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The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) has a clear and focused mission- making sure Washington's students experience the excellent teaching they need to succeed.

If students in Washington's public schools are to reach the high standards that have been set for them, it will be the state's teaching force - current teachers and new ones - who get them there.

CSTP is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports student achievement through its focus on improving the quality of teaching. CSTP commissions research and builds capacity for using data to inform policy discussions and decision making; provides teachers with opportunities to develop leadership skills and contribute to policy decisions; and engages the public in dialogue centered on powerful learning for all students.

 


CSTP promotes state and local policies and practices that build a strong, supported and effective teaching force for Washington's students.

Priorities

Research: Creating Information about the status of teaching in Washington

CSTP is a source for accurate, nonpartisan information about the teaching force in Washington. With its research partners, CSTP generates timely and comprehensive analytical reports, user-friendly brochures. Web-based synopses, and electronic communications to help legislators and the education community make well-informed program and policy decisions.

CSTP research:

•Provides information about the skills and knowledge teachers bring to the classroom, as well as school-by-school and district-by-district analyses of the distribution of the workforce across the state;

•Determines how well teachers are supported in their work by the school, the district and the state; and

•Identifies and promotes effective practices in professional learning.

Teacher leadership: Developing the skills of teacher leaders and increasing leadership opportunities

To amplify the voice of teachers in shaping local and state policies, CSTP develops teachers' skills in speaking and writing, identifies opportunities for experience teachers to participate in policy discussions, and supports a network of accomplished teachers interested in expanding their capacity for leadership.

Reinforced by CSTP training, teachers are publishing journal articles; reflecting on their practices and writing case studies; testifying at legislative hearings, designing professional development for colleagues and the broader education community; and securing grants to support improvements in their classrooms.

Dialogue: Engaging the education community and the public to improve teaching

Washington has no lack of ideas on how to ensure quality teaching. To inform the dialogue and move from ideas to actions, CSTP convenes stakeholders on topics of interest in venues across the state. The recommendations emerging from these events are distributed to education stakeholders, policymakers and the public. For example, the conclusions of a group convened by CSTP to develop induction standards became the publication Effective Support of New Teachers in Washington State: Standards for Beginning Teacher Induction.


Major funding for the Center for Strengthening the
Teaching Profession is provided by The Stuart Foundation. CSTP's New Teacher Project is an
initiative of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and The
Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation.



To view many of the documents on this site you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. This software is free at adobe.com.

 

 

  New from CSTP

Six National Board Certified teacher leaders tell stories of how policy decisions impact learning and teaching in their classrooms in order to spark constructive dialogue across the education community.

www.storiesfromschool.org

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Strong Teachers, Strong Learners
Mentor/ Coach Symposium 2008

Click here to learn more

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Click here to enlarge poster

The phenomenal growth in the number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) is captured on this new poster offered by CSTP. The names of the 1807 Washington educators who have chosen to improve their practice through the National Board Certification process are listed by certification year.

Own this piece of Washington history for only $10 plus $5 for postage and handling. Click here for order form.
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Click on the image to view.

The Induction Standards Concept Map is a visual representation of the conceptual framework of support for new teachers developed by educational leaders from around the state. The framework helps educators understand the "big picture" as they bring the Standards and Elements alive by applying them in their daily work in the schools.

Continuous improvement happens when partners use and adapt each other's work, revise their own work products, contribute new elements, and identify interdependencies between the elements of different standards. Click here to view the live version of the map for resources that you can use. This visual knowledge model provides a way to share the partners' learning and thinking with educators in Washington State and beyond.



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32.8MB

2008 Washington State NBCT Conference at the Sleeping Lady.





Click here to learn more.

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Creating a Comprehensive Teacher Data System

"Having a well-developed staff data system would help educators and policymakers answer many questions about the teaching profession and the impact staff have on student achievement."

Click here to learn how a staff data system benefits teachers and students.

Click here to read the full report.


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Small investments, big returns


Increasing the effectiveness of teacher professional development

Click here to learn more about CSTP's leadership grants
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  Other New CSTP Items
 




 
 


 
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