From left to right: Juan Renteria, Jr. (Oklahoma), Frances Lazette (Michigan), Emily Gasca (Illinois), Tess Carlson (California), Melina Recio (Texas), Emma Muth (Nevada), Lorelei Jackson (Colorado), Alisa Cooper de Uribe (New Mexico), Steve Dull (Indiana)
Washington, D.C., July 22, 2024—Teach Plus teacher leaders from regions across the country spent three days on Capitol Hill, advocating on behalf of their students and colleagues, sharing education innovations, and meeting with 45 lawmakers and staff. The members of Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board (NPAB), a nonpartisan board of educators aimed at improving federal education policy, sat down with legislators in their offices and facilitated presentations during a bipartisan legislative briefing on the science of reading, data collection and accessibility, and pathways to the teaching profession.
“Our teachers operate with a sense of hope, responsibility to their students, and high expectations for the work they accomplish every day. It is an honor to watch them walk the halls of Congress and advocate for children in classrooms across America. As a country, it is our duty to support the efforts and strides teachers are making for every child in America to have access to the opportunities that a high quality education affords,” said Teach Plus National Policy Director Dilan Pedraza.
The educators in Washington, D.C., were:
- California: Board Member Tess Carlson, Knowles Teaching Fellow and founding science teacher at Mission Bay Hub in San Francisco
- Colorado: Board member Lorelei Jackson, 2021-2022 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellow and middle school special education specialist in Denver
- Illinois: Board Member Emily Gasca, 2023-2024 Teach Plus Illinois Senior Change Agent leading the Early Childhood team, and a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) lead and bilingual reading interventionist for grades K-8th at Sadlowski Elementary School in Chicago
- Indiana: Board Member Steve Dull, 2022-23 Indiana Teach Plus Policy Fellow and geometry and algebra educator in Hammond
- Michigan: Executive Board Member Frances Lazette, 2021-2022 Michigan Collaborative Teacher Leader, 2023 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Senior Fellow, and French and individuals societies middle school educator in Ann Arbor
- Nevada: Board Member Emma Muth, 2nd grade educator and Grade Level Chair in Las Vegas
- New Mexico: Executive Board Member Alisa Cooper de Uribe, 2023-2024 Teach Plus New Mexico Alumni Policy Fellow, 2023 Teach Plus National Policy Advisory Board Senior Fellow, 2021 New Mexico Teacher of the Year, and 1st-grade bilingual educator in Albuquerque
- Oklahoma: Senior Board Member Juan Renteria, 2022 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Finalist and 5th Grade Teacher in Norman
- Texas: Board Member Melina Recio, 2021-2022 Teach Plus Texas Senior Policy Fellow and 10th grade English and AP language & composition educator in McAllen
“It was inspiring to reconnect with Colorado’s congressional offices during this past Hill Day, where I had in-depth conversations with staffers on the challenges facing our students and explored legislative solutions to positively impact our schools. Presenting the need for a federal mechanism for data collection and accessibility to a bipartisan audience of staffers was thrilling and provided a space for collaboration on federal policy solutions to drive real, sustainable change for our communities,” said Lorelei Jacskon, 2021-2022 Teach Plus Colorado Policy Fellow and middle school special education specialist in Denver.
For most of the NPAB members, it was their second time in our nation’s capital in two months. The teachers also traveled to DC during May’s Teacher Appreciation Week, championing the Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Incentive Grant and meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. To make such opportunities possible and ensure their advocacy is impactful, the teacher leaders receive one-on-one coaching from Teach Plus to deepen their knowledge of federal policy and build skills to foster strong relationships with their congressional representatives.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, its responsiveness to individual needs, and its ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Click here for more information.
