Teacher Leadership Connections
Teachers, are you looking to make a difference beyond your own classroom? The links below will connect you with programs and opportunities that will strengthen your ability to support learning among your colleagues and influence school and district reform.
Two types of opportunities are provided below: Leadership Development Opportunities and Funding Opportunities.
Leadership Development Opportunities
- Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate
- Harvard Graduate School of Education with Conant Fellowship Support
- MASCD Online Teacher Leadership Certificate Program
- MyLearningPlan
- NBPTS Candidate Support: National Board Certification & TakeOne!
- Principal Residency Network
- Project for School Innovation
- T3 Initiative
- TeachPlus (T+) Network: Boston
- TeachPlus Teaching Policy Fellowship
Something missing? Contact us to add a listing.
Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate
The Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate offers BPS teachers who hold leadership roles the opportunity to participate in practice-based, graduate credit-bearing courses to strengthen the skills that are important to their roles. The core courses are designed by BPS teachers to build teachers’ skills for using data, supporting instruction, sharing leadership, and contributing to the profession. Teachers who complete each of the core courses plus one role-specific course will earn the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate, distinguishing them as valuable resources in their schools and the district. The certificate has been developed in coordination with key BPS departments to ensure that Boston’s most critical teacher leadership roles are supported with role-specific training. This credential helps to bring teachers’ professional learning in strategic alignment with the district’s priority to build capacity for accelerating student learning in Boston.
For more information: Contact Jill Harrison Berg, Director of the Boston Teacher Leadership Resource Center.
Harvard Graduate School of Education with Conant Fellowship Support
The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) offers thirteen, year-long masters programs, two doctoral programs, and dozens of programs in professional education. Students:
- develop the skills to become a teacher leader or explore current research and practice related to teacher professional development (Learning and Teaching)
- grapple with the strengths and weaknesses of policy as a tool for school improvement (Education Policy and Management)
- acquire expertise as a literacy coach or reading specialist (Language and Literacy)
- learn how to create the conditions to support high-quality teaching and learning for all students (School Leadership)
- pursue interests and professional advancement in one of the other programs, including Professional Education
The James Bryant Conant Fellowship provides a full-tuition award to outstanding Boston and Cambridge Public School teachers and administrators. Conant Fellowships are one-year awards which may be pro-rated for part-time study. Fellows are required to return to their school systems for a minimum for one year after completing the HGSE degree. Candidates must submit two separate applications: one to HGSE admissions and one to the Conant Fellowship Committee.
For more information: Contact the HGSE Admissions Office: gseadmissions@harvard.edu or 617.495.3414
MASCD Online Teacher Leadership Certificate Program
The Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (MASCD) Online Teacher Leadership Certificate Program is an online program designed for individuals and teams of Massachusetts educators that equips educators with knowledge and skills to be highly effective as teacher leaders. Some of the leadership topics addressed in the program's six courses include: maintaining a focus on student learning, adult learning and development, professional learning communities, use of data and data-driven decision making, cultural proficiency, collaborative coaching, and the process of change. The program is based on a practical, case study model and includes an action research component through which teacher leaders design, conduct, analyze, and share research on a real leadership challenge in their school or district. Web 2.0 tools are integrated throughout this online program, culminating in an online Exhibition of Learning. Graduate credits (18) are available from Cambridge College.
For more information: Contact David Troughton, Program Coordinator: dtroughton@mascd.org.
MyLearningPlan empowers Boston Public School teachers to take ownership of their professional growth and record keeping. More than a catalog of professional learning opportunities, it helps helps teachers improve their practice as they set professional learning goals and keep track of their individual professional development. MyLearningPlan allows teachers to evaluate the impact of courses in which they have participated, thus informing administrators about how to adjust professional development offerings so that they are more useful to teachers. In addition, teachers can communicate with one another by posting files or commenting about professional practices as they relate to specific professional development courses, and they can track how each professional development course is aligned with the Boston Public Schools' Acceleration Agenda goals, the Dimensions of Effective Teaching, and the Dimensions of Effective Leadership.
For more information: Contact Jenna Costin: mylearningplan@boston.k12.ma.us.
NBPTS Candidate Support: National Board Certification & TakeOne!
Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) leads to “better teaching, better learning, better schools.” Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met high and rigorous standards for their profession. In a congressionally mandated study, National Board Certification was recently recognized by the National Research Council as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development. Through the collaborative effort of Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union, BPS teachers can receive support to pursue National Board Certification or to complete one of its video-based portfolio entries through the TakeOne! program. NBPTS Candidate Support Providers offer support through writing seminars, videotaping sessions, and preparation for the assessment center portion of the process. Candidates are solely responsible for crafting their portfolios and completing the NBCT or TakeOne process. Financial support is available to cover a portion of the application fees, and successful BPS candidates are eligible to receive fee reimbursement as well as a 4% salary bonus.
For more information: Contact NBPTS Candidate Support Providers Karene-Sean Hines: khines@boston.k12.ma.us, 781.267.9122; Maggie Hoyt: mhoyt@boston.k12.ma.us; or Suzanne Gill: sgill@boston.k12.ma.us, 617.635.8750 X 41333.
The Principal Residency Network at the Center for Collaborative Education is a 15-month administrator training and credentialing program in partnership with Northeastern University that is centered on transformational leadership for equity and social justice. The program uses a residency-based medical model, pairing aspiring principals and teacher leaders from throughout Massachusetts with experienced, transformational principals. Teachers build leadership skills and reflective practice as they take on roles in their schools and study together in a cohort to build knowledge and skills in instructional leadership, organizational management, and family and community involvement. Graduates have gone on to principal, assistant principal, and district positions; however, 25% of graduates have remained in their schools to take on team leader roles, department head positions, director of instruction roles, or other leadership roles. They fill a critical need for multiple leaders in schools. Graduates must demonstrate competency in all Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education leadership standards.
For more information: Contact Meg Anderson, Director of Principal Residency Network: manderson@ccebos.org or 617.421.0134 x 232
The Project for School Innovation convenes teachers from across a school and between schools in action-research study groups throughout greater Boston. Using active reflection as a core method, PSI helps teachers design, facilitate, and document a process of inquiry that encourages a deepened understanding of quality instruction. PSI provides a forum in which teachers work together to understand and use data and assessments, give critical feedback on instructional technique, and address subject-specific challenges in a collegial way. Through an iterative process, teachers create their own guide with protocols and procedures that encourage excellent teaching and learning. PSI has a track record of documenting and disseminating teacher-driven innovations nationally and serves increasingly as an online resource where educators can learn and share with one another. PSI offers Study and Inquiry groups, a Whole School Asset Inventory, and Action Planning towards School Improvement and Redesign.
For more information: Contact Ruth Feldman, Executive Director: rfeldman@psinnovation.org or 617.825.703 x 3290
The T3 Initiative is a partnership between the Boston Public Schools and Teach Plus to recruit, develop, and support effective, experienced teachers to serve in our lowest-performing schools. The program was designed by teachers to address the problem of inequitable access to effective teachers in the highest-need schools. T3 teachers work together as teams of high-performing educators in low-performing schools. They are hired as a cohort that comprises at least 25% of the school faculty. The cohort receives training together and time for collaboration throughout the year during which T3 teachers develop and strengthen their skills for analyzing data, using data to inform classroom instruction, and leading teams of teachers. T3 teachers serve in a variety of leadership roles that facilitate the work of all teachers in the school to significantly increase student achievement.
For more information: Contact Meghan O’Keefe, Director: mokeefe@teachplus.org or www.t3teachers.org.
TeachPlus (T+) Network: Boston
The Boston T+ Network is an interactive discussion series featuring expert speakers, teacher-driven discussion with policymakers, and professional networking receptions. The T+ Network convenes a community of solutions-oriented teachers to generate and exchange ideas for improving the teaching profession. Through participation in the T+ Network, teachers learn about relevant, timely topics in education policy and gain access to local and national education leaders and decision-makers. Teachers weigh in using audience response technology that captures in-the-moment data to drive the discussion and push guest speakers' thinking. Conversation is structured to build teachers' understanding of how they can make a difference and be heard in local and national education policy decisions. Past events in Boston have featured US Department of Education Teacher Quality Advisor Brad Jupp, author of "How It's Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools" Karin Chenoweth, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Superintendent Carol Johnson, and Boston Teachers Union President Richard Stutman. T+ Network events are open to all teachers in urban, greater Boston public schools.
For more information: Contact Maria Fenwick, Executive Director: mfenwick@teachplus.org
TeachPlus Teaching Policy Fellowship
The Teaching Policy Fellowship engages outstanding "second stage" (years 3-10) teachers who are interested in having a voice in policy decisions that affect their classrooms. The fellowship is highly selective and attracts teachers with a broad array of experiences and leadership expertise. During the two-year fellowship, twenty teachers develop skills needed to be advocates for policy change at a district, state, and national level. Fellows learn how to interact successfully with policy leaders and research experts, analyze policy, and ultimately, advocate for reforms that will better serve students and retain excellent teachers in the profession. Fellows have authored nationally significant reports, briefs, and models and have appeared in panels nationwide that have brought greater attention to the voice of this incoming generation of teachers.
For more information: Contact Maria Fenwick, Executive Director: mfenwick@teachplus.org
Funding Opportunities
- American Federation of Teachers - a database of funding opportunities for continuing education, professional development, and the classroom.
- Associated Grant Makers - offering free resources and guidance for grant seekers, as well as members-only databases of funders.
- Fund for Teachers – provides Boston Public Schools teachers with summer grants to pursue rich summer learning and travel experiences.
- Grantsalert.com - a large, searchable, national database of funding for education projects, with additional links to funding resources.
- Public Education Network - weekly news and updates about awards, contests, competitions, as well as grants for students, teachers, schools and districts.