Teachers21 Policy Initiatives
Teaching expertise in the classroom for all children requires public policy and state and national commitment that does not currently exist.
Teachers 21 works to elevate public and policy makers’ understanding of the significance and complexity of expert teaching.
What distinguishes Teachers 21 from other human capital initiatives is our focus on developing teaching expertise in all of its complexities as opposed to just identifying and having expert teachers.
Teachers 21 works to educate key constituencies, i.e. businesses, educators, parents, media, about the critical issues in professionalizing teaching.
We work to implement comprehensive personnel policies in school districts and put in place resources and policies to support that implementation. We also work with Departments of Education, legislators, and foundations to allocate resources and technical expertise. We want all three of these groups to use their bully pulpit to expand our educator excellence agenda.
Beginning Teacher Center (BTC)
The Beginning Teacher Center was founded by Teachers 21 and Simmons College in 1999 to expand the skills and confidence of beginning teachers and to increase the retention of new teachers.
The Center’s goals are to:
- Encourage all school districts to understand and implement the comprehensive model of beginning teacher induction.
- Promote the notion that teacher induction is the responsibility of the whole education community.
- Create a seamless continuum through teacher preparation and the first years of practice.
- Become a national force that moves the American education establishment to devote attention and resources to the induction of beginning teachers.