Teaching Ahead, an interactive project jointly developed by Education Week Teacher and the Center for Teaching Quality, was designed to bring greater exposure to the ideas of standout classroom educators on the future of their profession. Each month, selected teacher panelists were asked to respond to and discuss key issues in education policy and instructional practice. The discussions were intended to help inform the national conversation on the direction of public schools. This blog is no longer being updated.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
To Fix Teacher Shortages, First Understand What They Are
Teacher shortages are merely symptoms of the same problems that drive inequity in our society in general, Xian Franzinger Barrett says.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
To Address Teacher Shortages, Create Conditions for Educators to Thrive
If states and districts can create schools in which teachers see autonomy, mastery, and purpose clearly in their profession, they will go a long way toward solving teacher-shortage problems, Katrina Boone writes.
Assessment
Opinion
How Does the Opt-Out Movement Intend to Close Achievement Gaps?
The opt-out movement is right to call for a richer, more authentic learning experience. It's wrong to stay silent on the educational inequality that makes testing necessary, Cristina Duncan Evans say.
Assessment
Opinion
Teachers Have No Voice or Choice in Testing, So Why Would They Support It?
Public school educators have knowledge and expertise that should be welcomed into policy debates, says Deb McCarthy, and that means the teaching profession benefits from the opt-out movement.
Assessment
Opinion
What the Opt-Out Movement Teaches Students
There is a frightening new sentiment in the education world these days that it is OK for students to pick and choose what they participate in, Marika Heughins argues.
Assessment
Opinion
Standardized Testing Has Created an Unfair Burden on Public Schools
If the opt-out movement can shed light and focus attention on the injustices public schools face, Bill Ivey says, then he is 100 percent in support of it.
Assessment
Opinion
Why the Opt-Out Movement Won't Fix Testing
Opting out is a passive response that hopes to incite change through causing inconvenience, rather than driving meaningful reform, Ken Mattingly writes.
Education
Opinion
Teachers Aren't Failing Schools, and Other Things People Should Be Hearing
While the national media continues to blather on about the education "crisis" and about "saving our schools," teachers are changing the story bit by bit, Shawna Coppola says.
Education
Opinion
How the Media Creates a 'Perception Gap' on Schools
If it's easy for us to accept that hospitals and airlines need systemic help and the individual professionals are not primarily to blame, then why, Flora Lerenman asks, is it so difficult to accept that teachers may not be the sole cause of failing schools?
Education
Opinion
Teachers, Don't Just Consume Media. Create It.
Just as cable news did for consumers two decades ago, educators have a new level of news customization. But they can also add to the media, Brian Sztabnik says.
Education
Opinion
We Must Reshape the Teacher Narrative in Today's Media
Teachers must be more proactive in sharing stories about their students, classrooms, and schools to show all of the good things that are happening, Craig Williams says.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Work Ethic and Audacity: The Heart of Teacher Leadership
For teachers, individual work ethic buys the chance to deviate from traditional pedagogical paths and try new things, Jessica Pack writes.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
If Districts Trust Teachers to Lead, They Won't Be Disappointed
Teachers need to trust their ideas and feel empowered to share and implement them, Bev Bricker writes.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
When Teachers Share a Vision, They Do Great Things
Jeff Austin says that his teacher-powered school is a model for success in his district, a testament to cooperation, collaboration, and a shared vision.