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ACT

Accomplished California Teachers

What is ACT?

Accomplished California Teachers (ACT) is a forum for experienced and accomplished teachers to exert leadership based on their expertise as classroom practitioners and to contribute to conversations that shape education policy in California. ACT is sponsored by the National Board Resource Center at Stanford University and is funded by The Stuart Foundation. Its primary mission is to advance the inclusion of voices of accomplished teachers in representing authentic practice and to promote policies that support quality teaching in ways that promise to enrich and enlarge the knowledge base from which crucial decisions are made.

As concerns have mounted about Californias education system, state policymakers have commissioned research and solicited opinions from experts from around the state and the country about ways to reform it. The ensuing discussions have largely excluded voices of experienced and talented teachers who could contribute to policy discussions based on their instructional expertise and commitment to students.

ACT seeks to address this problem by providing accomplished teachers opportunities to exercise leadership, to expand their learning, and to extend their influence on the education system in California of which they are an essential part.

Accomplished California Teachers are a powerful force for change in our schools.

Their purpose is to make a difference in the lives of children and in the future of California. They exemplify the dimensions of quality teaching and professional leadership by:

• Enlarging the knowledge base about what constitutes quality teaching and contributing to better understanding of how students learn, through teacher research and sharing the wisdom of practice.
• Using accurate and authentic ways of assessing student learning that create a full understanding about how to effectively teach every child.
• Leading school improvement efforts from within schools and districts.
• Collaborating with colleagues to create and share effective strategies for students at risk, English Language Learners, and learners with exceptional needs.
• Mentoring new colleagues so they become effective and achieve satisfaction in their new profession, and providing assistance to struggling colleagues
• Sharing expertise with others and engaging in ongoing inquiry on ways to improve teaching practices
• Developing innovative solutions to the challenges of attracting and retaining well qualified teachers to schools where they are most needed.
• Building a professional teaching force capable knowledgeable about meeting the challenges educating all of Californias children.

Teacher leadership must be drawn forth at every level to fill these roles and meet new challenges. Accomplished California Teachers will bring together teacher leaders from across the state to articulate and advocate for solutions and engage in constructive dialogue with the policy community.

How will ACT expand leadership opportunities for accomplished teachers?

ACT will bring together a corps of accomplished teachers to learn about how policy decisions are made, to develop a more sophisticated understanding about how to contribute effectively to policy discussions, and to represent their experiences in schools and their understanding of quality teaching to both the policy community and the public.

ACT supports teachers in:

• Learning about and engaging in policy discussions through workshops on how educational policy is created and influenced.
• Providing the tools to write publicly about how to affect educational policy and opinion.
• Holding online discussions about focus issues.
• Disseminating information and research on issues that impact work in classrooms through an online newsletter.
• Convening focus groups to respond to policy issues and proposals through published responses and presentations to the policy community and the larger public sector.