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•Oct. 20, 2025California Emergent Bilingual Change Agent Network
Are emergent bilingual students at your school still being left behind while policies promise progress? Are language supports inconsistent, accountability pressures misaligned, or students’ identities treated as barriers instead of assets? If you see the problem and feel the urgency, this program is for you.
The Change Agent program is not about waiting for system change—it is about leading it now. Teach Plus recruits and supports teacher leaders who are ready to take action in their own schools to remove barriers and improve outcomes for English learners and dual language learners. As a Change Agent, you will work with peers and school leadership to identify a critical problem of practice, use data to drive decisions, and implement solutions grounded in equity, belonging, and the strengths of multilingual students.
You will create impact while staying in the classroom, with focused leadership development, individualized coaching, and connection to a statewide network of educators who refuse to accept the status quo. If you are ready to move from concern to action, apply.
What is the Change Agent?
Teach Plus recruits and selects Teacher Leaders who demonstrate effectiveness in their classroom and proficiency in their content area as well as the potential to develop the skills necessary for effectively leading other teachers.
To apply to this program, a teacher and principal co-identify an issue within their school that affects teacher practice and student outcomes for emergent bilingual students.
Once selected, this teacher becomes a Teach Plus teacher leader (TL), joining the Change Agent cohort with TLs from other selected schools. Teach Plus will support the Change Agent TL in tackling their problem throughout the school year, in the following ways:
- Leadership Training – Kicking off May 20th, we’ll host a teacher leadership onboarding summit to help teacher leaders start the process of creating SMARTE goals and action plans to address the issue that they’d like to change in their respective schools.
- EBCAN Cohort 5 Showcase- On June 17th from 5:00-7:00 via Zoom, Cohort 6 will attend as guests as they listen to, learn from, and engage with the teacher leaders who are wrapping up their participation in the network.
- EBCAN Summer Institute– An all expense paid opportunity to convene as a network will take place in Sacramento on June 23rd and 24th. A deep dive into root case analysis, making the case for change, SMARTE goal alignment with the California English Learner Roadmap, and lessons learned from prior cohorts will be addressed.
- Monthly Cohort Meetings – Monthly during the school year, Teach Plus provides virtual cohort meetings to support the network in building community, being up-to-date and informed on state policies that impact emergent bilingual success, and to reinforce the California English Learner Roadmap throughout the implementation of their action plans.
- Monthly Coaching – Monthly during the school year, Teach Plus provides regular one-on-one coaching sessions to support TLs in their growth as educational leaders throughout the implementation of their action plans.
- Stipend – In recognition of their time and effort, Teach Plus will also award all participating Teacher Leaders a $2,000 stipend. In addition to the stipend, Teacher Leaders will also receive a $1,000 grant toward the implementation of their project.
**Please Note: The official launch of this program is contingent upon final confirmation of funding**
At this moment, we are targeting Teacher Leaders from California schools with a student population that includes a high number or high percentage of English learners. If your school fits these requirements, we welcome a teacher (with the support of his/her principal) to apply to the Change Agent program!
As a Change Agent, you will:
- Work with your principal to identify a high-leverage problem that address the unique needs of your emergent bilingual students, which you will address with a team of teachers throughout the school year;
- Attend a network training in August to develop your SMARTE goals and action plan. An administrator with access to data and decision-making power must attend with you (Principals strongly encouraged);
- Work independently and collaboratively each month with Teach Plus coaches and the Change Agent network to discuss, analyze data, reflect, and revise action plans. Cohort meetings will last 1.5 to 2.0 hours and occur once a month virtually;
- Celebrate your progress at an end-of-year showcase with other Teacher Leaders, principals, district staff, and the philanthropic community. This virtual event will take place in mid-June of 2027.
Eligibility
All applicants must be current classroom teachers with a recommended minimum of two years of teaching experience in a California school with a student population with a high number or percentage of English learners. Applicants must demonstrate that they possess the critical skills and competencies required for effectively leading their peers. Learn more about the Emergent Bilingual Change Agent Network here.
Application Process
Application Deadline: April 20, 2026
Part 1- Online application
Part 2- Performance task & virtual interview
Part 3–Principal phone interview & reference check
Application and Series Timeline:
Applications are currently being accepted and must be submitted by the final application deadline of April 20, 2026.
Please contact Lindsey Bird (lbird@teachplus.org) with any questions.
Interested in joining?
Start your application below to become a California Emergent Bilingual Change Agent Network.
Know a teacher leader?
Nominate a teacher who wants to achieve change in their schools and in the broader education system.
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