CSTP is a nonprofit organization with a simple mission—making sure Washington has the teaching force its students 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 works to ensure that systems of support exist for teachers along the continuum of their development, including beginning teacher induction, career-long high-quality professional development, leadership skill building and cultural competency skill building.
What is teacher leadership?
“Teacher leaders – educators who take on leadership responsibilities meant to improve practice in their schools and beyond – are an important force in reforming K-12 education.” – Barbara Miller, Education Development Center – from the Foreword to Teacher Leader Stories: The Power of Case Methods.
Why teacher leadership?
“The only way that higher standards, and new systems of support and evaluation, will work, is if teachers lead this change in partnership and collaboration with principals, parents and communities…. Teachers have spoken eloquently about how important it is to have a voice in what happens in their schools and their profession — without leaving the classroom.” – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan – See more at: http://www.nbpts.org/teach-lead#sthash.ORkS71WL.dpuf.
What do teacher leaders do?
“Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Whether these roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school’s capacity to improve. Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers.”
— Cindy Harrison and Joellen Killion from “Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders”
In short, teacher leadership means that teachers are equipped to advocate for education; in the words of Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan, “What’s worth fighting for in teaching is to change every classroom and every school for the better.”
For more on the possible roles Teacher Leaders can hold, please view the second page of our Teacher Leadership Skills Framework.
For more about the Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions it takes to be an effective teacher leader, please view our Teacher Leadership Skills Framework.
For more about the national landscape of Teacher Leadership, view the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ collaboration with the US Department of Education, “Teach to Lead” available here: http://teachtolead.net