Open Letter from 100Kin10 and Partners:
If We Want Our Students to Thrive, Their Teachers Must Thrive
The past few months, we’ve heard calls for change from teachers across the country, rolling across the hills of West Virginia and Kentucky to the plains of Oklahoma, from the high desert of Arizona to the mountains of Colorado.
As leaders deeply invested in the nonpartisan, multi-sector, national effort to prepare and support 100,000 excellent preK-12 STEM teachers by 2021, we know that this nation has no limit other than our people’s dreams and our collective capacity to fuel them. We know what happens when those dreams are realized: They power every advance in every sector of society.
And we know who powers those dreams: Teachers.
Teachers are the cornerstone of our democracy, because teachers prepare the citizens and problem-solvers of our future. Teachers guide our children to think critically, carefully, and creatively. The people who will cure dementia and take us to Mars, renew our energy resources and revolutionize how we communicate, design our cities and mitigate natural disasters — they are sitting in our nation’s classrooms at this very moment.
Teachers, too, have dreams. For too many teachers, their professional creativity and aspirations have been stifled by a decade of stagnant pay and deteriorating school conditions. If teachers don’t get the support they need, our country’s schools, the students they serve, and our nation itself will languish for years to come.
In the same way that we know that teachers cannot be the engines of innovation if they are not empowered to experiment in their classrooms, so, too, is it true that teachers cannot be the engines of equality if they lack economic security. As the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., understood, the “struggle . . . for genuine equality . . . means economic equality.”
And as teachers themselves have made visible to everyone, this is not just about wages. It is also about the school- and classroom-level conditions necessary for teachers — and their students — to thrive.
As we heard from thousands of teachers and other education experts who shared their perspective in our multi-year analysis, there are many root causes behind the teacher shortage, especially in STEM. To make lasting change, we must coordinate our efforts and together address the highest-leverage root causes.
We will neither recruit nor retain — nor will we deserve — our 100,000 excellent STEM teachers and more if we do not address the challenges that have caused too few to choose to teach and that have made it so hard for those daring to teach to stay and succeed.
On behalf of our students and our country, we the undersigned reaffirm our shared commitment to tackling the systemic issues that have made it difficult to get and keep great teachers, especially in STEM. We stand with teachers and their dream of schools where both students and the adults who serve them can thrive.
Sincerely,
100Kin10
Adeline Medeiros, Associate Director of Community, 100Kin10
Grace Doramus, Director of Strategic Initiatives, 100Kin10
Julie Drapala, Partner Engagement Manager, 100Kin10
Kendra Danowski, Community Designer & Manager, 100Kin10
Lauren Baier, Community Designer & Manager, 100Kin10
Lizzie Pfahler, 100Kin10
Mable Yiu, Community Coordinator, 100Kin10
Pomai Verzon, Program Associate, Strategic Initiatives, 100Kin10
Sarah Troupe Geisenheimer, Chief Operating Officer, 100Kin10
Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Executive Director, 100Kin10
Vincent Baggett, Operations Coordinator, 100Kin10
Yasmin S. Fodil, National Director of Community, 100Kin10
Aakash Narayan, Narayan Sir, Osmania University
Achievement Network
Amanda Adams
Amanda Smith, STEM Outreach and Engagement Liaison, Penn State Center for Science and the Schools
American Federation of Teachers
Amy Etten, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, STEMconnector
Amy Wish, KT3 Project Leader, STEMteachersNYC
Andrea Bennett, STEM Instructional Coach, Toledo Federation of Teachers and Toledo Public Schools
Andres Henriquez, VP STEM Learning in Communities, New York Hall of Science
Anissa Listak, CEO, National Center for Teacher Residencies
Ashley Copple
Babette Moeller, Distinguished Scholar, Education Development Center
Barbara Kinach, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, Arizona State University
Becky McDowell, K-5 STEM Teacher, Barrington 220 CUSD
Brianna Donaldson, Director, Math Teachers’ Circle Network
Brienne May
Cameron Vongsawad
Carole Basile, Dean, Arizona State University
Chinma Uche, Math and Computer Science Teacher, Academy of Aerospace and Engineering
Christine Sapio, Physics Teacher & FIRST Robotics Coach; 2018 Excellence in Science Education Viola Award Winner, Coconino High School
Christopher Dovi
Claudia Walker, Math Coach, Murphey Traditional Academy
Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, Senior Fellow, American Modeling Teachers Association
Crystal Furman
Cynthia Purves, Chemistry Teacher, Fresno Unified School District
Daniel C. Edelson, Executive Director, BSCS Science Learning
Daniel Gohl, Chief Academic Officer, Broward County Public Schools
David Marasco, Professor & Chair, Foothill College
David Taus, Bay Area Program & Recruitment Director, EnCorps STEM Teachers Program
Deborah Sachs, Teach (STEM)³ Director, University of Indianapolis
Dr. Alice Flarend, Physics Teacher, Bellwood-Antis HS
Dr. Rachel Millstone, Department of Education Studies, University of California, San Diego
Educators for Excellence
Eileen Yang, Genentech, Inc.
Elaine Franklin
Elisabeth Stock, CEO & Co-Founder, PowerMyLearning
Ellen Ullman
Emily Welch, Associate Program Consultant, New Teacher Center
Eric Tucker, Executive Director, Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools
Erica Christensen, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility, CA Technologies
Erin Mote, Executive Director, InnovateEDU
Eugenie D Alvares
Eun Kyeong Cho, Associate Professor, University of New Hampshire
Eunice Lin Nichols, Vice President and Gen2Gen Campaign Director, Encore.org
Fernand Brunschwig, President, STEMteachersNYC
Gail Richmond, Professor, Michigan State University
Gideon Weinstein, Prospective and Practicing Mathematics Teacher Educator, the largest higher education institution for STEM education
Gregg Behr, Co-Chair, Remake Learning
Hana Silverstein, Teaching Credential Candidate , Santa Clara University
Heidi Ragsdale, STEM Educator, ScienceForStudents.Com
Jacqueline Corricelli
James Boyer, Vice President of Children’s Education, The New York Botanical Garden
Jeanine O’Nan Brownell, Assistant Director, Early Math Collaborative, Erikson Institute
Jeff Milbourne
Jeffery Beckham, Director of Digital Marketing, New Teacher Center
Jeffrey Wetzler, Co-Founder, Transcend
Jennifer Gaspar-Santos, Dir. of Ed Tech & Innovation, St. Ignatius College Prep SF
Jennifer S. McCray, Principal Investigator, Early Math Collaborative, Erikson Institute
Jennifer Wilson, Mathematics Teacher, 100kin10 Teacher Forum
Jennifer Young, Director of Partnerships, Roadtrip Nation
Jerika McKeon, Teacher
Jimmy Sarakatsannis
Joanna Samuels
Jonas Chartock, Chief Executive Officer, Leading Educators
Joshua McComas
Judith Fraivillig, Ph.D.
Julie A. Evans, Ed.D., CEO, Project Tomorrow
Karen Cator
Karen Hawley Miles
Karen Miksch, Manager of Math Program Design, National Math + Science Initiative
Katherine C Wilcox, Executive Director, Encorps STEM Teachers Program
Kathy Browne, Associate Professor and Department Chairperson, Rider University
Kelly Hilton, New Teacher Induction Coach, Tri Valley Teacher Induction Project
Kelly Powers, Director of Computer Science
Kelly Garrett, Executive Director, KIPP St. Louis
Kelsey Sheridan
Kimberly Kutina
Kristin Kearns-Jordan, Chief Executive Officer, The Urban Assembly
Lacee Sherman
Laine Agee
Laura M. Nickerson, Director of the STEM Teachers’ Collaborative, University of New Hampshire
Laura Sloma, Physics Educator
Lee Eiben
Linda Coyle, Director of Education, Science Foundation Arizona
Linda Susan Witte, Steam teacher, David A Boody
Linda Witte, STEAM Teacher, IS228 K21. NYC
Louis Fleming, Computer Science Instructor, Andrews High School
Lois Langehaug
Lynn Kepp, Sr VP Strategic Partnerships New Teacher Center
Marci Alboher
Marco Petruzzi, CEO, Green Dot Public Schools National
Margaret Honey, President and CEO, New York Hall of Science
Mark W Castleman, Physics & Astronomy Teacher, Boulder High School, Boulder CO
Mary Chin, Mathematics Teacher, Arete Preparatory Academy
Melanie Hopkins
Melanie Narish
Melissa Moritz
Melissa Rasberry
Melissa Thibault
Michael R.L. Odell, Ph.D.
Michaela Labriole, Director of Strategic Education Initiatives, NYSCI
Michelle Barrett-Chang, Principal, Corporate Social Responsibility, CA Technologies
Michelle Stie Buckles, Vice President, Teaching and Learning, National Math and Science Initiative
Mimi Lufkin, Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity
Mo-Yun Lei Fong, Director, Google and 100Kin10 Advisory Board
Museum of Science and Industry
National Council on Teacher Quality
National Math + Science Initiative
New Teacher Center
Nicole Beeman-Cadwallader, Sr. Director, Program Design, National Math and Science Initiative
Patrick Riccards, Chief Communications and Strategy Officer, Woodrow Wilson Foundation
Phil Komarny, VP, Innovation, Salesforce
Phyllis N Segal, Vice President, Encore.org
Rachel Ruggirello, Associate Director, Washington University in St. Louis, Institute for School Partnership
Rebecca E. Vieyra
Relay Graduate School of Education
Ronda Brandon, Sr. Director, STEM Teacher Pathways, National Math and Science Initiative
Ryan Shuping
Sabrina Gomez, Senior Director ExpandED Pathways, ExpandED Schools
Sara Torres, Executive Director, Arizona Science Teachers Association
Sarah D. Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Simon Fraser University
Sarah Hanlon
Scott Warren, CEO, Generation Citizen
Shaileen C. Pokress, K-12 Computer Science Specialist, k12computing.org
Shari Liss, CEO, Ignited
Shelly Masur, CEO, CDE Foundation
Sissy Wong, Associate Professor, University of Houston
Stefanie Weiss
STEMteachersNYC
Stew Williamson
Susan Marks
Susan McPherson, Founder and CEO, McPherson Strategies, LLC
Sylvia Perez, Vice President of Education Services, New York Hall of Science
Tanya N Baker, director, national programs, National Writing Project
Teach Plus
The UTeach Institute
Thomas Withee, Science Department Chair, Collinsville High School
Tom Guile, Physics Teacher, Coxsackie-Athens CSD
Tonya Matthews, Ph.D., President and CEO, Michigan Science Center
Tyson Brown
Val Monticue, President, Northern California/Nevada section of American Association of Physics Teachers
Yehosheva Markovitz, Education Producer, WNET
Washington STEM
