BOSTON, MA—Teach Plus, a national non-profit that empowers excellent teachers to lead improvements in policy and practice, has announced that Hope Morales has joined the organization as State Policy Director in New Mexico. Ms. Morales will lead Teach Plus’ policy and teacher leadership work in the state, and will oversee the Teach Plus New Mexico Teaching Policy Fellowship program. She was previously a teacher on special assignment at Military Heights Elementary School in Roswell.
“As a teacher with over a decade of experience, Hope has a deep understanding of what’s important to New Mexico’s teachers and students. As an alumna of our Policy Fellowship, she knows the state’s policy landscape when it comes to such key issues as teacher evaluation. We’re excited to welcome Hope to our team and grow our work in New Mexico under her leadership,” said Chris Eide, Teach Plus National Director of State Policy, Advocacy, and Partnerships.
“As a Teach Plus Fellow, I had the opportunity to have real impact on our policies. I saw firsthand that when educators whose expertise stems from the classroom help shape education policy, students, teachers, and parents in New Mexico benefit,” said Ms. Morales. “As New Mexico Policy Director, I will work to ensure that many excellent educators in our state have their voices heard – and that they have a seat at the table when major policy decisions are being made.”
Ms. Morales taught for over a decade in southern New Mexico, including 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th grades in Roswell Independent School District. In 2015 and 2016, she was recognized as a Chaves County “Teacher of Character.” During her tenure in the classroom, she was active in her school and district in a variety of leadership positions, including as a member of the superintendent’s advisory council. Ms. Morales has served on the New Mexico Secretary’s Teacher Advisory and as a member of the New Mexico Teacher Leader Network. She earned a bachelor’s degree in University Studies and master’s degree in Education Administration from Eastern New Mexico University. She lives in Roswell with her husband and three children.
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
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