Newsletters -
The Teach Plus monthly newsletter includes all the content of a Weekly News Blast as well as an update from Founder & CEO Celine Coggins and a spotlight piece written by a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellow.
Weekly News Blasts -
The Teach Plus Weekly News Blast contains a selection of the week’s top stories in education policy. It also highlights the recent activities of Teach Plus and includes a “Take Action” section so you can know how to get involved in your city.
T+ Network Events and Leadership Opportunities -
We will send an email to notify you of upcoming T+ Network Events in your city, or to inform you of upcoming Leadership Opportunities.
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T+ Network
The T+ Network is a rapidly growing national movement of teachers who want to: connect with highly motivated peers and national and local policy leaders, learn about innovative policies to empower effective teachers, and be a voice for change within the teaching profession.
T+ Network Impact
As the Indiana Legislature debated sweeping education reform, IPS proposed laying off 300 teachers for the 2012 school year. As part of the T+ Network, Indianapolis teachers shared opinions and poignant personal experiences as they argued for elimination of “last in, first out” layoff policies in online T+ Network Forum. Indianapolis Star columnist Matt Tully posed the following question in the online forum:
A proposal to ensure great teachers can keep their jobs when layoffs happen was lost in the politics at the State House.
The original proposal stated: "After June 30, 2012, the cancellation of teachers' contracts due to a justifiable decrease in the number of teaching positions shall be determined on the basis of performance and not solely on the basis of seniority."
Should this language be revised before it is reintroduced to the legislature this spring? If so, how? (For example: Is 2012 too late? How should teacher performance be measured? Should seniority be a factor at all?)
Following this well-informed and moving discussion, Indiana ended seniority-based layoff policies for good. Please see a summary of teachers’ views on seniority-based layoffs, and Indianapolis Teaching Policy Fellows’ testimonybefore the Indiana Legislature on the same topic.
Here is what fellow Indy teachers told Matt Tully:
“Effective teaching, in whatever year it occurs, has to be honored above and beyond how many years someone has been on the job.” - Sheila
“I feel seniority should be a metric along with performance.” - Darren
“Using a ‘last in, first out’ policy to inform staffing decisions in public education has a profoundly deleterious effect on students.” - Jim
Join the T+ Network!
Receive emails regarding upcoming opportunities to support education reform in Indianapolis -- Join the T+ Network to sign up for the weekly News Blast, and to receive invitations to share your opinion on timely policy issues.
