A Tweetchat for Change
By Tracy Kremer, New Teacher Center Director of Communication …
Last week, we hosted New Teacher Center’s first Twitter chat, using #NTCedchat, on the topic of changing the odds for students by leveraging the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as a catalyst. ESSA provides a great opportunity to reignite dialogue on a variety of education issues, and to change the odds for students. It returns significant authority over education to states and localities and also maintains the federal government’s strong focus on equity: quality schools for all students and access to effective teachers, giving all children the opportunity to become college, career and community regardless of their income or neighborhood.
Here’s a recap of the questions we asked our followers during our #NTCedchat, and the insights they shared about how they’re approaching ESSA.
Q1: Has your district been engaged in state-led work groups or other planning efforts as part of ESSA implementation?
- #ESSA emphasizes evidence-based interventions for school improvement. Read more: https://t.co/GwXtrG4qbJ #EquityESSA #NTCedchat – @LPI_Learning
- .@NewTeacherCtr @techplusMA Fellow are! Check out their ideas here https://t.co/2t2ujPSrUW #ESSA #NTCedchat #educators – @DKGrinnell
- #ESSA requires meaningful stakeholder engagement. Check out this conversation guide from @CCSSO https://t.co/WNxUahXOX6 #ntcedchat – @lgoldrick25
- Initial ESSA planning process provides impt opprt. to ensure tchr professional learning and induction are state priorities #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- Our district is hosting one of the state stakeholder focus groups, and has been participating in state level committees #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- One additional #essa resource is @AASAHQ ESSA Library: http://www.aasa.org/AASAESSA.aspx #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- We thnk #ESSA plns benefit from a clear detailed dscriptin of classroom practice & system for improving along a continuum #NTCedchat @niettach – @kristanvanhook
- @NewTeacherCtr I have, but has been hard to make sure educators are involved in all facets. #NTCedchat – @sarahyogidds
Q2: Has your district considered how ESSA might alter or reshape its teacher development, effectiveness and support initiatives?
- We are using resources from @LearningForward @CCSSO & @NWEA to inform our planning. #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- @LearningForward Agents for Change contest resulted in excellent educator-created proposals – posted at https://t.co/GTbtRm6Vae #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- #ESSA provides new opps to rethink how schools are organized, accountability is structured & teachers are supported. #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- #ESSa Title 2 funds can provide opps for investing in professional learning & innovative paths to develop teacher leaders. #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- Agree with @efoster11 see example of using Title II along with other funds https://t.co/GxdmhmtV5C #NTCedchat @nietteach – @kristanvanhook
Q3: Does your district regularly review available research when selecting teacher effectiveness interventions?
- Nice @KnowledgeAll overview of the evidence-based reqs. In #ESSA here: https://t.co/jOSMGEG9vZ #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- #ESSA includes new “evidence based” reqs. For using Title II, Part A funds for class-size reduction & personalized pd #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- Understand how ESSA defines “evidence based” & what that means for allocating schl dist resources. https://t.co/G3wMfPd02c #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- Yes – use of research and flexibility to adjust professional learning based on feedback are essential components of our work #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- This is a helpful quick-read resource from NTC: https://t.co/DsTQ4wG5ON #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- Here’s a post sharing prelim findings from @NewTeacherCtr’s i3-funded Random Control Trial study: https://t.co/ZBSu8XXTBB #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
Q4: What are the most successful teacher effectiveness interventions currently in place in your district?
- Phoenix area intervention in Osborn linking PD with observation & structure of teacher leaders http://www.niet.org/assets/Publications/Stronger-District-with-TAP-Development.pdf #ntcedchat @nietteach – @kristanvanhook
- And, how is educator feedback included as a measure of success? – @EFoster11
- Check out how @NewTeacherCtr has changed the odds for kids through high-quality induction: https://jntp.org/our-impact/ #ntcedchat – @lgoldrick25
Q5: What role did available research play in your intervention selected by your district?
- Helpful article by @SarahDSparks @edweek on How to Find Evidence-Based Fixes https://t.co/8w13tsS8Cm #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
- We have the research based PAR Program https://t.co/PzsIY6ruBs as one initiative, as well as instructional coaches #NTCedchat – @hklageman
Q6: Teachers, what initiatives in your district are working to change the odds for your students?
- #Teachers, here’s a chance to share what’s really working! #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
- .@teachplus is so great at bringing teacher voices, experiences and ideas into the conversation. #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
- Building capacity for educators to identify learning gaps and develop responsive classroom strategies needs to be a priority #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- Educators need time to collaborate in order to make learning meaningful & relevant to each student – reorganize the day. #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- Yes! & ensure dedicated time for professional collaboration, coaching, and trained leaders to provide support @nietteach #NTCedchat #essa – @kristanvanhook
- Our grading & reporting and formative assessment work focused on feedback and student growth https://www.bcps.org/academics/grading/ #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- Our Students & Teachers Accessing Tomorrow program http://www.bcps.org/academics/stat/ provides instructional coaches to every school #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- Looking at wrap around svcs, focus on whole child & alignment of community resources #NTCedchat – @maddief
Q7: Describe the mentoring /induction program you have in place currently.
- .@CCSSO provide a comprehensive set of documents to show how #ESSA can be an education changemaker http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Every_Student_Succeeds_Act.html #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- This brief video captures how @NewTeacherCtr approaches tchr induction https://vimeo.com/155741491 (from https://jntp.org/approach/) #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- We have the research-based PAR Program https://www.bcps.org/news/2015/0917/ and new principal & AP induction programs #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- Our Associate Principal program is an exciting leadership pipeline development initiative – we tweet about it at #bcpspld #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- Sustained induction w/high quality mentoring are a cornerstone in @NCTAF’s latest report recs: http://nctaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NCTAF_What-Matters-Now_The-Evidence-Base_hyperlinked.pdf #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- One key to solving #TeacherShortageCA: invest in residency programs to recruit & retain #teachers. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/teacher-residencies-california #NTCedchat – @LPI_Learning
- This is key for all states really. #NTCedchat – @sarahyogidds
Q8: How does your district measure your mentoring/induction program?
- Here’s a resource that can help measure mentoring and induction programs: https://jntp.org/wp-content/uploads/induction-program_practice-brief.pdf #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
- Our Support From The Start report looks in part at how states/districts measure induction impact: https://jntp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016CompleteReportStatePolicies.pdf #NTCedchat – @lgoldrick25
- #NTCedchat how do you measure impact of mentoring? @nietteach #essa – @kristanvanhook
- Yes @kristanvanhook great question #NTCedchat – @EFoster11
- 100% of poll respondents said they measure impact of mentoring using outputs. Great progress! #ntcedchat @nietteach – @kristanvanhook
Q9: Teachers, what do you see working to help you grow as an educator?
- @LearningForward @NCTAF Agents for Learning has great teacher ideas! https://learningforward.org/get-involved/essa/agents-for-learning-competition #NTCedchat – @hklageman
- #Teachers, if you could have any support you wanted from your district to help you grow, what would it be? #NTCedchat – @tracykremer
- flexibility, opportunities to co-teach, ongoing connection w/ #PLN. Release time for reflection & critique #NTCedchat – @sarahyogidds
Q10: Final Question – Are there resources that have been your “go to” on this topic? What are they?
- @HopeStreetGroup did a #teacherprep report. Look for a link in #teachersondeck hashtag #NTCedchat – @sarahyogidds
- http://www.niet.org/assets/Publications/Phi-Delta-Kappan-2016-Ritter-48-52.pdf research reprt on how to link eval/observation to feedback and coaching in the classroom #NTCedchat @nietteach #essa – @kristanvanhook
What are your thoughts on the new federal education law and how it can help change the odds for students?
Share your insight on this and the above questions by using #NTCedchat on Twitter, and tagging @NewTeacherCtr. And if you’re interested in learning more about the topics covered above, download our “Change the Odds” eBook; a free resource presented to help you be an agent of change at your school.
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