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12
How to Be Heard
10 Lessons Teachers Need to Advocate for their
Students and Profession
Celine Coggins
ISBN: 978-1-119-37399-5 | Aug 2017 | 200PP
Education
This book offers the Teach Plus curriculum for amplifying teacher voice and
creating more teacher leaders. It’s a one-stop shop for educators who are
interested in learning about the big picture in K12 education, and how they can
affect it. It includes a clear view of Policy and Advocacy; a Teacher Leader How-To
Guide; and stories from the trenches in getting teachers seats at decision-making
tables across the nation. The book is structured with 10 chapters that correspond
to the top ten things teachers need to know and be able to do to be effective
change leaders. Each chapter is anchored with a story of effective teacher
advocacy.
Teacher interest in taking greater leadership over the issues that affect American
classrooms is at an all-time high. At the same time, teacher union strength and
teacher morale have reached all-time lows. Teachers are seeking expanded
influence and coming up short. Most teachers lack the knowledge and skills to be
effective in advocating for their students’ needs as well as their own. In some
areas of education reform, teacher actions are increasing the odds that
practitioners will be excluded from the decision-making table in the future.
Teacher voice is essential to good education policy, yet teachers need new
information to move from being perceived as the “party of no” to being
recognized for their problem-solving ability.
Despite the obstacles, some teachers are having success advocating for important
changes on behalf of their students and their profession. What makes these
teachers different? They have learned the unwritten rules and tacit knowledge
that governs decision-making in education. They have a playbook that gets them
a seat at the decision-making table and results that benefit their students. Their
experiences can point a way forward, and empower all teachers.
About the Author
Celine Coggins founded Teach Plus, www.teachplus.org, in 2007 and has built it
to a network that currently includes over tens of thousands of active teachers
across the nation. Celine has been cited as an expert in stories for the Wall Street
Journal, CNN, and The Atlantic. Her organization is featured in the New York Times,
the Washington Post, Time, and US News and World Report. Celine is a graduate of
Stanford University, Boston College, and the College of the Holy Cross.