Educators Rising Curriculum Development Team Completes Work

Arlington, Va., December 7, 2016 — Today, the Educators Rising Curriculum Development Team completed their work on the EdRising Academy curriculum, a groundbreaking program for high school students to explore teaching. Created through a partnership with the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the curriculum will be available for implementation in high schools for the 2017–2018 school year.

The EdRising Academy curriculum builds upon the June 2016 release of seven Educators Rising Standards, which outline the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that aspiring young educators must cultivate to take their first steps on the path to accomplished teaching. NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said, “NEA is proud to partner with Educators Rising to help engage and inspire a new generation of teachers. We supported the development of standards for rising educators and we are excited to be involved in helping to create the EdRising Academy curriculum which is being built by veteran educators for future educators.”

The creation of the EdRising Academy curriculum is intended to provide schools with an effective way to begin preparing the next generation of high-quality teachers. AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “AFT has a proud history of fighting for our children, our profession, our public schools, and our communities. The curricular work Educators Rising has created will help engage students who want to become teachers by providing relevant and authentic context and content. We’re pleased and honored to be partners in this endeavor.”

The EdRising Academy curriculum includes all content and resources to support teaching a two-year cocurricular pathway program for high school juniors and seniors. Additionally, the Curriculum Development Team created five micro-credentials — performance-based assessments — that are nested within the two-year program and will also be available to the broader field of preservice teachers.

The Educators Rising Curriculum Development Team was comprised of fourteen individuals in P-12 and higher education, including State Teachers of the Year and National Board Certified Teachers. The diverse group of individuals listed below demonstrated expertise in teacher preparation coursework and instruction, performance-based assessment design, and cultural competence, which were all integral aspects of the curriculum development.

• Anna Baldwin*, teacher, Arlee Schools (Mont.)
• Jemelleh Coes*, field instructor and teacher mentor, University of Georgia (Ga.)
• Tammy Fry, teacher education program instructor, Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (Kan.)
• Jean Ann Hunt, associate professor, SUNY Plattsburgh (N.Y.)
• Tracey Idica, NBCT, teacher/instructional coach and new teacher mentor, Aiea High School (Hawaii)
• Dia Jones, teacher and dean of students, Mastery Charter Schools (Pa.)
• Christopher Kennedy, associate lecturer, Ohio University (Ohio)
• Fay Lee, professor of education, Lone Star College (Texas)
• Linda Pribyl, NBCT, CTE Education Academy instructor, National Louis University (Ill.)
• Emily Rodriquez, project facilitator, Clark County School District (Nev.)
• Rene Roselle, associate director of teacher education, University of Connecticut (Conn.)
• Laura Smith, NBCT, CTE teacher, San Bernadino City Unified School District (Calif.)
• Kelly Stidham, effectiveness coach, Kentucky Department of Education (Ky.)
• Karen Teff, NBCT, teacher and online educator, Deer River Public Schools (Minn.)

*State Teacher of the Year

Dan Brown, co-director of Educators Rising, worked closely with the team during the development of the curriculum and the micro-credentials. Brown said, “The fourteen incredible educators on the Educators Rising Curriculum Development Team have ensured that every detail of the EdRising Academy reflects the shared voice of the teaching profession. The curriculum is such an authentic, engaging introduction to teaching. I believe we’re a few years away from looking back and wondering, ‘How did we go so long without having this powerful grow-your-own program in every community?’”

The EdRising Academy seeks to provide the foundation of teacher preparation in high school, fulfilling Educators Rising’s mission of starting young people on the path to accomplished teaching. Educators Rising is powered by PDK International, which is committed to improving education. Joshua P. Starr, chief executive officer of PDK International, said, “Every child deserves a highly skilled professional teaching them every day, and school systems need to both find well-prepared teachers and develop the talent they have. We are proud to support school communities that are doing excellent work through Educators Rising to create a pipeline of local talent that is prepared to meet the demands of today’s classroom.”

The EdRising Academy curriculum will be available to preview in February 2017. Those interested in learning more can sign up to receive important updates and information regarding the release.