AFT’s Teacher Leaders Program

It began as an experiment: How can we help teachers learn about policy so that they can contribute to conversations that affect their working conditions and their students learning conditions? How can we get teachers a seat at the table and off the menu?

This experimental pilot program has grown as teacher voice has become more important than ever, from five locals and 68 participants in 2012 into a force of more than 1,000 alumni across more than 30 locals nationwide.

And these alumni examine the effects of policies both local and national. When special education students in Toledo, Ohio, were denied computer access, a teacher leader there researched ways to provide access not only for them, but for her entire school — and got a computer cart to share with her colleagues and their students. When teacher leaders in Nashua, N.H., discovered a better way to reach Algebra 1 students and help them pass the state test required for graduation, they found a way to implement this model schoolwide. When teacher leaders in Houston cried “foul” over the state’s teacher evaluation system, they proved instrumental in suing the district and winning — that system is no longer used in Houston.

And once teacher leaders get a taste of how to use their voices, they rise to many occasions, including pursuing elected office in their unions and communities. See Volusia United Educators President Elizabeth Albert’s story here. https://aftvoices.org/union-made-a0870695b47b

Marjorie Brown manages the AFT Teacher Leader Program for Educational Issues.