Largest Teach Plus Cohort To-Date Will Address Teacher Pipeline and Social Emotional Learning Among Other Priorities
Boston, MA —Teach Plus Massachusetts has selected 50 outstanding teachers as Fellows of its 2017-18 Commonwealth Teaching Policy Fellowship cohort. As Commonwealth Fellows, the teachers take part in a specially-designed course of study in policy and advocacy and develop the skills necessary to advocate for policies that will better serve Massachusetts students and teachers. They further their impact through collaborative work on key education issues and interactions with district and state decision makers. The new Fellows are the largest group of Massachusetts teachers inducted into the Fellowship to-date.
“This past year, Teach Plus teachers brought to the table smart policy recommendations on Massachusetts’ ESSA plan, teacher preparation, and curriculum frameworks. They participated in the Boston Foundation Ed Talks and published op-eds on a range of issues from standardized testing to the importance of cultural competency in the classroom,” said Paul Toner, Executive Director of Teach Plus Massachusetts. “We’re looking forward to working with our new cohort of Fellows as they bring their expertise to bear on key issues that impact student achievement and the profession.”
The Fellowship builds its work around issues that are timely and relevant to local community, city, and state. In focusing on such priorities as building the teacher workforce pipeline, addressing student social emotional learning and personalized learning methods, and reviewing the state’s accountability system, the new Fellows will continue to build on the policy and advocacy successes of the previous cohorts of Teach Plus Massachusetts Policy Fellows. The new cohort will continue through June 2018.
“I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Teach Plus Policy Fellow program, because I get to learn and collaborate with other educators, and deepen my understanding of education policy around student-centered instruction and other topics that I’m interested in,” said Francis Pina, a 9th grade mathematics teacher at Charlestown High School in Boston Public Schools. “I plan to use this experience to advocate for implementing the best teaching practices in the classroom that are proven to engage and boost academic achievement for our students.”
“In the classroom, I realized that success meant having the imagination to see what is best for my students and committing the day-by-day to that final success. As a Fellow, I am excited to work alongside amazing educators who are committed to the day-by-day because we are able to believe that educational equity is possible one day,” said Esther Jeong, a 9th grade English Language Learners teacher in Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The new Fellows come from a variety of districts in Massachusetts. Of the 50 educators, 19 teach in Boston Public Schools, and 7 teach in public charter schools. Many of the incoming teachers have been recognized for outstanding instruction by their respective schools and districts.
The 2017-18 Teach Plus Commonwealth Teaching Policy Fellows are:
- Timothy Appel of Roger Clap Elementary School in Boston, MA
- Ana Teresa Black Veino of Match Community Day Charter Public School in Boston, MA
- Swapna Bolleboina Katamaraja of Higginson-Lewis Middle School in Boston, MA
- Sarah Boone of Curtis Guild Elementary in Boston, MA
- Brandon Byrd of Barnstable United Elementary School in Barnstable, MA
- Stephanie Byrd of Ellis Mendell Elementary School in Boston, MA,
- Sarah Clancey of High School of Commerce in Springfield, MA
- Courtney Connor of Bentley Academy Charter School in Salem, MA
- Fabiola Cordano of Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School in Boston, MA
- Kevin Cormier of Nissitissit Middle School in Pepperell, MA
- Michelle Dean of Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston, MA
- Shauntell Dunbar of Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School in Boston, MA
- Diallo Ferguson of Lyons Elementary School in Randolph, MA
- Dawn-Marie Fernandes of Davis Thayer Elementary School in Franklin, MA
- Elizabeth Fitzgerald of Elizabeth G Lyons Elementary School in Randolph, MA
- Sarah Floyd of James Peebles Elementary School in Bourne, MA
- Lorilynn Force-Phelps of Dean Vocational Tech High School in Holyoke, MA
- Marisha Gadowski of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Randolph, MA
- Christine Giampietro of John D. Hardy School in Wellesley, MA
- Nisa Harrison of John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Boston, MA
- Esther Jeong of Lawrence High School in Lawrence, MA
- David Johnson of English High School in Boston, MA
- Nilufer Johnson of Snowden International School in Boston, MA
- Alison Kase of West Somerville Neighborhood School in Somerville, MA
- Natan Kotlyar of Elizabeth G. Lyons Elementary School in Randolph, MA
- Jessica Lander of Lowell High School in Lowell, MA
- Deborah LaPierre of Seven Hills Charter Public School in Worcester, MA
- Kristen Leathers of Brighton High School in Boston, MA
- Molly Leger of UP Academy Oliver in Lawrence, MA
- Chris Madson of Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers in Boston, MA
- Lamikco Magee of Amherst Regional Middle School in Amherst, MA
- Mary Margaret Mara of Chandler Magnet School in Worcester, MA
- Colleen Mason of East Boston Early Education Center in Boston, MA
- Chaitra McCarty of Hyannis West Elementary School in Barnstable, MA
- Alison Mosher of Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers in Boston, MA
- Emily Murray of Excel Academy Charter School in Boston, MA
- Takeru Nagayoshi of New Bedford High School in New Bedford, MA
- Ashley Patti of Roger Clap Elementary School in Boston, MA
- Francis Pina of Charlestown High School in Boston, MA
- Julie Planera of Edward Brooke Charter School in Boston, MA
- Joanna Plotz of William A. Berkowitz Elementary School in Chelsea, MA
- Kayla Scholl of KIPP Academy Lynn in Lynn, MA
- Lea-Antoinette Serena of Mather Elementary School in Boston, MA
- Maggie Simeone of John W. McDevitt Middle School in Waltham, MA
- Samantha Song of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville, MA
- Suzanne Spagnoli of Duxbury Middle School in Duxbury, MA
- Dawn St. Germain of Clara Barton School in Oxford, MA
- Brian Stanley of Staff Sargent James J. Hill Elementary School in Revere, MA
- Scott Wohlers of Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School in Springfield, MA
- Edwin Yoo of Codman Academy Public Charter School in Boston, MA
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 programs are designed to place highly effective teachers at the center of improvements in schools as leaders of their peers and outside schools influencing policy decisions that affect their classrooms. The programs develop excellent teachers into leaders who achieve change and mobilize others in their school, district, state, and across the nation to bring change to scale. Since its inception in August 2007, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 26,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country. www.teachplus.org
