Boston, MA—Teach Plus, a national non-profit that puts teacher leaders at the center of improvement at all levels of the education system, kicks off its 5th cohort of Massachusetts Teaching Policy Fellows today with 27 outstanding public school teachers from around the state. During the 16-month experience, Fellows will look to magnify the impact they have in their classrooms through personal interaction with education leaders, a challenging course of study in education policy, and an opportunity to advocate for policies that will better serve students and help retain excellent teachers in the profession.
“We are looking forward to an exciting and impactful year ahead,” said Teach Plus Massachusetts Executive Director Lindsay Sobel, “Our Fellows are dedicated educators committed to ensuring that both teachers and students thrive.”
The new Fellows represent a variety of schools and districts in Massachusetts. Of the 27 teachers, 16 teach in Boston Public Schools, six teach in other urban district schools, and five teach in charter schools. The incoming teachers have been recognized for their outstanding work and commitment to urban education.
“I am looking forward to working alongside other educators and having roundtable discussions about some of the barriers that are keeping all of our students from achieving their fullest potential,” said incoming Teaching Policy Fellow Bernadine Lormilus, a 5th grade general education teacher at Channing Elementary School in Boston.
The Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship is a highly selective program for teachers in the second stage of their careers who are interested in having a voice in key decisions that affect their profession. The most recent cohort of Massachusetts Fellows designed and launched an innovative teacher-led professional development program on the Common Core and helped to shape Boston Public Schools’ measure of quality schools, among other accomplishments. Teach Plus launched its Teaching Policy Fellowship in Massachusetts in 2009.
“By participating in the Teaching Policy Fellowship, I hope to share my perspective as a teacher, mentor, and lifelong learner and help shape the policy conversations that are generating productive solutions for our profession,” said Teaching Policy Fellow Brianne Brown, a 4th and 5th grade special education teacher in Eliot K-8 Innovation School in Boston. “I believe that opportunities like the Teach Plus Fellowship are one way to renew and deepen my commitment to my practice.”
The 2014 Massachusetts Teaching Policy Fellows are:
Dan Adler of UP Academy Leonard in Lawrence Public Schools
Jennifer Aponte of David A. Ellis Elementary School in BPS
Gwendolin Bandi of John J. Doran School in Fall River Public Schools
Julia Beaufait of Arthur D. Healey School in Somerville Public Schools
Brianne Brown of Eliot K-8 Innovation School in BPS
Jeffrey Cipriani of Orchard Gardens K-8 in BPS
Rachael Conway of Mattahunt Elementary School in BPS
Carli Fleming of Salem Academy Charter School
Hayden Frederick-Clarke of Charlestown High School in BPS
Daniel Hackett of Boston Latin Academy in BPS
Molly Howard of Codman Academy Charter School
Amy Howland of Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School
Lindsey Hugo of Brooke Roslindale Charter School
Natalie Khalatov-Krimnus of Revere High School in Revere Public Schools
Colleen Labbe of Lee Academy Pilot School in BPS
Wing Leung of Boston Latin School in BPS
Bernadine Lormilus of Channing Elementary School in BPS
Farida Mama of UP Academy Dorchester in BPS
Colleen Mason of Lee Academy Pilot School in BPS
Lindsey Mayer of Garfield Middle School in Revere Public Schools
Heather McCarthy of William A. Berkowitz Elementary School in Chelsea Public Schools
Lisa Nguyen of Thomas J. Kenny Elementary School in BPS
Ivana Perez of Excel High School in BPS
Marjorie Pita of Rafael Hernández School in BPS
Kalimah Rahim of New Mission High School in BPS
Aaron Stone of Boston Day and Evening Academy in BPS
Brittany Vetter of Excel Academy Charter School
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus aims to improve outcomes for urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to effective, experienced teachers. Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of reform: Teaching Policy Fellows, the Core Collaborative (C2), and T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams. 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 17,000 solutions-oriented teachers in six major cities across the country. www.teachplus.org
