EDTalks: Teacher Power! Strategies to Support Educators and Strengthen Equity

Teacher-Powered Schools: Sharing Power with Educators, Students and Families

Teacher-powered schools – schools that are collectively designed and run by teams of educators – are a powerful and practical strategy for more equitable student learning that taps into the energy and brilliance inherent in school communities. Teachers partner with students, families and communities to create student-centered learning experiences that honor, support and develop each student as individual learners and persons. Amy Junge will explore the structures and cultural characteristics of teacher-powered schools, the many benefits of these learning environments for students and communities and the growing movement of 250+ teacher powered schools that are embracing this approach to educating and making change.

Presenter: Amy Junge (she/her) is the director of Teacher Powered School at Education Evolving, a Minnesota-based nonprofit working to improve public education. Amy supports educator teams across the country through teacher-powered governance, collaborative leadership and autonomous school models. A former California elementary and middle school assistant principal and teacher, she began working with teacher-powered schools in 2009. She is a contributing author for Trusting Teachers with School Success: What Happens When Teachers Call the Shots.

Supporting Our Educators in a Post-COVID World

The unprecedented stress of teaching during COVID-19 – coupled with the pressure many educators feel to counter student learning loss due to the pandemic – has led to massive teacher resignations and early retirements. Dr. Tim Brown, principal of American Indian Magnet School in Saint Paul, will detail some of the unprecedented challenges teachers have faced and offer post-pandemic strategies to redirect their energy in this new time. He will share ideas on how to restructure professional development, committee work and student engagement to give teachers more voice and choice, help them feel more greatly valued and go beyond traditional self-care. He argues that if we aren’t intentional about meeting the needs of our teachers, we will continue to see large numbers leaving the profession.

Presenter: Dr. Tim Brown (he/him) is principal at the American Indian Magnet School in Saint Paul. A member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Dr. Brown has spent 26 years working in Twin Cities public schools. He has also served on the board of regents for St. Mary’s University and taught courses at Augsburg University, Hamline University and Minneapolis College. A father of three, Dr. Brown is a musician and an accomplished visual artist who has always been driven to ask good questions.

For more information on this event, contact Heidi Draskoci-Fricke. We look forward to seeing you there!