Social Justice

Book list

Last week at the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) Summer Institute we included a session that was facilitated by Nancy Frohlich on Social Justice and Art. Recently the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) compiled a list of books on Social Justice. They’ve broken down the information by grade level clusters; Early Childhood (PK-2),  Elementary (Grades 4-6), Middle School (Grades 7-9), High School (10-Adult). NNSTOY just published the information for others to access as a .pdf and you can find it by CLICKING HERE.

Teacher in a Classroom

For teachers by teachers

Recently released by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year is a research report titled Nothing Replaces a Caring Adult in the Classroom.

This research was conducted by teachers and is for the benefit of teachers. The report provides the “measures of social and emotional learning and their efficacy in educator evaluation.” The focus is on the impact a teacher has on the student learning. And addresses the importance of teaching social and emotional learning  in our classrooms. It looks at case studies and data to help educators make sense of the information.

I have a friend and colleague who has said for years “its all about the relationship” and this report supports that completely. Most teachers know and understand the importance of creating and maintaining relationships with students to have a positive impact on their learning and future.

You can read the report by CLICKING HERE.

Teachers as Leaders

New Bill at federal level to strengthen the profession

On June 22, a bi-partisan group of Senators introduced the Teachers as Leaders Act, a bill championed by National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NSTOY). Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jack Reed (D-RI) joined together across party lines to send an important message about critical role of teacher leadership

Acknowledging what NNSTOY has long believed — that teacher leadership is a key to addressing teacher recruitment and retention — The Teachers as Leaders Act authorizes teacher leader development programs through the Teacher Quality Partnership grants in Title II of the Higher Education Act.  The grants would extend the continuum of teacher preparation and teacher development and promote differentiated career paths that foster new professional opportunities for accomplished teachers.

As quoted in the Senators’ press release, NNSTOY President and CEO Katherine Bassett (New Jersey Teacher of the Year, 2000) said, “The nation’s expert teachers know that teacher leadership is critical for solving important challenges in education today, including teacher retention and recruitment. We salute Sens. Coons, Ernst, Grassley and Reed for their leadership in establishing this priority.”