A recent national opinion survey commissioned by Education|Evolving, a Minnesota-based education policy design and advocacy group, found broad support for teacher-powered schools among teachers, parents and the general public.
Here are additional findings among teachers:
54% of teachers indicate they are “very interested”
76% of teachers think a colleague would be interested
Let’s hear from some teachers who are making teacher-powered schools work. These are teachers from a Denver National Education Association-inspired teacher-led school.
In my conversations with teachers around the country, I’ve found that teacher-powered schools resonate with teachers in district schools and charter schools, in union districts and non-union districts.
The key comes down to autonomy. Chartering provides autonomy as a function of law, and therefore teacher-led schools are easier to create. But district leaders and union leaders are also capable of creating autonomy, as these Denver teachers demonstrated so well.
Next week: Innovation + Autonomy = Results.
