Leveraging the expertise and voices of our state’s outstanding teachers to advance equity for students
In summer 2023, Teach Plus will launch its third full cohort of Policy Fellows in Pennsylvania. This highly selective leadership opportunity is for 30 outstanding teachers looking to deepen their knowledge of education policy and amplify the voices of teacher leaders in Pennsylvania. Policy fellows, who will receive a $1,500 stipend for their commitment, will expand their influence without leaving the classroom through guided work, including:
Expand access and quality of childcare and Pre-K in Pennsylvania in addition to increasing the pipeline of ECE educators.
Ensure adequacy and equity in the state’s education funding system, particularly for underserved students.
Identify improvements to teacher preparation to better prepare teachers to be effective, use culturally responsive practices, and persist in the profession.
Increase access to inclusive curriculum and instructional materials, diverse educators, and equitable school policies at the district and state level, with a focus on underserved populations; defend against attacks on marginalized students.
Ensure teachers are trained in the science of reading and that curricula, assessments, and supports are also aligned with the science of reading to support students reading proficiently.
Identify strategies to attract more teachers into the teaching profession, address teacher shortages, and reduce barriers to entry in order to address looming teacher shortages and a lack of diversity in the workforce.
Nominate a teacher who wants to achieve change in their schools and in the broader education system.
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to shape education policy and improve teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. Teach Plus policy fellows have:
Teach Plus launched its teacher-led policy work in Pennsylvania in 2020 with an 11-teacher Policy Advisory Board and grew to a 30-teacher Policy Fellowship in 2021. Teach Plus also leads a statewide network of over 500 educators. Since 2020, Teach Plus PA policy fellows, staff, and network teachers have:
Zakiya Stewart serves as the Teach Plus Pennsylvania Policy Manager and leads the Policy Fellowship. She is a former elementary school teacher who has also worked in district administration, consulting, and educational management.
Laura Boyce serves as the Teach Plus Pennsylvania Executive Director and supports the Policy Fellowship. She has led Teach Plus PA’s policy and instructional leadership work since the region’s founding in 2017. Previously, Laura was a high school teacher in Philadelphia and a principal in Camden, NJ.
