Agency into Action - Annenberg Institute for School Reform · 2019. 12. 19. · Agency into Action: Teachers as Leaders and Advocates for Public Education, Communities, and Social

Agency into ActionTeachers as Leaders and

Advocates for Public Education,

Communities, and Social Justice

&Advocacy

TeacherLeadership

Keith Catone

Marisa Saunders

Wendy Perez

Elise Harris

Ruby Miller-Gootnick

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LTCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

LITERATURE REVIEW What do we know about teacher leadership and advocacy?

DATA COLLECTION AND METHODS

FINDINGS

9 Why engage teachers as leaders and advocates?

12 How are profiled organizations dismantling challenges and barriers to leadership and advocacy?

16 What are the policy-oriented outcomes associated with teacher leadershipand advocacy?

RECOMMENDATIONS

20 Equity and social justice

20 Teacher preparation and professional development

21 Networks and professional learning communities

21 Partnering with communities

22 One of many

22 Talk must lead to action

LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONSCase profiles

23 Association of Raza Educators (ARE)

24 Badass Teachers Association (BATs)

24 Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ)

25 Chicago Teachers Union (CTU)

26 Educators for Excellence (E4E)

27 Teachers Unite (TU)

REFERENCES

APPENDIX AData collection and methods

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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The association between family wealthand educational outcomes has neverbeen more pronounced (Reardon2013). Growing income inequalityimpacts access to a range of opportu-nities, including high-quality pre-school, childcare, neighborhoods,healthcare, schools, and enrichmentactivities, all of which contribute tochildren’s well-being, skills, educa-tional attainment, and, in turn, lifechances. Although efforts to reformthe school – through increasedaccountability, increased choice, struc-tural adjustments, and technical inno-vations – have attempted to addressthe widening achievement and oppor-tunity gaps, they have yet to disruptthe structures, cultures, and practicesthat effectively maintain this system ofinequality.

In particular, these efforts have largelyfailed to improve what matters mostin the education of our children: theteaching and learning experiencesoffered. The Annenberg Institute forSchool Reform (AISR) at BrownUniversity conducted the TeacherLeadership and Advocacy (TLA) study

and efficacy of teachers by extendingtheir reach and impact. This studydocuments the work of a growingnumber of organizations that areworking to lift teachers’ voice,acknowledge and recognize teachers asprofessionals, and advocate on theirbehalf and that of their students.

This report describes AISR’s efforts togain a better understanding of theroles that teachers can play in affectingeducation policy outside of the class-room. Through case profiles of abroad range of organizations that areworking to create a culture thatcontinues to prioritize and valuepublic education, we situated ourresearch in relation to the advance-ment of educational equity. Webelieve that teachers are not neutraltransmitters of knowledge or mere“implementers.” Rather, teachers playa crucial role in the provision of a

to explore the role teachers can play(and are playing) in ensuring thatpublic education continues to be aforceful driver of social equity. Weexplore how teachers, alongside familyand community partners, are utilizingtheir experiences and expertise toshare new ideas and evidence that cancontinue to build an ecology for equi-table education reform. Specifically,we explore how teachers are leadingand engaging in advocacy for policychange that can lead to system changeand improvement.1

Teacher leadership and advocacy foreducation policy provide an opportu-nity for teachers to share their visionof public education and to shape itsdirection in a way that recognizesteachers’ shared responsibility to unitevoices and create a greater impact. TheTLA study does not contend thatteachers must do more – their focuson cultivating the cognitive, academic,and social development of everylearner in their classroom is more thana full-time job. Rather, we explorehow collective leadership and advo-cacy can foster the professional growth

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INTRODUCTION

1 For more on AISR’s work on teacher leader-ship, see Saunders et al. 2017.

Agency into Action: Teachers as Leaders and Advocates for Public Education, Communities, and Social Justice 2

quality education that is grounded inthe broader goal of social justice(Freire 2005). This study explores howthis role can extend beyond the class-room to include leadership and advo-cacy of policy.

Using qualitative methods, our studyconsisted of interviews with leadersand members of organizations locatedacross the country that are involved inthese efforts. We also profiled sixorganizations – the Association ofRaza Educators, Badass Teachers Asso-ciation, Center for Teaching Quality,Chicago Teachers Union, Educatorsfor Excellence, and Teachers Unite.

organizations, we elucidate why thesecollective efforts matter. These organi-zations aim not only to tap into teach-ers’ expertise, but also to democratizeeducation policy-making in order toimprove outcomes for students, fami-lies, and communities. Further, engag-ing teachers as leaders and advocatescan transform the teaching experienceand address the critical issue of teacherdissatisfaction and shortages.

The TLA organizations profileddemonstrate that a wide range ofstrategies can be employed to over-come those barriers that most oftenprevent teachers from leading andadvocating for policy developmentand improvement. By providingresources (including time) and creat-ing networks, TLA organizations areworking to dismantle current schooland system structures that maintainteacher isolation and prohibit collec-tive efforts to engage in leadership andadvocacy outside of the classroom.TLA organizations are also working toshift the public’s perception regardingthe teaching profession through thegeneration and dissemination of newknowledge, stories, and counter-narra-tives. We have kept in mind the diver-sity of effective teacher leadership andadvocacy efforts as we propose recom-mendations to successfully leveragethe dedicated work of TLA organiza-tions from across the spectrum ofform and function.

Together, these data helped us respondto three research questions:

• Why engage teachers as leaders andadvocates within policy-making?

• How are the profiled organizationsdismantling challenges and barriersto leadership and advocacy?

• What are the policy-orientedoutcomes of teacher leadership andadvocacy?

The pages that follow provide findingsand recommendations stemming fromour exploration of current efforts toactivate teacher voice outside of theclassroom. Based on interview datawith leaders and members of TLA

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There is increasing acknowledgmentamong researchers that teachers mustbe part of educational reform efforts(Rust 2009). Indeed, teacher leader-ship is seen as a key resource forimproving student learning (Darling-Hammond et al. 2009; Fullan 2001).Teacher leadership is defined as the“process by which teachers, individu-ally or collectively, influence theircolleagues, principals, and othermembers of school communities toimprove teaching and learning prac-tices with the aim of increased studentlearning and achievement” (York-Barr& Duke 2004, pp. 287–88).

Teachers are most likely to learn tolead effectively when they are able tosustain “ties with external organiza-tions and groups that supply intellec-tual, social, and material resources fortheir work” (Little 2003, p. 416).Research also indicates that whenteachers develop leadership skills, theyincrease their own teaching capacity,and have a positive effect on otherteachers, students, the school culture,and the academic outcomes of their

voice and advocacy, in collaborationwith the citations and advocacy ofresearchers (Hatch, Eiler White &Faigenbaum 2005).

students (Coggins & McGovern2014; Lumpkin, Claxton & Wilson2014). Providing teachers with theopportunity to influence the environ-ment in which they work can alsoimprove the retention rates of high-quality teachers (Aspen Institute2014).

Despite these findings on the benefitsof teacher leadership, few studies havefocused on the potential of teacherleadership at the system level; theyremain focused at the individualteacher, classroom, or school level. Afew studies, however, find that teacherleaders can have an impact outside theclassroom by using their expertise andcredibility to influence policy (Hatch,Eiler White & Faigenbaum 2005).These small-scale studies demonstrateways in which teacher leadership ismoving away from models that viewteacher leadership as the formalauthority of one teacher over others,and toward models that see it as theopportunity for teachers to collectivelyassert their influence on research andpolicy audiences through their own

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LITERATURE REVIEWWhat do we know about teacher leadership and advocacy?


advocacy can be viewed as both anoutcome of efforts to transform teach-ing and learning through equity, andas a means for transforming education.

Teacher leadership and advocacyreflect teacher agency – both individ-ual and collective. That is, teachers’work is supported through establish-ing relationships, breaking downbarriers, and marshaling resourcesthroughout a school or organizationin an effort to improve students’educational experiences and outcomes(York-Barr & Duke 2004; Ketelaar etal. 2012). Agency is not somethingteachers “have,” but something theydo or achieve (Priestley et al. 2015).Agency is also motivated – it is linkedto the intention to bring about achange in the future that is differentfrom the past or present (Emirbayer &Mische 1998). While the researchsuggests that agency is strongly influ-enced by the environment – throughthe interactions between individualsand contexts – the literature is oftenlimited to what happens in class-rooms, such as teachers enacting orresisting curricular content (Achin-stein & Ogawa 2006; Lasky 2005;Buxton et al. 2015). Indeed, researchhas found that teachers feel as thoughthey have little agency outside of theclassroom or school space.

In particular, teachers feel they havevery little influence in policy decisionsthat affect their everyday life (Gyurko2012). In order to achieve influencewithin policy, teachers rely heavily onadvocacy organizations that provideeducators with a large array of rolesdepending on the mission, function,or model of the organization itself.

These findings point to the value ofenabling teachers to develop leader-ship and advocacy skills, includingcommunication, inquiry, and collabo-ration that provide opportunities forthem to share their ideas and insightswith a range of audiences, includingtraditional policymakers. A review of the literature clearly demonstratesthat additional, larger-scale studies areneeded to examine teacher leadershipat the systems level (Ash & Persall2000).

Teacher advocacy builds on a founda-tion of knowledge, reflection, and self-awareness. It is directly linked to action and is fostered throughdialogue with other individuals via arange of avenues, including in-personcommunications and text (Peters &Reid 2009). The literature on teacheradvocacy often focuses on teachers asadvocates for particular populations ofstudents – for example, English learn-ers, special education students, orstudents with disabilities. This litera-ture makes clear that an advocacymodel for teacher development mustincorporate discursive practices thatchallenge existing practices, culturalbeliefs, and understandings (Peters &Reid 2009). For teachers to becomeeffective advocates they must asserttheir agency; understand how advo-cacy is exercised (as counter-hege-monic narratives to dominantideology, structures, and practices);and understand the relationshipbetween knowledge, reflection, andaction inherent in transforming beliefsystems, practices, and structures(Peters & Reid 2009). Importantly,

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These organizations work to increaseteacher agency by shaping andenhancing policy that increases theopportunities for teachers to asserttheir influence beyond the classroom,make decisions, and help frame futureactions (Priestley et al. 2015). Unionsremain the most prominent voices onbehalf of teachers, whereas organiza-tions focused on teacher voice oftenaim to provide an alternative platformfor teachers to be heard (Behrstock-Sherratt et al. 2014).

As depicted in Figure 1 and describedin the pages that follow, agency istransformed into action through lead-ership and advocacy efforts organizedby the membership of TLA organiza-tions. Shown by the two-way arrows,collective leadership and advocacyefforts, in turn, support teacheragency. Collective efforts focus ondisrupting oppressive systems ineducation and beyond, while connect-ing with students, parents, andcommunities. Through a range ofplatforms for policy and advocacy, theorganizations enable shared learningand collaboration toward advocacyand work directly to dismantle thosechallenges and barriers that oftenimpede these collective efforts.

The varied configurations identifiedamong TLA organizations allow fordiverse levels of advocacy. Someorganizations, for example, anchortheir efforts on curricular changes andframing policy discourse throughprofessional development, while otherorganizations focus more heavily ondirect policy engagement. The collec-tive efforts of TLA organizations canresult in policy outcomes at the

national, state, and local levels. TLAorganizations can provide a space forconnection and collective actiontowards sustainable efforts to advanceeducational equity and justice. Theseefforts also contribute to policy andpractice outcomes that help establishthe conditions and environments thatsupport teacher agency.

COLLECTIVE TEACHER LEADERSHIP

& ADVOCACY

Action linked to change

TEACHER AGENCY

Teachers identify an issue and believe they can

make a change

BARRIERS A

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ALL

ENG

ES D

ISM

AN

TLED

CON

DITIO

NS

THA

T SU

PP

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T TEACHER AGENCY

EducationalEquity & Justice

IMPACTS

More just and equitable practices, policies, and funding

FEDERAL

STATE

DISTRICT

SCHOOL

CLASSROOM

COMMUNITY

FIGURE 1 Teacher Leadership and Advocacy Conceptual Map


Data for this qualitative study werecollected in three distinct phases:informational interviews, a conveningof teachers, and case profiles.

Informational interviews wereconducted with key leaders in theeducation field from 18 identifiedteacher leader organizations locatedacross the nation. Using a snowballsampling methodology, we inter-

Illinois. The purpose of the conveningwas to gain knowledge and perspectivefrom classroom teachers who wereinvolved in teacher leadership andadvocacy for education policy throughorganizational membership. Partici-pants came from 18 school districts,13 states, and 14 organizations.

Based on information gatheredthrough the informational interviews

viewed leaders from organizations wewere aware of and asked a series ofquestions that enabled us to under-stand the range of efforts nationwide.We also inquired about other knownorganizations and/or efforts engagedin promoting and supporting teacherleadership and advocacy.

A two-day convening of teachers was held in April 2017 in Chicago,

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DATA COLLECTION AND METHODS

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and convening, six organizations wereselected for case profiles. Profilesaimed to offer a better understandingof how teachers engage in policy lead-ership and advocacy. Selected sitesrepresented organizations working oneducational policy in local, state,and/or national contexts. All organiza-tions selected for participation priori-tized the membership of classroomteachers and aimed to lift the voices oftheir membership and the communityin setting the policy advocacy agenda.Additionally, we selected sites thatexplicitly claimed an equity and socialjustice agenda. Organizations selectedused diverse methods of policy advo-cacy, including but not limited toorganization advocacy, labor unionorganizing, social media, grassrootsactivism, and professional develop-ment. Through one-on-one interviewswith organizational staff, teacher lead-ers, and other key organizationalstakeholders, we gained perspectives

on teacher advocacy and policymak-ing; the range of assumed teacherroles; supports required; the outcomesand impact of identified efforts; andchallenges. This report is based on theanalyses of these data.

Appendix A provides additional infor-mation on data collection methodsand analysis.


Six organizations are at the center of this study. Each organization hasdeveloped diverse strategies to supportteacher leadership and advocacy,resulting in varied outcomes.2

• The Association of Raza Educators(ARE) is a grassroots, membership-driven organization composed ofeducators, university professors,students, and community allies.Working together, ARE membersadvance critical social and politicalconsciousness and Raza liberation.Through praxis workshops andstatewide conferences, it advocatesfor Ethnic Studies in Californiaand beyond.

• Badass Teachers Association (BATs)is also a grassroots, membership-driven organization. It has a strongnational online presence, and itsadvocacy and policy efforts supportthe importance of teacher voice aswell as student-centered education.BATs members engage in policythrough a number of actions,including running for electedoffices and testifying in publicspaces.

leading voice in the policies thatimpact their students and profes-sion. E4E drives change by build-ing a movement of teachers,identifying and training teacherleaders, creating policy recommen-dations, advocating for the implementation of their recom-mendations, and scaling the modelto reach critical mass in thecommunities they serve.

• Teachers Unite (TU) is a New YorkCity–based nonprofit teacher lead-ership organization that works totransform schools into democraticand inclusive places by buildingpower through union participation,organizing, and transformative/restorative justice approaches. TUstands with coalitions that call forthe end of racist disciplinary poli-cies in schools and the implemen-tation of policies that invest in thesafety and dignity of all students.

• The Center for Teaching Quality(CTQ) is a national non-profit thataims to improve public educationby tapping into the “bold ideas andexpert practices of teachers.” Mostteachers engage with CTQ throughthe CTQ Collaboratory, a virtuallearning space. Members identifythe Collaboratory as providing animportant space to “connect” withother educators and to share theirstories of impact. Through articles,blogs, and book chapters, teacherleaders are able to spread theirinfluence beyond their networks.

• The Chicago Teachers Union(CTU) is a labor union engaged insocial justice advocacy and policy.Since 2010, CTU has made thecollective activity of members thecore of the union. The role ofunion leadership has been tosupport, facilitate, and activateteacher voice.

• Educators for Excellence (E4E) is anational nonprofit that championsbetter outcomes for students andthe elevation and prestige of theteaching profession. E4E’s missionis to ensure that teachers have a

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FINDINGS

2 For more detailed profiles of the organizationsand their strategies, see pages 23–27.

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Together, these organizations serve asthe main protagonists in the largerstory we aim to tell about teacherleadership and advocacy. Organized byour research questions, we offer thefollowing thematic narratives, usingthe voices of staff and teacher leadersfrom each of these organizations tobring them to life.

Why engage teachers as leaders and advocates?

The TLA organizations profiled recog-nize that teachers come to the profes-sion with the belief that they canmake a difference in the lives of theirstudents – both within the classroomand beyond. Teacher agency is basedon this belief. Through leadership andadvocacy, teachers are provided theopportunity to exercise, with greaterinfluence, their agency within theschool setting and system, and to helpshape the profession. Through leader-ship and advocacy, teachers workcollectively to execute their ideas –ideas that are based on their knowl-edge of students, families, andcommunities. Teacher leadership andadvocacy also contribute to the profes-sion’s sustainability and advancement,as constructive and collective engage-

or having a say in what decisions arebeing made is where the problemcomes in – that’s where the disconnectis.” Notably, the organizations profiledwork to advance policy and shape thepolicy agenda. They help identify andlift up the needs, ideas, and innova-tions of teachers and share these ideasbroadly. Teachers are seen as leaders in policymaking rather than solelyresponders and implementers. As ateacher from E4E shared, althoughhistorically teachers’ work has beenlimited to the implementation ofpolicy, “Teachers should be engaged inthe policy creation process . . . policyimplementation . . . and in the evalua-tion of that great idea.” The tradi-tional, top-down approach has “failedto capture the expertise of the peoplewho are going to be doing the doing.”

Members of organizations shared theirfrustration that their agendas arelargely reactionary. In the case ofCTU, for example, members feel the continued and ongoing need to“respond” to the politics and the policies of the district and the cityalthough they have worked hard to setout proactive visions for the schoolsand city that Chicago students deserve(Chicago Teachers Union 2012;

ment leads to greater teacher satisfac-tion and retention.

TO TAP INTO TEACHERS’ EXPERTISEThe most robust finding is the consis-tent respect for and framing of teacherexpertise as imperative to the educa-tion policymaking process. While thisfinding may seem obvious, it is stillimportant to report. Even as a greatdeal has been written regarding theneed to apply and amplify the practi-cal experiences, expertise, and knowl-edge of teachers, teachers still feelwoefully underutilized and evenignored in education policy-making(Hatch, Eiler White & Faigenbaum2005). However, among leaders andmembers of TLA organizations, thereis widespread understanding thatteachers are best positioned to bothimplement policy and lend their peda-gogical and content knowledge,expertise, and familiarity withstudents and families to understandhow policy plays out on the ground inclassrooms, schools, and communities.

“I think it’s important to involveteachers in advocacy work because[they are] impacted the most,” ateacher from BATs explains. “Notbeing able to have a seat at the table

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Noonan, Farmer & Huckaby 2014).Like the other organizations profiled,CTU members are not afraid tocritique their educational systems.Members prioritize responding tocommunity needs and partnering withthem to advance high-quality educa-tion. An ARE interviewee shared:

We are extremely critical of thesystem of which we’re a part. . . . We don’t romanticize that we aseducators are going to liberate every-body, but I think we are critical ofourselves, we’re critical of the system,we’re critical of even some of theleadership that we work under. Wehave administrators within ourmembership, and it’s good, becausewe get that varied perspective of howto work within the system, how towork from the outside, how to workwith community members.

TO DEMOCRATIZE EDUCATIONPOLICY FOR BETTER SCHOOLS ANDUPLIFTING COMMUNITIES

For many teachers and TLA organiza-tions, the critical perspective describedin the previous paragraphs leads to asecond purpose for engaging teachersas leaders and advocates that centerson the democratization of educationpolicy for better schools and strongercommunities. At the core of much ofthe work discussed by members ofTLA organizations is the goal to createmore just and equitable schools.Indeed, as one member of TU shared,

The overarching goals of TeachersUnite are to work with parents, andyouth, and community to work onsocial justice issues that the union isnot, and eventually have unionmembers driving the agenda of theunion, so that those resources areused to improve the quality ofeducation in New York City.

Another member shared how CTUhas experimented with canvasses inthe school community through unionmeetings followed by door knockingto “talk about legislative and citycouncil initiatives and why it’s impor-tant getting parents involved in thosethings.”

TO INCREASE TEACHER SATISFACTIONAND RETENTION

In addition to the important implica-tions teacher leadership and advocacyhave for the policymaking processitself, there are benefits for teachersthemselves.

Lack of funding and resources, lack oftime, lack of opportunity to collabo-rate and engage with colleagues, poorcompensation, poor working condi-tions, and a lack of a supportiveschool climate are just some of thefactors that contribute to low teachersatisfaction and retention rates(Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond 2017). For example,recent emphasis on teacher evaluationhas created atmospheres in whichteachers feel attacked and unsup-ported. “When we are being observedor evaluated the feedback is not basedon what we’re doing and the quality ofwhat we’re doing. It’s what we shouldbe doing, based on an arbitrary frame-work,” stated one CTU member.“Those are things that make educatorsso stressed and consider everything tobe their fault. It’s less likely they’ll stayin the profession. It’s way too stressful.. . . Those relationships that makeeducation a positive experience,they’re not there.”

In addition to the likelihood ofimproved policies, implementation,schools, and communities as a result

Similarly, a BATs teacher explained,“true teacher leadership for us has tohave social justice.” Teacher leader-ship, she continues, requires identify-ing and working toward changingthose factors that impact students’lives and learning: “You’ve got to callout poverty.” Embedded in thisapproach is the core assumption thatteachers should be supported to act insolidarity with the communities inwhich they teach. By engaging ineducation policy work in ways thatframe their involvement as alongsidestudents, families, and communities,teachers develop sensibilities, policies,and practices that align with the inter-ests of each of these constituencies. Asa CTQ member stressed,

If we are really serious about equi-table public schools for all kids, . . .to me, the primary advocacy voiceshould be the people who know thework and know the students thebest, and those are two stakeholdergroups, parents and teachers.

CTU’s work makes it apparent howimportant and effective it can be fororganized teachers to create opportu-nities for the engagement of entirecommunities in advancing solutionsto educational policy challenges. Theunion supports teachers to engagewith parents not only about academicissues, but regarding important policythat impacts public schools. As onemember explained,

We have done a lot of that in termsof flyer-ing at elementary schools inparticular, because that is whereparents drop off and pick up, so thatyou’re expanding exponentially thenumber of people who are poten-tially involved in advocating for asolution to the budget crisis orschool funding formula, etc.

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of teacher leadership and advocacy,study participants shared how theirengagement in leadership and advo-cacy can improve the teaching experi-ence (and hence, retention) even inthe midst of existing educational chal-lenges. To some extent, the lack ofrelationships cited earlier is mitigatedby engagement with a TLA organiza-tion. One E4E participant shared,“knowing that there’s this network ofother teachers” and “knowing thatthey can effect change, and that theycan engage beyond the classroom”contributes to a positive experience.The networks created by advocacy andpolicy can break the isolation thatteachers can feel as a result of schoolschedules and structures that impedethe opportunity for collaboration andprofessional learning. As one TUmember reflected, “I think it helps alittle bit with burnout. It can feelreally isolating to be a teacher. It canfeel really isolating at your school. . . .It also can be really depressing andpart of the burnout.” The teachershared that by joining TU, “it gives

this general us against them – teach-ers against admin – attitude. It’salways like a war. . . . There is thismistrust. People speaking for you arenot speaking for you, for your inter-est. If teachers get involved in theseways they are more likely to feelownership and to have a sense oftrust.

The rationale for why we need toengage teachers as leaders and advo-cates for education policy is clear.Policy is better for the integration ofteacher expertise in its developmentand implementation. The deepeningof our democratic practices can onlyfurther advance the integrity of publiceducation as a foundational resourcefor our nation’s democracy. Andteachers who feel supported andheard, and who have a sense of owner-ship of their work, will serve as thekind of teachers all of our students,families, and communities deserve.TLA organizations understand theseimperatives.

people some of the prestige that youdon’t really get from the teachingprofession.” The opportunity to leadworkshops and share ideas boosts ateacher’s sense of recognition, impact,and ownership. “You don’t get treatedvery nicely as a teacher, so the fact thatI got flown to Oregon to go to aconference felt nice.”

Furthermore, positive relationships arebased upon trust. In too many schoolsthe distrust between teachers, admin-istrators, district officials, and policy-makers breeds counterproductiveeducational environments. However,teacher engagement in policy andadvocacy can advance positive teach-ing attitudes and leadership (NationalNetwork of State Teachers of the Year2015). As one member of AREexpressed:

Teachers who get involved in [lead-ership and advocacy] are more likelyto have really positive attitudestowards their jobs. . . . A lot ofteachers are extremely disgruntledand generally unhappy and there is


How are profiled organizationsdismantling challenges andbarriers to leadership and advocacy?

Organizational leaders and membersidentified a wide range of challengesand barriers that impede the leader-ship and advocacy efforts of teachers.As described in this section, each ofthe profiled organizations attemptedto meet these challenges straight on.Among those barriers most often citedwere lack of time for teachers to takeon leadership positions and to advo-cate for new policy or policy changes;current school and system structuresthat maintain teacher isolation andprohibit collective efforts to engage inleadership and advocacy outside of theclassroom; and the struggle to shift thepublic’s perception regarding theirprofession. As this section highlights,leaders and members of TLA organi-zations worked to dismantle theseobstacles through collaboration andthe power of collective efforts andlearning.

For a newer teacher, you spend yourfirst three years figuring out whatyou’re teaching – you’re just feeling itout, what works and what doesn’t. . .. If you don’t get teachers, especiallyyounger teachers, involved in advo-cating as an educator and as aprofessional early on you lose them.You lose them.

The timing of policy-making eventsalso poses a challenge. As participantsshared, these events, more often thannot, take place during the school yearand during school hours. Accordingly,as one TU member pointed out, “a lotof things that we get invited to [like]policy working groups, meetings,whatever, are during the school day,and so teachers and students can’t go.”An E4E member shared, “if a teacherwanted to share their story they wouldhave to take a day off of school to gointo the legislature and testify, andsome contracts are more challengingthan others in allowing that tohappen.”

Some organizations countered timechallenges by offering resources torelease teachers for policy and advo-cacy activities. E4E enables teachers toengage in activities outside of theclassroom by providing funds forsubstitute teachers. CTU also offersresources to release teachers from theclassroom. While providing releasetime for members is helpful, it doesn’tresolve the issue. As a CTU membershared, “A lot of times what we see isthat there is a level of frustration thatwe aren’t doing enough to effect thekind of change necessary to reallytransform lives in meaningful ways.”Lack of time prevents teachers fromdoing more.

TIME

Study participants discussed howmuch time teachers dedicate topreparing and teaching their classes.Ensuring that students’ learning needsare met – academic, health, and social– requires teachers to prioritize thedemands of the classroom; partici-pants felt that the time and energythey could devote to other activitieswas limited. Participants shared howthe issue of time is especially challeng-ing for those who are assigned morepreps, and/or are working in schoolenvironments where student, family,and community needs are greater.Newer teachers are especially vulnera-ble to time constraints. As an AREmember shared, newer teachers mightnot be able to envision a worldbeyond the classroom, and strengthen-ing their content and pedagogicalexpertise might require an overwhelm-ing amount of additional time.However, teachers must recognize,early on, the critical role of leadingand advocating for policy:

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CTQ is working to alleviate the chal-lenge of time by advocating for hybridteacher positions and structuralchanges. Hybrid roles enable teachersto lead in and out of their schools anddistricts. Hybrid teachers spend timeboth in the classroom and outside ofthe classroom “incubating and execut-ing ideas for teaching and learningreforms at the school, district, state,and national levels” (Berry 2015). Inaddition to engaging teachers andserving as virtual coaches throughwebinars and writing extensivelyabout policies and practices, teachersin these hybrid roles also serve toredesign the school so that teachershave increased time and opportunityto share their expertise with theircolleagues.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TOCOLLABORATION

Time constraints are also related toanother challenge widely cited by TLAorganizations – the limited opportu-nity to connect with peers and part-ners. For most teachers, theopportunity to network or collaboratewith other teachers is limited to theirbrief “prep” period or scheduled(weekly or monthly) professionaldevelopment. Teachers spend most oftheir time disconnected from theircolleagues – planning, teaching, andreflecting on their practice alone. TheTLA organizations profiled aimed toaddress this challenge by providingteachers with the opportunity tonetwork and collaborate with otherteachers, community partners, andother key stakeholders. As one teacherfrom BATs shared, “I got online and Istarted researching, and I found this

because they don’t know if [theirparticipation] will make a difference,but part of our job as delegates andactivists is to make them realize thatit does make a difference. . . . I tellthem, “I know you’re afraid of strik-ing or I know you’re afraid of thereactions to fight back, but youshould be more afraid of whathappens if you aren’t vocal and youdon’t fight back.”

CTU interviewees indicated that fearof retaliation often works to keepteachers isolated in their classrooms.Speaking out against particular poli-cies and injustices and demandingchange of the system (especially thesystem that provides one’s paycheck)requires risk-taking. According to afew participants, fear was the biggestbarrier to teachers’ engagement inleadership and advocacy of policy. As aCTU teacher conveyed,

A lot of teachers don’t feel they havethe same protections. Tenure doesn’tmean much anymore. Schools cantarget you for your evaluation orthere is constantly instability withlayoffs. . . . People always worrythey’re on the chopping block.

To meet goals and achieve objectives,members indicated that TLA organi-zations must work to remove barriersnot only among teachers but alsobetween teachers, the community, andother key stakeholders. As a CTUmember shared, “There is strength innumbers. . . . Having community andparents is key to that.” Similarly, amember of TU indicated, “I don’tthink that Teachers Unite hasimpacted city, state, or national policy

group. It was a support system. Ithelped me to find my voice and beable to know that I’m not standing bymyself.” The member continued, “toknow that there are other teachersacross the nation that are facing thesame problem, and they’re supportingme, it’s an invisible solidarity.”

While many members of TLA organi-zations indicated that they initiallyjoined the organization to addresstheir feelings of isolation, theirmembership quickly took on newmeaning. Interviewees indicated thattheir membership meant more thanjust being with “like-minded” individ-uals – it was about taking actioncollectively. Interviewees shared that itwas important for them to movebeyond “just talking about the prob-lem” to coming up with an actionplan to address the problem andacting collectively to implement theplan. As a leader of CTQ pointed out,teachers have always been involved inadvocating for changes in policy. “Weknew a policy was not functioningeffectively and so we would find aworkaround.” However, as the CTQleader points out, historically “wecouldn’t do that as a group in thesystem, we could [only] do that asindividuals.” Membership in TLAorganizations provides members withthe knowledge that that their individ-ual efforts are related to a collectiveendeavor.

Members of TLA organizations recog-nized that part of their work alsoentails conveying to other teachersthat their voices can make a differ-ence. As one CTU member shared,

There are definitely some teachersthat want to hide in their classroom,


on our own. . . . Our whole model isabout doing it in collaboration withyoung people and families at the citylevel and at our individual schoollevels.” Members of TLA organiza-tions hoped to lead and to work withother leaders across the school hallway,the district, the city, state, or nation increating and shaping educationalpolicy and reform that best meets theneeds of all students. An E4E membershared, “there are a lot of smart peopletrying to move the system, and now Isee how my work connects, and now I have this other resource.”

Networks not only work to bringteachers together and reinforce a senseof a shared purpose and collectivestruggle, but they also bolster multipleroles and capacities for teachers.Profiled organizations tapped into theknowledge that teachers learn bestfrom other teachers and have thecapacity to lead; to share their ideas,experiences, and expertise; and toinspire their colleagues, students,families, and community to supportneeded policy or change. Membershipin TLA organizations can provideteachers with the opportunity toacquire and/or further develop thetools and skills necessary to take onthese multiple roles that function tobreak down barriers.

As a leader of CTQ shared, we areworking to “thin the classroom walls.”

generating new knowledge thatdirectly challenged existing practices,normative beliefs, and understandings.

TLA organization leaders andmembers, for example, indicated thatto effectively shift the public’s percep-tion of teachers, it is vital for teachersto feel valued and engaged withintheir own school settings. TLA organi-zations indicated that they providedsupport to members to shift howcolleagues engaged with each other atthe school level. An ARE membershared,

We can go deep with the work,because we’re capable of it. . . . It’sbeen really, really, really empoweringfor us to see that people trust us tohelp them with that. We have beenhelping in our professional develop-ment not just to show them how toget ethnic studies off the ground interms of the actual content, struc-ture, and the pedagogy, but we havealso been helping them with devel-oping their organizing skills. . . .We’re helping them to organize inorder to get resolutions passed bytheir board, and using the commu-nity as pressure to make it happen.

TLA organizational members alsoindicated that they felt confidentabout their ability to contribute to the improvement of the school, andplayed a key role in creating a schoolculture where their contributions werevalued.

To shift public perceptions, the TLAorganizations we profiled also aimedto persuade their membership thatteachers needed to engage in issuesbeyond the classroom or school siteand partner with parents and other

SHIFTING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONSTHROUGH THE GENERATION OF NEWKNOWLEDGE

Teachers in the United States feel theirwork and efforts are undervalued.Indeed, results from the Teaching andLearning International Surveyconducted by the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Develop-ment (OECD) demonstrate that while American teachers work hardertoday under much more challengingconditions than teachers elsewhere inthe industrialized world, two-thirdsfeel their profession is not valued bysociety – an indicator, according tothe OECD, that ultimately impactsstudent achievement (Darling-Hammond 2014). For the many lead-ers and members of the organizationswho participated in this study, whenteachers’ voices are heard, and whentheir opinions, ideas, and expertise aresought after by others, including poli-cymakers, we will begin to move inthe right direction towards valuingteachers and their contributions. As aleader of E4E shared,

We don’t think about the intangibleelement of power and how drainingit is to be in a profession where youfeel like your voice doesn’t matter, itdoesn’t matter how hard you’reworking, it doesn’t matter what greatideas you have about how the systemcould work better for kids, none ofthat matters. That’s really drainingand exhausting.

Participating TLA organizationsaimed to shift the public perceptionsof the teaching profession through arange of strategies. While the strate-gies employed varied across organiza-tions they shared a common focus on

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stakeholders. One CTU membershared:

Part of [the work] is having toughconversations around where you, as ateacher, see this headed if you’re . . .not engaging in more explicitlypolitical conversations and develop-ing relationships with yourcolleagues and parents in the broadercommunity. . . . We [are in a] betterposition to improve conditions forourselves and others and thestudents you care about, and that’swhy you got into this work. We’resaying, “Everybody deserves health-care. Everybody deserves adequatehousing. Everybody needs a decentjob. Every community has to haveanti-violence initiatives that candisrupt this epidemic. And in partic-ular the communities most afflictedwith divestment, institutionalracism, historical neglect.” That hasresonated and helped people tounderstand that our roles don’t endat the bell.

By working alongside partners tomake changes within and acrosscommunities, the talent and commit-ment of teachers is recognized beyondthe school setting.

To ensure teachers gain the legitimacyboth within and outside of the schoolsetting to begin to shift perceptions,participating TLA organizations indi-cated that they worked to providemembers with the necessary skills,knowledge, and tools. At E4E, leadersspoke about how teachers acquirethese skills:

We run a teacher policy team everyyear, where certain teachers gothrough this process of developingtheir skills as researchers. They’re likea cohort model, and then they craft

the child. If the things that we’redoing or the things that they’retelling [us] to do are not working,it’s causing more harm than help,then your role is to be that child’svoice. That’s the message that educa-tors need.

CTQ provides a suite of tools thatfocus on creating and sharing storiesof teacher expertise, and impact. Thetools help teachers develop complexand multifaceted stories that “showevidence-based impact on student

the policy paper. We also simultane-ously run advocacy teams, wherethey’re building their skills on howto vision what a campaign shouldbe, how to do assessment, powermapping of who the stakeholdersare, how to develop strategy andtactics, and then how to executethose tactics.

A BATs member shared how a criticalcomponent of their work is “educatingthe educator.” She shared,

You got in this for the students . . .to make a difference and to inspire


growth and teacher growth. . . .[These stories] are driven by evidence,intentional outcomes, audience, andbold calls to action” (Byrd 2017).

Through TLA trainings, and byattending meetings, teachers shareknowledge; generate new knowledge;and build, develop, and/or scaffold theskills of teachers for effectivelyinforming public discourse aroundeducation policy. A leader of CTQnotes that when their organizationbegan to provide guidance andmentorship to support shared learningand storytelling, membership grewquickly. He states, “We began to groweven more when those teacherslearned systematically how to articu-late powerful stories from their prac-tice and from evidence which CTQcontinued to help teachers assemble.”

federal level across various policyissues. National organizations focusedon broader issues that, at times, werealso addressed locally. Some instancesof success consisted of actual policywins while others worked hard toframe key policy conversations.

We acknowledge that each of theorganizations profiled leveragesdistinct and/or multiple sources ofinfluence. CTU, for example, canharness people power through itsdistrict-wide membership. ThroughE4E’s resources (e.g., funds and paidstaff ), it can provide organizingsupport and has the potential to assistteachers and schools with release timeand other needed provisions. WhileARE, BATs, and TU rely on teachervolunteerism, the close ties tostudents, families, and communityprovide a powerful source of influ-ence. Meanwhile, CTQ leverages its

What are the policy-orientedoutcomes associated withteacher leadership and advocacy?

When teachers are empowered tocollectively engage in policy and advo-cacy efforts, it can result in more equi-table schools and more socially justcommunities. Teachers are connectedto students, parents, and their schoolsites, and therefore represent a power-ful and uniquely positionedconstituency in the realm of educationpolicy. All six of the organizationsprofiled shared compelling outcomesin the context of their policy andadvocacy efforts.

POLICY “WINS” INFORMED BYTEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISESeveral policy wins discussed byorganization members were enhancedby the knowledge and experience ofteachers. There was a wide array ofpolicy focus ranging from the local to

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strong district ties to create opportuni-ties for teachers to advance curricularchanges in the classroom and beyondschool walls.

What follows are brief examples of thedifferent ways in which TLA organiza-tions approached influencing policiesin various contexts. The examples weshare are by no means exhaustive ofthe issues and strategies from eachorganization, but rather provide awide overview of the diverse ways inwhich TLA organizations can influ-ence education policy.

Three organizations from this study –BATs, CTQ, and E4E – operatenationally. Although they have verydifferent organizational structures and focus on different issues, they alloperate with a national frame thatshapes local action and intervention.The remaining TLA organizationsincluded in this study are more locallyfocused. ARE operates statewide inCalifornia, but our interviews engagedmembers who are all teaching in theLos Angeles area. The other twoorganizations operate primarily withina single large city – CTU in Chicagoand TU in New York City. Notsurprisingly, the focus of these organi-zations was more localized overall,enabling them to approach policyissues in ways that included robustcommunity collaborations andengagement.

Badass Teachers Association (BATs)BATs is a nonprofit organization runby a board of directors and has a largenational membership. Overall, BATshas consistently voiced concernsregarding issues such as standardizedtesting, Common Core Standards,

supports its teacher members todevelop the knowledge and skills tobecome effective advocates with peers,administrators, elected officials, andother educational stakeholders.

In addition to the focus on federalpolicy, E4E members have alsoapplied their energy to local andstatewide issues by engaging with and influencing local power brokers in education reform. For example,they have worked to engage with thelocal teachers’ union in Los Angeles,UTLA, around key policy issues. OneE4E member reported:

They just passed a motion pushingfor UTLA to include in its positionthat the district spend 50 percent ofits existing professional developmentbank time, time that already exists,on instruction, and specificallyinstruction for the implementationof the next generation science stan-dards and Common Core.

She noted that currently this time canbe spent on anything. This workrepresents the organization’s efforts totranslate its focus on national issues tothe localized context.

Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ)CTQ is an “action tank” that iscommitted to connecting, readying,and mobilizing teacher leaders totransform the teaching profession.CTQ not only identifies and analyzesempirical evidence of the factors thatmatter most in improving teachingand learning, but also works toprepare teachers to integrate thisresearch with policy and their ownexperiences, as they advocate forstudents and the profession. CTQprovides a space for teachers to learn

and the expansion of charter schools.While much of their activity isfocused on generating widespreadsocial media activity (e.g., “Twitterstorms”) about key issues at strategicmoments, this larger discursive fram-ing work has influenced local action aswell. For example, one BATs leaderdiscussed the treatment of childrenwhose families had opted out of stan-dardized testing in a local district:

[School and district officials] werethreatening parents that if theydidn’t bring their kids during thetesting time – if they brought theirkids in after the testing time – theywere going to make them sit thetime in the afternoon, so they wouldmiss gym, they would miss art, theywould miss all the afternoon activi-ties and just make them sit the timethat they should have sat for the test.

As a result of these actions, there isnow policy written that enablesstudents to read during the testingperiod, and that respects the rights ofthe families that refuse testing. As theleader explains, “and that was becauseof the support that I got from BATs.”

Educators for Excellence (E4E)E4E is also nationally based and hasfocused on a number of polices andissues with national significance likethe Every Student Succeeds Act(ESSA), Deferred Action for Child-hood Arrivals (DACA), and theCommon Core State Standards.Member surveys, focus groups, andone-on-one meetings betweenmembers and staff shape E4E’snational and local policy priorities.Through a series of trainings, E4E


from other teacher leaders (throughstories), and how to engage with otherstakeholders to craft and implementeducation policy.

Although CTQ’s organizational activi-ties are not directly aimed at specificadvocacy for particular policies, CTQhas successfully shifted conversationsabout teacher leadership in a way thathas subsequently influenced policy-makers. “We have impacted theconversation in very subtle ways whereother organizations and even Depart-ments of Education are talking aboutteacher leadership in different ways,” aCTQ leader explained. “I didn’t wantit to become a buzzword. I didn’t wantteacher leadership to just be one ofthose words that then leaves a power-ful idea behind it.” As such, CTQ hasdefined teacher leadership to helpframe ongoing conversations at alllevels, “not just the classroom but alsoat the highest levels of educationpolicy crafting.” In doing so, a grow-ing number of schools and systems areturning towards teachers for designand decision-making authority.

teachers and English teachers that mayor may not have ethnic studies train-ing in those positions, and for curricu-lum development.” As an organizationthat promotes critical pedagogy,democratic education, communityand student activism, and self-deter-mination, the Ethnic Studies Nowcampaign provided an effective plat-form for their teacher leadership andadvocacy work to take hold and root.

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU)CTU works primarily at the districtlevel. In recent years, CTU has cham-pioned against school closures andpartnered closely with communities intheir policy and advocacy efforts.Through its push to stop schoolclosures, limit unmonitored charterschool growth, and decrease class sizes,CTU believes it is has made signifi-cant impacts. According to one

Association of Raza Educators (ARE)ARE members focused on district-wideand statewide issues centered on EthnicStudies and decolonizing education.One member summarized, “We’rehelping [ARE members] to organize inorder to get resolutions passed by theirboard, using the community as pres-sure to make it happen.” Through aclose focus on the Ethnic Studies Nowcampaign – a statewide effort withlocal community roots – ARE hassuccessfully worked to enact changewithin California, and continues topush for the growth and sustainabilityof ethnic studies curricula.

As one member shared, “Here in thestate of California we were instrumen-tal in helping getting AB 2016passed.”3 Members explained thatARE is currently working with theEthnic Studies Now campaign toencourage the state senate to investfunds to support ethnic studiesbecause “right now there is no moneyin the budget set aside to ensure thatwe have well-trained teachers, thatwe’re not just putting social studies

3 AB 2016, signed into law in California onSeptember 13, 2016, establishes model ethnicstudies curriculum for all schools in the state.

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member, CTU’s work “really demon-strate[ed] the racial injustice of schoolclosings and . . . the mayor has had toput a moratorium on closings as aresult.” In addition, “Being able tobargain around class size again was ahuge accomplishment.” CTU doesnot see its leadership and advocacy assolely limited to within schools. Infact, their 2015 report, A Just Chicago:Fighting for the City Our StudentsDeserve, makes it clear that CTU isconcerned with the broader social andcivic fabric of the city. Speaking aboutCTU’s organizing work, one memberreflected,

I think it makes [teachers] moreactive and it also changes their viewson the world and how things arerun. It gets them more involved inpolitics. During our mayoral elec-tion and other city council electionsa couple years ago we had so manyteachers active and probably teachersthat didn’t even vote before orweren’t active at all were campaign-ing, and we got a teacher elected tocity council, we got the mayor in arunoff election for the first time inhistory in Chicago. So I just think itmakes people overall more active,not only within their schools but inthe community and in civic life.

Teachers Unite (TU)TU’s work focuses locally, within itsNew York City home. While broadlyinterested in democratizing the teach-ers’ union, TU uses school-basedorganizing to build leadership andcapacity of teachers to advocate andact for educational justice. TU’s major

expertise and knowledge of teachers to initiate conversations focused ontransforming schools and systems intomore equitable and just environments.As a result, schools and communitiescan benefit from better-informed andcrafted policy and more effectiveimplementation. The diversity ofcollective teacher leadership and advo-cacy efforts we have captured here caninform the field with regard to howbest to leverage the work of TLAorganizations from across the spec-trum of form and function.

focus area has been the institution ofrestorative justice practices, and theorganization has forged ties with othercommunity partners to address thisissue. TU views restorative justice asan entry point into broader socialjustice policy work. As one TUmember explained,

We’re not about supporting educatorsto learn restorative justice as a class-room management technique. Webelieve that it’s part of a larger resist-ance to racist policies and practicesand that it needs to be connected inthat way – as active resistance to theschool-to-prison pipeline, as activeresistance to incarceration.

In a national context, TU is the onlyteacher-led organization to be part ofthe Dignity in Schools Campaign(DSC), which promotes positiveapproaches to school discipline. Withother local DSC partners, TU hasaccomplished district-wide policy winsrelated to the student discipline codeand the limitation of suspensions. Inaddition, along with its DSC partners,TU has helped win financial resourcesto support schools to be part of adistrict-wide Restorative Justice PilotProgram. Through the program,schools receive funds to hire restora-tive justice coordinators and tosupport staff professional develop-ment.

There are a wide variety of ways inwhich TLA organizations work toinfluence education policy around anarray of important issues. Operating atnational, state, and district levels, TLAorganizations are able to leverage the


Teachers are critical stakeholders inour educational system. We rely onteachers, who engage directly withstudents, to ensure that the learningneeds of students are met. But whileteachers can often direct what happenswithin their classroom, teachers areseldom provided the opportunity toassert influence outside of that realmand it seems their voice is almostcompletely lost in the educationpolicy context. However, the circum-stances we describe are not withoutremedy. There are a wide variety ofTLA organizations that work hard tosupport teachers as leaders and advo-cates for education policies that caneffectively contribute to improvedschools, communities, and studentoutcomes. The recommendations thatfollow lay out some key considerationsfor funders and education intermedi-aries to keep in mind when thinkingabout how teachers’ expertise andknowledge can be leveraged to informeducation policy. This set of recom-mendations also contributes to thesense that teachers’ professional statusmust be elevated if we are serious

these organizations articulates broader,bigger goals around social, political,and economic transformation thatmove the purpose of their workoutside of an exclusive focus on class-rooms, teachers, schools, and eveneducation. While the primary settingfor their work is in the sphere ofpublic schools and education, theirgoals tend to be about broader demo-cratic values and systems, social andeconomic justice for whole communi-ties, and self-determination forcommunities of color. The nuanceddifference between these goals ofequity and social justice turns onunderstanding public schools andeducation as central to bigger projectsof social, political, and economicsystems transformation, versus educa-tion as a tool for equity and socialmobility within current systems.

Teacher preparation and professional development

Professional development and supportwas deemed critical by all studyparticipants. Participants acknowl-edged that policy advocacy entailsparticular skills that teachers are not

about creating schools and systemsthat best meet the needs of students,families, and communities.

Equity and social justice

While all the organizations engaged inour study described themselves asfocusing on educational equity, wedetected a difference in the ways inwhich their approaches implicatedbroader issues and analyses of socialjustice. In its most basic interpreta-tion, equity goals focused on theelevation of teachers as professionalsin order to improve teaching andlearning to achieve better studentoutcomes. This interpretation includesa basic understanding of education asan important vehicle for equity byfocusing on the needs of more disad-vantaged communities and students.By focusing on the professionalgrowth and efficacy of teachers, thisvision of equity will improve studentoutcomes.

However, some TLA organizationsconsistently talk about their work instronger alignment with students,families, and communities. Each of

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traditionally supported to develop.Participants shared ideas that wouldsupport teachers in advocacy skilldevelopment over time, starting fromteacher preparation programs andcontinuing through in-service profes-sional development. Connected to theidentification of the need for teachersupport and development is the beliefthat policy work should be consideredas integral to the job of teaching.Because teachers’ jobs are inherentlyconnected to policy as interpreters,arbiters, and implementers, it is logi-cal to support their professional iden-tities, training, and development inkind. The expectation that teacherscontribute to and critique educationpolicy as part of their jobs would alsocreate a professional atmosphere thatwould lessen the fear of retributionthat participants identified as acurrent barrier to teacher leadership,advocacy, and involvement in educa-tion policy.

Networks and professionallearning communities

Due to the nature of teachers’ jobs,which primarily confines them tosingle school sites for the entirety oftheir work day, participants widelynamed the importance of integratingeducation policy work into activitiesat schools. From organizing throughschool-based union chapters toincluding policy conversations along-side more common discussions ofpedagogy and curricular content,participants made it clear that thereshould be ways for teachers to engagein policy work as part of their every-day school-based activities. TLAorganizations all worked hard to break

arena. While it is clear that variousTLA organizations are engaged insupporting teachers to influencepolicy in myriad ways, we found littleevidence that their efforts were cross-pollinating. Given the relativelynascent development of TLA workthrough organizations like the onesprofiled in this study, we believe it isimportant to support knowledge, skill,and capacity development across themstrategically.

Partnering with communities

In addition to breaking down barriersbetween teachers themselves, asuccessful strategy employed by someof the TLA organizations included inour study was to partner withcommunity organizations and stake-holders. In supporting the growth anddevelopment of TLA, it is importantto ensure that organizations seek tobuild connections between teachers,families, students, and community-

down barriers between teachers so thatthey may work together on policy.Plus, a strength that they all sharedwas their capacity to connect teachersacross classrooms, schools, and, insome cases, districts and states.

Teachers engaged in leadership andadvocacy work appreciate the oppor-tunity to build with one another, andthe intentional networking of “like-minded” teachers who all fiercelyadvocate for educational equity is animportant asset to leverage for broadereducational change. Just as we knowthat breaking down barriers betweenclassrooms can help teachers developbetter curriculum and instructionalstrategies, we recommend the consid-eration of professional learningcommunities focused on TLA foreducation policy. There is no reasonthat the advantage of professionallearning communities to supportinnovation among educators shouldbe withheld from the policy-making

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based advocacy and organizinggroups. Just as learning does not onlyhappen in the silo of a school build-ing, policy should be informed andimproved by leveraging the collectiveexpertise of those stakeholders who aremost affected. In the case of educa-tion, then, teachers, families, andstudents must work together to ensurepolicy agendas, processes, andoutcomes that reflect their needs andinterests. Based on our findings, itseems that locally based TLA organi-zations most effectively partner withlocal organizations and constituencies.Therefore, support should be directedat further leveraging and upliftingthese more organic ties and/orsupporting nationally based organiza-tions to concentrate resources ondeveloping authentic ties to thecommunities in which they work.

One of many

Improving the educational outcomesof all children requires a combinationof policies and measures that work toimprove the quality of schools thatchildren attend and provide supportto their families and to the communi-ties in which they live. There is nosilver bullet! Thus, it is important thatstrategies developed to support TLAare combined with or part of abroader set of actions that understandthe contextual nature of this work. Asimportant as teacher leadership andadvocacy are, they will not be impact-ful without the combined efforts ofother change strategies seeking toinfluence better outcomes for ournation’s public schools.

equality needs to change. But noth-ing’s changing.

Another participant echoed thesesentiments by saying, “I'm really frus-trated that after three or four years inthis world of leadership – that isamazing and wonderful and powerful– I’m still having the same exactconversations I did the first day that Istarted talking.” The field is ready andteacher leaders are poised to movebeyond the contemplation andconversation about whether teacherleadership and advocacy for educationpolicy is a strategic lever for change toaction that enables their expertise toshine light on policy solutions for ournation’s public schools.

This point also highlights that TLA isnot a strategy that is issue-dependentor specific. In other words, as illus-trated by the findings of our study,TLA can effectively focus on a widevariety of issues. The advantage of thestrategy is not specific to any particu-lar education issue, as no matter whatone seeks to change in education,teachers and teacher expertise are acentral factor. Thus, as discussedabove, TLA is most effective whenconducted in partnership with studentand family leadership efforts. And,TLA should be considered an impor-tant pillar for the success of any givenschool reform du jour. In short, inisolation teachers cannot positivelyeffect educational change and,conversely, very little can be effectivewithout teachers being centrallyengaged.

Talk must lead to action

Finally, as recognition of the value andimportance of teacher leadership andadvocacy within the policy arenabegins to increase, participants arealready experiencing the fatigue oftalking about the need for such work,as opposed to seeing and feeling tangi-ble action. One participant shared afrustration that she has had:

very similar conversations about allof these things with a lot of differentgroups, a lot of different stakehold-ers, a lot of organizations. Andeverybody always vehemently agreesthat these things have to change.Teacher preparation programs haveto change, teacher leadership path-ways have to change, the way welook at social justice and equity and

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Association of Raza Educators(ARE)

The Association of Raza Educators(ARE) was founded in 1994 inresponse to California’s Proposition187, which aimed to deny social serv-ices, healthcare, and education toundocumented immigrants. Withchapters located throughout Califor-nia, ARE is composed of educators,university professors, students, andcommunity allies. The organizationdescribes itself as working to advancecritical social and political conscious-ness as well as Raza liberation. Theirobjectives and principles are asfollows:

• Promote critical pedagogy as theprinciple means of addressing thequestion of how to teach our chil-dren;

• Struggle for democratic education,where the parents and communityhave the same rights as teachers,counselors, and administrators inthe education of their children;

• Promote community activismamong teachers;

arships for undocumented students;ethnic studies approved as a gradua-tion requirement in multiple schooldistricts.

ARE is membership driven, andteachers connect with each otherthrough regular meetings and onlinespaces. ARE aims to create a spacewhere teachers can engage in advocacyat differing levels. As one memberexplains,

I find that as soon as you wakepeople up, it’s just a point of findingtheir comfort zone. . . . You have tobe the model, you have to be theexample. When I’m calling a politi-cian, I call them right in the facultyroom. I want everybody to hearwhat I’m saying, because I wantthem to make the same phone calls.People have lives, people don’t liveactivism the way we live activism, soyou have to fit it in a way that theycan do easily.

More information about ARE can befound at:http://aresandiego.weebly.com/our-story.html and

https://arelosangeles.wordpress.com/

• Nurture student activism anddevelop student activists;

• Struggle to reclaim spaces in theinstitution (i.e., schools) forprogressive education and todevelop politically active teachers.

These objectives and principlesprovide a rationale for their efforts toexpand the ethnic studies curriculumacross California districts and schools,and their provision of workshops. Thepraxis professional development seriesare seen as spaces that are “for socialjustice educators by social justiceeducators.” Within these sessionsparticipants learn how to deliverculturally relevant curriculum with acritical pedagogical lens that advancesan ethnic studies curriculum. AREalso sponsors an annual statewideconference to convene diverse educa-tional stakeholders.

ARE has advanced successfulcampaigns: Hispanic ScholarshipFoundation opened their funds toundocumented students; defense ofteachers from unjust discipline; part-nerships with parents to eject racistadministrators; raising funds for schol-

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LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONSCase Profiles

http://aresandiego.weebly.com/our-story.html

https://arelosangeles.wordpress.com/


Badass Teachers Association(BATs)

Created in 2013, the Badass TeachersAssociation (BATs) is a nationalorganization with members locatedacross the United States. BATs claimsto be “for every teacher who refuses tobe blamed for the failure of our soci-ety to erase poverty and inequality,and refuses to accept assessments,tests, and evaluations imposed bythose who have contempt for realteaching and learning.”4

BATs is membership driven and grass-roots. There is an overarching BATsmission that includes a rejection ofprofit-driven education reform, ademand for equitable school-drivenpractices, academic freedom foreducators, a student-centered curricu-lum, the elimination of standardizedtesting, school cultures rooted in equi-table practices, and democraticallyelected school boards, with each stateand locality establishing its own goalsand actions.

BATs has a strong network ofmembers across the country thatconnect using social media and otheronline forums to stay informed andconnected about critical educationpolicy issues. The organization has aFacebook page with over 64,000members and a Twitter feed, website,blog, and extensive email listserv.Special interest Facebook groups allow

or a board member then I shouldhave the opportunity to do so if mytime will allow it.

More information about BATs can be found athttp://www.badassteacher.org/

Center for Teaching Quality(CTQ)

What I think makes CTQ a bitdifferent . . . is how do we buildsystems where the expectation andthe opportunity is for every teacherto lead, not just a select few. (CTQInterviewee)

The Center for Teaching Quality(CTQ) is a national nonprofit, estab-lished in 1998, that aims to improvepublic education by tapping into the“bold ideas and expert practices ofteachers.”5 CTQ does so by going“beyond teacher voice and engage-ment to cultivate teachers’ active leadership in order to develop innova-tive ways to improve teaching andlearning.”6

To elevate teacher voice CTQ haspaved a number of different avenues,including the creation of a virtualcommunity of teacher leaders (theTeacher Leaders Network), a weeklycolumn in Education Week, blogs, and“TeacherSolutions” teams – expertteachers who come together to synthe-size and analyze research, apply theirpedagogical knowledge and expertise,and generate policy recommendations.CTQ also provides support to theTeacher Leader Network by hiringmembers to serve as “VirtualCommunity Organizers” (VCOs).Using a CTQ-developed curriculum,VCOs engage other teacher leaders in

teachers to “chat” about their areas ofinterest or expertise. As one membershared, one of the greatest benefits ofmembership is learning from educa-tors across the country:

I’m in Washington, and I have fellowBATs in Florida, in New York, inTexas, in California, all around.Because we’re all networks now,we’re hearing what’s going on. I wasjust reading an article that a friend ofmine sent me from Missouri wherethere’s a new law where elementarystudents, if they get in a fight, could[serve] four years of prison time,making it a felony.

BATs members engage in policythrough a range of activities. BATsteachers engage in organized collectiveactions such as phone calls, letter writ-ing, and emails. Members present atconferences, write blogs and op-eds,and engage in organized protests andevents. Some members run for electedoffice and testify in public spaces.However, BATs makes clear thatteachers do not have to serve in formalroles to be seen as leaders – BATs aimsto recognize the leadership of all class-room teachers and ensure their collec-tive voice is heard. As one membershared, it is critical for teachers to beable to remain in the classroom and beleaders in advocacy and policy:

Teachers aren’t able to serve in[formal] roles. . . . Teachers can’tserve on school boards or in differentpositions. Of course they could ifthey quit their job. . . . I think theyshould change policy around teach-ers being able to serve in certainpositions. If I’m willing to do my joball day and volunteer or put myselfin a position to serve as a role model

4 See http://www.badassteacher.org/5 See https://www.teachingquality.org/about6 See http://www.boldapproach.org/center-for-teaching-quality-ctq-teacher-leadership/

http://www.badassteacher.org/

http://www.badassteacher.org/

https://www.teachingquality.org/about

http://www.boldapproach.org/center-for-teaching-quality-ctq-teacher-leadership/

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online discussions, learning, andaction. CTQ also supports “teacher-preneurs” – teachers who spend partof their day in the classroom and theremainder of their day leading local,state, and national efforts.

Most teachers engage with CTQthrough the CTQ Collaboratory. TheCollaboratory comprises more than9,500 members and provides animportant space, beyond the class-room, to “connect” with other educa-tors. Members indicated that thecommunity enabled them to activatethe “change agent spark” that drewthem to “education in the first place.”As one CTQ teacher leader shared,

There was a time when you couldjust be an excellent teacher and havethat impact with your 25, 30students. . . . I just don’t think that isthe job anymore. . . . It’s bigger thanthat if we really are serious aboutequitable public school for all kids.

CTQ also provides an importantspace for teacher leaders to share theirstories of impact. Through articles,blogs, and book chapters, teacherleaders are able to spread their influ-ence beyond their networks. The ideais that when other teachers hear thesestories and see these models, they willbe able to envision a new way of oper-ating. CTQ harnesses the collectiveinfluence of teacher leaders to advo-cate for school, district, state, andnational policies and practices thatsupport teacher leadership.

To tinker with one aspect of thesystem does not change the system.It changes the classroom for thosekids and that teacher, and that willnever have a long-term impact oneducation for all kids. What I loved

report, one CTU member shared that“it’s imperative for teachers to under-stand what is impacting their class-room and their day-to-day.” Themember goes on to say that it is criti-cal that teachers become “more activestakeholders in that process of shapingit to be something beneficial for theircareers and their students.” Accordingto one CTU leader, this is accom-plished through organizing conversa-tions at the school site and startingwith the issues that members are mostconcerned with. The work, therefore,not only must appeal to the broadermembership, it must also representtheir needs.

I think you have to identify . . . whatis going on in their schools and withtheir classrooms, and then . . . strate-gically target what is an issue or acause of frustration for them, andthen lead them through a conversa-tion to a particular root cause. Andit typically is in policy and identify-ing that particular agent of changeand how they are responsible. Andthen giving them a vision in whichyou could have a chance in thatpolicy and the belief in collectiveaction and collective power ofnumerous voices united versus justone, but that one being imperativeto the numerous or the collective.

CTU accomplishes its goals with thehelp of allies such as families andstudents and through workplace andcommunity organizing. CTU alsorelies on the natural relationshipsteachers build with families andcommunity partners to create solidarity among stakeholders. Thisenables CTU members, families, andcommunity members to deepen their

about CTQ was that . . . it waspossible to have a larger group ofpeople working in the same direc-tion with the same focus on findinga way, from inside the system, tochange the system so that it mademore sense, not just for my kids inmy classroom but for all kids.

More information about CTQ can be found at https://www.teachingquality.org/

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU)

Chartered in 1937, the ChicagoTeachers Union (CTU) representsteachers, paraprofessionals, and clini-cians within the Chicago PublicSchool system (CPS). CTU currentlyhas more than 30,000 members. CTUhas adopted a model wherein theunion is seen as a social movement.Members no longer see the union asan organization that exists solely tosolve their workplace problems, butalso as key in identifying and tacklingissues through organizing and action.Since 2010, the CTU has made thecollective activity of members the coreof the union. The role of union lead-ership has been to support, facilitate,and activate teacher voice.

According to members, the primarygoal of the union is to work to createquality schools and positive learningexperiences for all students throughthe collective leadership and advocacyof all teachers. In 2012, CTU’s newresearch division conducted researchthat resulted in a published report,The Schools Chicago’s Students Deserve,which identifies what is needed toproduce educational outcomes thatsupport students’ lifelong success. Toachieve the goals articulated in the

https://www.teachingquality.org/


understanding of the issues that mustbe addressed to improve the educa-tional outcomes of students. TheSchools Chicago’s Students Deserve, forexample, served not only as the basisof a number of bargaining proposals,but also as an important organizingtool for union members, families, andcommunity partners. The publicationhelped generate the widespreadsupport that the CTU experiencedduring their 2012 strike. Further,CTU has grounded its efforts in theneighborhoods and communitiesaffected, giving voice to teachers andunderserved communities. Indeed,CTU’s current strategy is built onunderstanding local needs and using those forces to create changedistrict-wide.

More information about CTU can befound at https://www.ctunet.com/

impact their schools, create solutionsto these challenges, and advocate forpolicies and programs that give allstudents access to a quality education.With chapters in New York City,Boston, Los Angeles, Minnesota,Connecticut, and Chicago, E4Eensures that teachers have a voice inthe policies that impact their studentsand profession at the national, state,district, union, and school levels.

E4E members can engage with E4Ethrough a variety of volunteer activi-ties, including leadership trainings,policy teams, and advocacycampaigns. As members increase theirengagement with E4E over time, theycan become “Teacher Leaders,” takingon responsibility for guiding, manag-ing, and developing a school-basedteam of E4E members. Members andTeacher Leaders are supported byE4E’s full-time, paid outreach team,all of whom are former teachers them-selves; these staff provide directsupport to teachers by meeting themin person and via phone, email, andsocial media platforms. Additionalpaid staff members comprise an exten-sive network of professionals across arange of roles, including co-CEOs;operations associates; and organizing,data, and communications managers.

E4E drives change by building amovement of teachers, identifying andtraining teacher leaders, creatingpolicy recommendations, advocatingfor the implementation of theirrecommendations, and bringing thisprocess to scale. Organized locally,teachers connect with like-mindedteachers to identify challenges anddrive solutions. The Teacher PolicyTeam Program – in which a group of

Educators for Excellence (E4E)

I think there is a little bit of traumathat comes from not having a voiceand feeling like a subject and not anagent of reform, and so that trainingis hugely important for them to alsopsychologically realize, “Wow, yeah,I do know stuff and I do havethoughts,” so training is hugelyimportant for community building,for capacity, and for effectiveness oftheir advocacy execution. (E4EInterviewee)

Founded in 2010, Educators forExcellence (E4E) is a national teacherleadership organization that champi-ons better outcomes for students andthe elevation and prestige of theteacher profession. The organizationhas a growing membership of 28,000teachers united around a common setof values and principles. Memberswork together to identify issues that

https://www.ctunet.com/

27

teachers reviews research around aneducation policy issue, deepens theirknowledge by speaking with andsurveying peers, and crafts policyrecommendations – is one example ofhow E4E members develop andsharpen skills that are conducive toadvocacy.

Once we’ve narrowed down to onesolution, [we ask], who are the deci-sion-makers? Who are the players inthe field? Where would they fall on adecision like this? We take teachersthrough that process so that they canstart to understand how things sit inthe political sphere, and who theyneed to move in order to get whatthey want. . . . Those trainings candovetail into trainings of how to sitdown with an elected official, andthey can ask how to testify. . . . Howdo you go to one of those [hearings],and do your three-minute testimonyin a way that moves people?

By having a seat at the table withstakeholders and taking action, E4Emembers are able to share theirexpertise and advocate for policyrecommendations.

More information about E4E can befound at www.e4e.org.

Teachers Unite (TU)

Teachers Unite (TU) is a New YorkCity–based nonprofit teacher leader-ship organization. Founded in 2006,TU works to transform schools intodemocratic and inclusive places bybuilding power through union partici-pation, organizing, and transforma-tive/restorative justice approaches. TUworks with coalitions to call for theend of racist disciplinary policies inschools and the implementation of

dispatch members to schools thatwould request help. Our memberswould be ostensibly coaching how toshift school climate and do restora-tive circles and the like. The implicitagenda is that this isn’t just saying,“Okay, here is a circle. Bye.” It’s,“Okay, who in your school is goingto commit to this? Develop arestorative justice team? Who areyour allies? . . . What are the obsta-cles? What is the specific need? Whatis your action plan?” So, reallyorganizing is the way to do theschool democracy.

In addition to implementing work-shops and partnerships, members ofTU advocate for education policy bywriting op-eds and blog posts, build-ing relationships with other educators,and influencing funders and decision-makers. Coalition building is anotherkey strategy that TU employs to buildpower and influence education policy.For example, TU worked collabora-tively with the Student Safety Coali-tion to get the Student Safety Act andits amendments passed. In addition,TU members serve on the steeringcommittee of Dignity in SchoolsCampaign (DSC) to reduce suspen-sions, and advocate for positive disci-plinary practices in schools. Alongwith DSC, TU developed blueprintsfor restorative justice policies andpractices that were piloted in 12 NewYork City public schools.

More information about TU can befound at www.teachersunite.org.

policies that invest in the safety anddignity of all students. As students,families, and teachers are inherentlyconnected and necessarily allied stake-holder groups in education, TU worksin concert with these groups to buildschool-based and system-wide advocacy.

TU comprises teacher, parent, andstudent members, an organizing coun-cil, and staff. Members pay dues basedon income and agree to TU’s Princi-ples of Unity. The organizing councilconsists of teachers who take on lead-ership roles such as building partner-ships with schools, conductingrestorative justice workshops, anddeveloping and evaluating strategiesfor achieving TU’s mission and goals.

TU’s work is guided by transformativejustice principles which include:collaborative leadership; collectiveaction; community accountability;resistance to unjust institutions;democracy; respect for all voices; andtransformation through struggle.

TU builds power at the school site bygrowing restorative/transformativejustice in schools. This is achieved byproviding peer-to-peer professionaldevelopment and developing schoolpartnerships that engage schoolcommunity members and stakehold-ers, develop collaborative leadershipand decision-making skills, andencourage sustainable organizing andadvocacy at the school level. By devel-oping partnerships and implementingtrainings, TU endeavors to transformschools into places that embody trans-formative justice through its practices.

We put out Growing Fairness, ourdocumentary, and our online toolkit,as well as offer ourselves as we would

www.e4e.org

www.teachersunite.org


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Teacher convening

A two-day convening of teachers washeld in April 2017 in Chicago, Illi-nois. The purpose of the conveningwas to gain knowledge and perspectivefrom classroom teachers who areinvolved in teacher leadership andadvocacy for education policy that isexpressly focused on educationalequity and racial and economicjustice.

To recruit participants, the researchteam contacted leaders from organiza-tions that took part in the informa-tional interviews plus a handful ofothers and requested three nomina-tions of classroom teachers who wereaffiliated with each organization’swork through leadership and/ormembership. Based on nominations,the research team invited participantsto ensure representation of a widerange of interests, backgrounds, expe-riences, and organization type.

Twenty educators attended theconvening. Teachers received a smallstipend for their participation. Theresearch team facilitated a series ofconversations and activities thatexplored how and why teachersengage in leadership and advocacy foreducation policy. Sessions were videoand audio recorded, and notes weretaken. Participants came from 18school districts, 13 states, and 14organizations. Organizations repre-sented at the two-day convening

Data for this qualitative study werecollected in three phases: throughinformational interviews, a conveningof teachers, and case profiles.

Informational interviews

Informational interviews wereconducted with key leaders in theeducation field from 18 identifiedteacher leader organizations locatedacross the nation. Using a snowballsampling methodology, we inter-viewed leaders from teacher leaderorganizations we were familiar withand asked interviewees for the namesof other organizations and/or effortsengaged in promoting and supportingteacher leadership and advocacy.Through this methodology weconducted a total of 21 interviewswith 27 participants. Interviews werecompleted over the phone and rangedfrom 30 minutes to an hour. Organi-zations represented included: Allianceto Reclaim our Schools, AmericanFederation of Teachers, Association ofRaza Educators, Badass Teachers Asso-ciation, Boston Teachers Union,Center for Public Democracy, Centerfor Teaching Quality, Chicago Teach-ers Union, Coalition for CommunitySchools, EduColor, Educators forExcellence, Education Leaders ofColor, Hope Street Group, Massachu-setts Teachers Union, Teach Strong,Teach Plus, Teachers Unite, andUnited Teachers Los Angeles.

APPENDIX AData Collection and Methods

https://www.ctunet.com/research/a-sea-of-red


included: Association of Raza Educa-tors; Badass Teachers Association;Center for Teaching Quality; ChicagoTeachers Union; EduColor; Educatorsfor Excellence; Education Leaders ofColor; Hope Street Group; JeffersonFederation of Teachers; Latinos forEducation; Padres y Jóvenes Unidos;Teaching Tolerance; TeachPlus; andthe U.S. Department of Education.

TLA site selection

Based on information gatheredthrough the informational interviews,six organizations were selected tobetter understand how teachers engagein policy leadership and advocacy. Theresearchers developed a criterion forselecting sites for the study. Sites wereselected from a sample across the U.S.and represented organizations workingon educational policy in local, state,and/or national contexts. All organiza-tions selected for participation priori-tized the membership of classroomteachers and aimed to lift the voices oftheir membership in setting the policyadvocacy agenda. Additionally, weselected sites that explicitly claim anequity and social justice agenda.

travel. All interviews were audiorecorded and documented. Interviewsranged from 45 minutes to two hours.Researchers wrote reflective memosafter each interview in order tocapture immediate conceptual ideasand to assist in the subsequent analysisby recording meanings derived fromthe data. We also collected organiza-tional data and available backgroundmaterials, and reviewed organizationalwebsites and contextual informationto document past and current effortsto lift teacher voice and advocacy ininfluencing educational policy.

Data analysis

Individual interviews were transcribedfrom audio recordings for data analy-sis. Transcripts were coded usingDedoose, a mixed-methods analysissoftware. The coding schema foranalysis was created using the overly-ing research questions for the TLAstudy. Codes also emerged during dataanalysis. Throughout the data analysisprocess, analytic memos were writtenby research team members to discussdata analysis collectively and calibrateour coding. Team members discussedcoding schema, coded the same tran-script, and compared coding on firstround of transcripts to ensure similarcoding. The research team also met ona weekly basis to discuss emergingcodes and themes to support inter-rater reliability. Once coding wascompleted emerging themes werediscussed and drafted into memos.This report is based on these analyses.

Organizations selected used diversemethods of policy advocacy, includingbut not limited to: organization advo-cacy, labor union organizing, socialmedia, grassroots activism, and profes-sional development.

The research team developed a semi-structured interview protocol based on the literature and the researchquestions. In spring 2017, weconducted one-on-one interviews with 33 participants across the six sites(see Figure 2).7 Interviewees includedorganizational staff, teacher leaders,and other key organizational stake-holders. Interviewees shared theirperspectives on teacher advocacy andpolicymaking; the range of rolesteachers can assume; supportsrequired; the outcomes and impact of identified efforts; and challenges.

To increase our familiarity with identi-fied organizations and collect contex-tual information the research teamconducted interviews at sites or loca-tions that were convenient for partici-pants. Researchers conducted phoneinterview if meeting in person was notpossible due to scheduling conflicts or

7 One interview conducted by the researchteam consisted of two interviewees.

Organization Number ofInterviewees

Association of Raza Educators 5

Badass Teachers Association 6

Center for Teaching Quality 4

Chicago Teachers Union 5

Educators for Excellence 7

Teachers Unite 5

TOTAL INTERVIEWS 32

FIGURE 2 Number of Case Profile Interviewees

31

The authors gratefully acknowledgethe leaders and members of the organ-izations that generously shared theirtime, knowledge, and expertise withus. In particular, we would like tothank the leaders and teachers of theAssociation of Raza Educators, BadassTeachers Association, the Center forTeaching Quality, the Chicago Teach-ers Union, Educators for Excellence,and Teachers Unite. A special thankyou to the many teachers who joinedus in Chicago and shared with us thepotential of teacher leadership andadvocacy in shaping public educationand advancing educational equity.

We would like to acknowledge themany individuals who providedresearch and editorial support. Thankyou to Jaime Del Razo, who sharedhis analytic expertise with the researchteam; Margaret Balch-Gonzalez andJennifer Brown, for their attention todetail and editorial assistance; andHaewon Kim for her graphic design.

We also thank the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation for its generoussupport, and especially MelanieBrown and her colleagues, whooffered important insights and feed-back throughout the study.

Institute for School Reform

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Keith Catone is executive director of the Center for Youth and Community Leadership in Education at the Roger Williams University School of Continuing Studies, and former asso-ciate director of community organiz-ing and engagement at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Marisa Saunders is a project scientist at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and a former principal associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Wendy Perez is a senior research associate at the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at New York University, and a former senior research associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Elise Harris is a research associate at the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at New York University, and a former research associate at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University.

Ruby Miller-Gootnick is an education concentrator, Brown University class of 2018.

Photos: Keith Catone© 2017 Brown University, Annenberg

Agency into Action - Annenberg Institute for School Reform · 2019. 12. 19. · Agency into Action: Teachers as Leaders and Advocates for Public Education, Communities, and Social

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