Boston Public Schools: Professional Development Teacher Leadership and Education Policy

I. Introductions  Presenter, purpose and scope of workshop/roundtable  Who I am  Purpose  Context (teacher leadership, Superintendent’s Acceleration Agenda and Federal ARRA stimulus funds)  Workshop Participants– Who’s here and what are you interested in getting?

A Question of Credibility.. Who are we as a group of teacher leaders? What strengths, experiences and credibility do we bring to the table?  Defining who a ‘teacher leader’ is…  Determining who we are as a collective…

Core contention of this Teacher Leadership Series:  That as classroom teachers, we have particularly powerful voices to advocate for a better connection between educational policy and the realities of our classrooms. —and we must act on that.

Common Ground, Vocabulary and a Context for Teacher Leadership  Examining the article “Teacher Leader” by Roland Barth. Phi Delta Kappa--Bessie F. Gabbard Initiative on Leadership

II. What We Know: Education Policy and its Players

Questions to Consider:  What resources or information do you currently access from the US Dept of Education?  What is your understanding of NCLB as an example of federal policy, and what is its effect on your role as a teacher? What is working or not working with that law?  What is your understanding of the differences in the roles of local, state and federal educational agencies/depts in developing and implementing policies and practices?  What are ways that teachers can communicate with the US Dept of Education and impact educational decisions at the federal level? How might these communication systems be improved?

Online Collaboration Website: Getting Familiar with Wordpress

Assignment #1:  Get familiar with Wordpress ns ns  Log on to the course website: and a) respond to the discussion prompt with your own posting and b) respond to at least two others’ posts by leaving them comments.