flagship policy program, the Teaching Policy Fellowship, and includes modules on policy, advocacy, storytelling, and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The course is available July 7. Teachers can learn more and sign up at teachplus.org/teachplusonline.
“At this pivotal moment, when ESSA is launching a wave of consequential new decision-making in all 50 states, teachers need to be at the table. To have influence, teachers need to understand the policy playing field in which decisions are being made—its unspoken rules and boundaries for action,” said Dr. Celine Coggins, Teach Pus Founder and CEO. “Our online course will allow every teacher in America to access our one-of-a-kind training – and have a say in policy decisions.”
The course content is organized around the following modules in an asynchronous video format. Teachers can take the course at their own pace and time:
Teachers as Policy Influencers
- What are the pathways for teacher impact in policy and what does it take for teachers to become bilingual in practice and policy?
- Understand the obstacles to making change and the strategies to succeed.
Policy 101
- What is policy, and how is it made and changed? Who makes it, and how can teachers play a role in shaping it?
- Explore why policy matters and what levers teachers have to influence policy.
Storytelling for Impact
- How can teachers develop the voice needed to influence policy?
- Learn the power of storytelling and public narrative as tools for effective advocacy.
Advocacy 101
- How do teachers make things happen in the complex world of policy and politics?
- Understand the importance of goals, relationships, root cause analysis, and power mapping.
Understanding the Every Student Succeeds Act
- How will the law affect assessment, accountability, resource equity, and teacher leadership in states and districts?
- Learn what the law says and how to get involved in your community.
“As a classroom teacher who’s been deeply involved in developing policy, I know how challenging it can be to be fluent in both education policy and teaching practice,” said course’s host Dr. Steve Robinson, a 20-year teaching veteran and former K-12 education policy advisor to President Obama. “I’m really excited to bring this course to all teachers who want to lead change to help improve public education for America’s students.”
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus empowers excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of improvements in policy and practice: Teaching Policy Fellowship, C2 Initiative, and T3 Initiative. The programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers who want to continue classroom teaching while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in district, state, and national policy. Since its inception in August 2009, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 22,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country. www.teachplus.org
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