The Power of Teacher Networks

Ellen Meyers is a founder and senior vice president of Teachers Network and director of the Teachers Network Leadership Institute (TNLI). Meyers has had a long, distinguished career in education with an extensive list of accomplishments, among them: editor-in-chief of the by teachers, for teachers series of handbooks, including the New Teachers Handbook and How to Use the Internet in the Classroom; co-editor of Taking Action with Teacher Research (2003); producer of the television series "Successful Teaching Practices in Action"; innovator of the award-winning Web site teachersnetwork.org; and developer of Teachers Network's online courses. Her passion is bridging the gap between schoolhouses and statehouses by empowering teachers to provide a voice in education policymaking. Meyers has a master's in education from Cambridge College and was recently awarded a certificate in English language teaching from Long Island University. For five years, she was adjunct professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and she has been an instructor of English at Long Island University. Peter A. Paul is vice president of Teachers Network and also serves as national coordinator of the Teachers Network Leadership Institute (TNLI). Additionally, he directs Teachers Network's New Teacher Resource Program, which helps support thousands of new teachers each year across the U.S. Paul has a concentration in educational policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was inducted as a permanent member into its chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education) and has also received numerous other recognitions, such as citations in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Asia-First Edition, and Outstanding People of the 20th Century (Cambridge, England). As a licensed elementary and middle school teacher, he has taught at all levels and in mixed environments-including urban, rural, and suburban classrooms-throughout the US and Japan. The son of two teachers and education professors, Paul is the founding president of NCA Schools International-a Northern Japan-based chain of English-language schools. Prior to returning to the US in 1997, Paul did extensive public speaking and educational consulting abroad. David E. Kirkland is assistant professor of English education at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in the Department of Teaching and Learning. His research focuses on urban youth popular culture, language and literacy, teacher research, and urban teacher education. For five years, Kirkland taught secondary reading and English language arts in Detroit and Lansing, Michigan. He received his master's in philosophy from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in language, literacy, and urban education from Michigan State. His professional memberships include American Educational Research Association (AERA), Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Detroit Branch, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE)-NCTE Affiliate Organization. Nancy Fichtman Dana is currently professor of education in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hannibal Central Schools, New York. Since earning her PhD from Florida State University in 1991, she has been a passionate advocate for teacher inquiry and has worked >extensively in supporting schools, districts and universities in implementing powerful programs of job-embedded professional development through inquiry across the United States and in several countries, including China, South Korea, Belgium, Portugal, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Estonia. She has published ten books and over 100 articles in professional journals and edited books focused on her research exploring teacher and principal professional development and practitioner inquiry. Dana has received many honors, including the Association of Teacher Educator's Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award and the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) Book of the Year Award, both honoring Dana and Yendol-Hoppey's work related to practitioner inquiry.

Foreword by Stephanie Hirsh Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. The Case for Networks What Joining TNLI Did for Our Work Why Form a Network? Concluding Thoughts 2. Creating a Vision Naming the Problem Envisioning the Future Speaking With One Voice What You Can Do--The Future Is Now 3. Finding a Voice The Journey Begins Seeing Teachers as the Solution, Not the Problem Charting the Course Managing a Network 4. Raising Your Voice The Journey Continues Managing a Growing Network 5. Making a Difference A Menu of Activities Why Teachers Like to Do Action Research Feedback: How Do You Know You Are Making a Difference? 6. Where Do We Go From Here? A Need for Change The Future of Teaching Appendices TNLI Recommended Reading List References Index

"This book makes a most compelling case for the centrality of professional community to excellent teaching. It provides a ringing clarion call for teacher collaboration and for grounding educational policy in the real world of the classroom and the school. Part how-to manual for building teacher networks and part chronicle of the authors' successful work, The Power of Teacher Networks sets forth a vision for the transformation of our nation's schools through the development of teacher voice." -- Randi Weingarten, President "Offers useful and usable knowledge that can change the way teachers work. The authors offer specific strategies for building teacher networks to enhance student achievement. When teachers network, they become a social force for the good of society and each child in their classroom. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about teaching and teacher development." -- Mary M. Brabeck, Dean and Professor of Applied Psychology "The Teachers Network, one of the most effective professional development organizations in education, has much to teach us. Ellen Meyers and her colleagues explain how supporting, connecting, and investing in teachers provides the best hope for our nation's public schools. Their invaluable work, distilled to its essence in these pages, creates opportunities for teachers to work collaboratively with colleagues, to learn from one another about how to teach better, and through that professional growth to remain committed to education. The authors show us how to do it." -- Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education "This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of public education in America. Embedded in the notion that teachers are the solution, not the problem, this book explores how teachers can create a vision, find a voice, manage a growing network, and make a difference. Surely there is nothing more important as we grapple with how best to move forward." -- Bill Cirone, Superintendent