Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate
The Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate provides teachers who hold teacher leadership roles with practice-based, graduate credit-bearing courses that strengthen their skills as leaders of instructional improvement.
How it works
Teachers who complete each of four core courses and role-relevant training will earn the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate, distinguishing them as valuable resources in their schools and the district.
This training is provided as part of a systemic effort to build capacity for teacher leadership roles that are critical to the success of the Acceleration Agenda of the Boston Public Schools. All core courses are offered in sections to teachers who hold the same type of role so that the practice-based coursework can be tailored to the role and in order to support organizational learning across schools about the role. In the 2011-12 school year, core courses will be open to teacher leaders in the following roles:
- District-based data roles, e.g. Language Assessment Team (LAT) Facilitators, AAF Service Team Members, etc.
- School-based team leader roles, e.g. Grade-Level or Subject-Area Team Leaders, Math or Literacy coaches, Department Heads, etc.
- Mentoring roles, e.g. New Teacher Developers (NTDs), Boston Teacher Residency Mentors, cooperating practitioners with student teachers, etc.
Participation is voluntary and courses are held during evenings. Participants can elect the option of earning graduate credits.
Click here for the course schedule and registration information.
Click here to download a program information brochure.
The Four Core Courses of the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate
| Courses | Description |
|---|---|
| Using Data | Participants learn how to lead teams to understand and analyze various forms of data, use data in decision-making processes, communicate using data and foster a culture of high expectations with data. |
| Supporting Instruction | Participants gain expertise in how to apply principles of adult learning as they learn and practice strategies for observing teaching, examining student work collaboratively, analyzing instruction and instructional resources, facilitating growth-oriented dialogue, and planning and implementing effective professional learning experiences. |
| Shared Leadership | Participants learn approaches for building unity of vision within a team, managing an effective, collaborative team, and understanding the role of individuals and teams within school and district systems. |
| Professional Expertise | Participants build routines for guiding team reflection and harnessing professional expertise within a school, while also building skills to access and use the professional knowledge base and apply that expertise to systemic improvement. |
For information on role-specific courses, click here.
Why It Matters
Teacher leaders are an important resource for school and district change, but they rarely receive professional development that supports the work they do beyond the classroom. This new credential provides teachers with an opportunity to earn graduate credit for professional learning that builds their capacity to lead improvement and that is strategically coordinated with district priorities to accelerate student learning.
