Boston, MA—Teach Plus, a national non-profit that puts teacher leaders at the center of improvement at all levels of the education system, kicked off its 6th cohort of Massachusetts Teaching Policy Fellows with 26 outstanding public school teachers from around the state. During the 18-month experience, Fellows will 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 schools in nine cities in Massachusetts and cover a wide range of subjects in grades Pre-K-12. The incoming teachers have been recognized for their outstanding work and commitment to urban education.
“Through the Teaching Policy Fellowship I want to understand specific ways that I can become more involved in the decisions that affect the lives of my students and my community,” said Teaching Policy Fellow David Jones, a high school teacher in Boston Public Schools.
The Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship is a highly selective program for teachers interested in having a voice in key decisions that affect their profession. The most recent cohort of Massachusetts Fellows significantly influenced Massachusetts’ Equity Plan, submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, to ensure that the highest-needs students have access to outstanding teachers; ensured robust teacher voice in support of a rigorous next-generation state assessment; and provided recommendations that influenced the shape of a proposed bill to improve teacher preparation. Teach Plus launched its Teaching Policy Fellowship in Massachusetts in 2009.
The 2016-17 Massachusetts Teaching Policy Fellows are:
Ulana Ainsworth of Lee Academy Pilot School in Boston Public Schools
Emily Banta of the Lawrence Family Development Charter School
Ryan Casey of Orchard Gardens Pilot School in Boston Public Schools
Karen Clark of KIPP Academy Lynn
Desiree Daring of Spark Academy in Lawrence Public Schools
Gina Desir of Thomas J. Kenny Elementary in Boston Public Schools
Tuyet Dinh of Mather Elementary in Boston Public Schools
Krista Fincke of Excel Academy Charter School in Chelsea
Emily Griggs of UP Academy Dorchester in Boston Public Schools
Jillian Jacobs of Chelsea High School in Chelsea Public Schools
Caroline Jones of Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School
David Jones of Boston Day and Evening Academy in Boston Public Schools
Christina Jusino of Spark Academy in Lawrence Public Schools
Telia Kapteyn of Brooke Roslindale Charter School
Jennifer Langdon of Hurley K-8 School in Boston Public Schools
Nathan Lewallen of Mary Lyon K-8 in Boston Public Schools
Michael Macchi of Phineas Bates Elementary School in Boston Public Schools
Ariel Maloney of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge Public Schools
Chaitra McCarty of Hyannis West Elementary in Barnstable Public Schools
Justin Norton of Boston Latin Academy in Boston Public Schools
Julie O’Neil of Condon K-6 School in Boston Public Schools
Curtis Perdue of Excel Academy Orient Heights in Boston
Molly Ross of Salemwood School in Malden Public Schools
Will Schwartz of Revere High School in Revere Public Schools
Alicia Serafin of Whittier School in Everett Public Schools
Jianan Shi of Codman Academy Charter School
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
