Transforming Teaching and Leading

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the great work of teachers throughout the country, who give of themselves to improve educational opportunities for all students. We support the work of teachers through initiatives and resources that lift the profession and help educators and students succeed.

Leading from the Classroom

Teach to Lead is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership, particularly those that allow teachers to stay in the classroom.

The initiative seeks to:

• Highlight existing state and district systems that are working to support teacher leadership;
• Share resources to create new opportunities for teacher leadership; and
• Encourage people at all levels to commit to expanding teacher leadership.

Commit to Lead is an online platform that makes it easy for educators to share ideas about teacher leadership and collaborate to bring them to life. The community enables educators everywhere to provide feedback and vote on each other’s ideas, allowing the most talked about ideas to rise to the top, so they can gain traction and prominence in the field.

• Learn more.
• Check out inspiring examples of teacher leadership in action.
• Review interesting teacher leadership ideas recently posted and vote for ideas you like.

  

  Watch Arne Duncan's speech announcing Teach to Lead and listen to his discussion with teachers at the National Board's Teaching and Learning conference. [Transcript]

  "Teacher leadership means having a voice in the policies and decisions that affect your students, your daily work, and the shape of your profession. "

  • Visit the Teach to Lead website and learn more.
  • Take an online survey to get involved.
  • Follow us on Twitter (@TeachtoLead) and Facebook (Teach to Lead).

  The Teachers Edition

  The Teachers Edition is a weekly newsletter written by teachers at the Department of Education that celebrates teaching and leading.

  The Teachers Edition highlights great teachers and teacher leadership and offers a number of resources, including examples of best practices and links to interesting reading and emerging research that help educators solve problems and answer burning questions.

  • Subscribe to The Teachers Edition.
  • Review back issues to catch up on resources you may have missed.

  The RESPECT Initiative to Transform Teaching and Leading

  RESPECT represents a vision to elevate and transform teaching and leading so that our nation's most important profession—educating our young people—becomes its most respected and supported one.

  • Read President Obama's Blueprint for RESPECT [PDF, 4.3MB], a plan developed after two years of conversations with educators.
  • Watch a video of educators discussing the RESPECT vision.
  • Learn more about the RESPECT initiative, including how RESPECT was developed and formed into a plan for the profession.
  • Get involved in and access RESPECT resources.

  Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellows

  Antero Garcia served as a Classroom Teaching Fellow in 2010-2011. He is returning for the 2014-1015 school year.

  The Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellowships are designed to improve education for students by involving teachers and principals in the development and implementation of national education policy.

  Teaching and Principal Fellows either take a year's leave of absence to come to Washington, D.C., or they keep their day jobs and work for the Department part time. Learn more.

  • Apply to be a Teaching Ambassador Fellow
  • Apply to be a Principal Ambassador Fellow

Contact us.