The T3 Initiative is an innovative program to recruit, develop, and support effective, experienced teachers to serve in our lowest performing schools. This program was designed by teachers to address the problem of inequitable access to effective teachers in the highest need schools.

The T3 Initiative:

• creates cohorts of highly effective and experienced teachers

• supports them in becoming turnaround specialists

• places them in teams in the schools in which they are most needed

Research shows that nothing is more important for a student’s success in school than the teacher in front of that child’s classroom. Yet the students who need effective, experienced teachers the most are the least likely to be assigned to them. Our lowest performing schools not only have the most significant achievement gaps, but also the highest rates of teacher turnover.  Four consecutive years with highly effective teachers could close that achievement gap and begin to give all kids the education they deserve.

Recently, President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan challenged the nation to turn around 5000 chronically underperforming schools (the bottom 5%) by 2015. To date, school improvement efforts have lacked focus on the highest leverage means of improving student learning—ensuring that students in those schools are assigned experienced, effective teachers with a track record of success in an urban setting.

The T3 Initiative is among the first efforts nationally to address this notable deficiency in the design of school turnaround. Nationally, there is currently an intense focus on chronically low-performing schools. These schools are the focus of intensive support and innovative strategies to enable them to significantly raise student outcomes. T3 teachers play a central role in helping to transform these schools, having been chosen for their effectiveness with urban students and trained in a cohort for the challenge of a turnaround environment.  

T3 teachers have the opportunity to work with a team of effective teachers who are high performing and dedicated to working collaboratively. They are trained as a cohort in turnaround strategies that have been used by other highly effective teacher teams. They are part of a broader turnaround strategy that supports effective teaching and can take on leadership roles without leaving the classroom. The T3 Initiative offers a path toward mastery in urban teaching.

T3 is currently partnered with 6 chronically low performing schools in Boston.  To learn more about T3's ongoing work in these schools and the new T3 teacher positions available, visit the T3 Boston page.