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Teach Plus selects 25 top teachers to advance urban public education reform in Greater Boston

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 21, 2011                           

Contact:
Maria Fenwick
mfenwick@teachplus.org
617-428-0700 x105

Teach Plus selects 25 top teachers to advance 
urban public education reform in Greater Boston

Leadership programs in five major cities amplify the voice of effective teachers in education reform

BOSTON – As policy makers across the country continue to debate controversial education reform measures, a group of reform-minded teachers is stepping forward to advocate for changes proven to benefit classrooms and students.

Teach Plus, a national non-profit organization based in Boston, has selected 25 high-performing teachers from school districts and charter schools in five Greater Boston cities (Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lowell and Somerville) to become Teaching Policy Fellows. Along with teacher leaders in four other major American cities, the Fellows will participate in leadership opportunities designed to amplify the voice of effective classroom teachers.

During the 18-month program, Teaching Policy Fellows will gain a foundation in education policy, research, and best practices from around the nation that will enable them to advocate effectively for policies that will better serve students and retain excellent teachers.  Together, they will choose areas of teacher quality policy on which to focus.

A partnership with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) enabled the program to expand from 20 teachers to 25 this year, including five additional Fellows focused on policy implementation in teacher development, advancement, and leadership for the school district. This subset of Fellows will advise Superintendent Carol R. Johnson and other BPS leaders on key issues related to the support and retention of effective teachers. 

“In order to attract and retain educators of the highest caliber, we must hear from effective teachers themselves about the policies needed to ensure top-notch instruction in every classroom,” said Dr. Johnson. “We are delighted to partner with Teach Plus to engage Teaching Policy Fellows in thoughtful analysis, debate, and discussion about the critical issues of teacher quality for the Boston Public Schools.”

Selected from among 109 applicants, teachers in the new cohort of Boston Fellows have an average of six years of classroom teaching experience. They work in district, pilot, turnaround, charter, and exam schools in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lowell and Somerville, and they include graduates of the Boston Public Schools and New York City Public Schools, as well as alumni of Teach For America and the Boston Teacher Residency.

In addition to Greater Boston, new cohorts begin the Fellowship this month in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. These teachers join current Fellows and alumni of Teach Plus programs in these three cities as well as in Chicago and Memphis.

“I launched Teach Plus because I believe it is possible to stem the attrition of urban teachers and keep our best teachers in front of students for longer than the average stint of three to five years,” said Teach Plus Founder and CEO Celine Coggins. “Our goal is to offer experienced, effective teachers leadership opportunities that allow them to expand their impact while continuing to work directly with kids.”

The Teaching Policy Fellowship began in Boston in 2007 with a pilot cohort of 16 teachers from urban schools in Greater Boston.  Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows have been recognized at national, state, and local levels for their accomplishments both in and out of the classroom.  Previous cohorts of Teaching Policy Fellows in Boston designed a unique staffing model for underperforming schools, which resulted in Boston Public Schools’ launch of the T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams Initiative, now in place in six Boston schools. Boston Fellows also wrote a policy brief advocating for improvements to teacher evaluation and support systems across the Commonwealth.

Teach Plus is proving that it is possible to meet teachers’ leadership aspirations without forcing them out of the classroom.

“After a school year defined by teacher-bashing and budget cuts, we are thrilled to have a role in elevating what is best about the teaching profession,” said Maria Fenwick, Executive Director of Teach Plus Boston. “Excellent teachers want opportunities to influence the policy decisions that affect their classrooms — opportunities such as those they receive through the Teaching Policy Fellowship.”

Boston Teaching Policy Fellows (2011-2013):

Aadina Balti – Mason Pilot Elementary School, Roxbury

Nicholas Churchill – UP Academy, South Boston

Christopher Doss – Boston Latin School, Boston

Erin Dukeshire – Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, Roxbury

Nicholas Gesualdi – Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, Roxbury

Lisa Goncalves – Blackstone Elementary, South End, Boston

Riana Good – Boston Teachers Union Pilot School, Jamaica Plain

Katie Gribben – Cambridgeport School, Cambridge

Audrey Herzig – Manning Elementary School, Jamaica Plain

Phuong Luong – Haggerty Elementary School, Cambridge

Marta Magnus – Wang Middle School, Lowell

Lillian Marshall – Boston Latin Academy, Dorchester

Suzanne McGlone – Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, Roxbury

Michelle Morrissey – Academy of the Pacific Rim, Hyde Park

Deb Opar – Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, Somerville

Najia Polad – Mattahunt Elementary, Mattapan

Geoffrey Rose – Dever-McCormack K-8 School, Dorchester

Gene Roundtree – Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Roxbury

Xavier Rozas – The English High School, Jamaica Plain

Emily Salander – Excel Academy Charter School, East Boston

Kelly Tynan – UP Academy, South Boston

Irischa Valentin – Dever-McCormack K-8 School, Dorchester

Andrew Vega – Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, Roxbury

Jeff Vogel – Prospect Hill Academy, Somerville

Rebecca Westlake – Phoenix Charter Academy, Chelsea

Teach Plus is a national non-profit based in Boston whose mission is to improve outcomes for urban children by ensuring that a greater proportion of students have access to effective, experienced teachers. Teach Plus runs three programs designed to place teacher leaders at the center of reform: Teaching Policy Fellows, the T+ Network, and T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams. The programs focus on demonstrably effective teachers who want to continue classroom teaching while also expanding their impact as leaders in their schools and in national, state, and district policy. Teach Plus began with 16 founding teachers from urban district and charter schools in Greater Boston. Since its inception as a non-profit in August 2009, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 3,500 reform-minded teachers in six major cities across the country.  www.teachplus.org  

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