Teachers Lead Philly: Advancing Teacher Voice in Education Policy

• In Event: Teachers Leading for Change: Reclaiming the Discourse and Practice of Teacher Leadership in a Neoliberal Context

Abstract

Although recent reform efforts have emphasized teacher quality as the most important school-based factor in student achievement, these efforts have largely ignored teachers’ voices in the conversation around how schools should change (see, e.g., Payne, 2008; Hubbard et al, 2006). While reformers rally around merit pay and more aggressive firing practices, the insights and experiences of practicing teachers are left out of the conversation. Some teachers accept this arrangement as a matter of course, but others see leadership as a critical part of their work as teachers. This paper examines how members of Teachers Lead Philly have chosen to impact educational policy and reimagine careers in teaching.

In 2012, I was one of five Philadelphia teachers who founded Teachers Lead Philly. Now over three hundred members, Teachers Lead Philly promotes leadership among practicing teachers as a way to connect, value, and enrich teachers’ work and reimagine teachers as authors of educational policy that is informed by a deep understanding of the realities of school life. Within this conceptual framework, the group engaged teachers in study and action to address a school district policy on peer visitation and a statewide policy on teacher evaluation. By inviting teachers into these conversations, we shape both the teaching profession and discussions around educational policy.

In the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), a clause in the teachers’ contract affords teachers two professional development days for peer visitation. Although peer visitation is widely acknowledged as one of the most effective forms of professional development, the professional culture within the SDP does not encourage this practice. We found that very few teachers and SDP administrators were knowledgeable about the policy, and we set out to publicize and promote the policy and practice of peer visitation. We published a “Letter to Administrators” that outlined the policy and shared it widely in Philadelphia’s educational community.

Teachers Lead Philly also took the lead in addressing a new statewide policy on teacher evaluation, Pennsylvania Act 82. Teachers Lead Philly studied the policy and offered teachers an opportunity to learn about and respond to Act 82 at a January workshop and via a survey. In the spring, we drew on survey results and feedback from teachers to develop a policy statement on teacher evaluation. We have used this document to amplify teacher voice in the discussion around teacher evaluation and to initiate substantive conversations with policy-makers including the SDP Superintendent.

Through these initiatives, Teachers Lead Philly has become an important conduit between the worlds of policy and practice. Our efforts have elevated teachers’ voices in Philadelphia and shifted the focus of policy discussions around professional development and teacher evaluation. Most importantly, teachers in Philadelphia have a network that values their professional insight and helps to bring that insight to bear on the policy issues that affect their work.

Author

• Kathleen Melville, School District of Philadelphia