Teach Plus Incorporated
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Research makes clear that teachers are the most important variable in student success, yet high-need students often lack access to effective teachers. The profession is not organized to reward excellence, promote teacher development, or retain top performers in the classroom. Teachers know from experience what it takes to motivate, inspire, and drive students to reach their potential. They know what works, what doesn’t, and what’s needed to support every learner as he or she prepares for college, career, and citizenship. While teachers know the best route to student success, too often their voices aren’t heard or used to inform the decisions that impact classrooms, shape the teaching profession, and have the greatest impact in education. The lack of teacher-led systemic change has been a critical missing element in matching the bold aspirations of education policymakers with the sustainable progress needed to tackle persistent opportunity and achievement gaps in our schools.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Teaching Policy Fellowship
The Teaching Policy Fellowship is a highly selective program for teachers interested in having a voice in decisions that affect their profession. During a cohort experience that spans 18 months, Fellows meet in monthly sessions that offer: Personal interaction with key education leaders; A challenging course of study in education policy, research, and best practices from across the nation; and The opportunity to advocate for policies that will better serve students and retain excellent teachers. Fellows are demonstrably effective classroom teachers who are in the ""second stage"" (years 3-10) of their teaching careers. Currently, more than 100 Teaching Policy Fellows nationwide are engaging in ""big picture"" education reform in Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, and Maryland. In each of our cities, Fellows bring a wide array of experience to their cohort. Teaching Policy Fellows are all current classroom teachers who teach a variety of subjects and grades, spanning from kindergarten through twelfth grade, in urban district, pilot, or charter schools. They have entered the teaching profession through varied routes, including alternative teacher training programs such as Teach for America. Many Fellows are actively involved in their local teachers unions as building reps and leadership committee members, and many are equally involved in school- or district-based leadership. Amongst our Fellows are National Board Certified teachers and Citywide Teachers of the Year. Across the nation, Teaching Policy Fellows are united by their passion for teaching and their aspiration to modernize the teaching profession so that more top-performing teachers will want stay in the classroom.
T3: Turnaround Teacher Teams
The T3 Initiative is an innovative program to recruit, develop, and support effective, experienced teachers to serve in our lowest performing schools. This program was designed by teachers to address the problem of inequitable access to effective teachers in the highest need schools.The T3 Initiative:creates cohorts of highly effective and experienced teacherssupports them in becoming turnaround specialistsplaces them in teams in the schools in which they are most neededResearch shows that nothing is more important for a student's success in school than the teacher in front of that child's classroom. Yet the students who need effective, experienced teachers the most are the least likely to be assigned to them. Our lowest performing schools not only have the most significant achievement gaps, but also the highest rates of teacher turnover. Four consecutive years with highly effective teachers could close that achievement gap and begin to give all kids the education they deserve.The T3 Initiative is among the first efforts nationally to address this notable deficiency in the design of school turnaround. Nationally, there is currently an intense focus on chronically low-performing schools. These schools are the focus of intensive support and innovative strategies to enable them to significantly raise student outcomes. T3 teachers play a central role in helping to transform these schools, having been chosen for their effectiveness with urban students and trained in a cohort for the challenge of a turnaround environment. T3 teachers have the opportunity to work with a team of effective teachers who are high performing and dedicated to working collaboratively. They are trained as a cohort in turnaround strategies that have been used by other highly effective teacher teams. They are part of a broader turnaround strategy that supports effective teaching and can take on leadership roles without leaving the classroom.
Teacher-Led Professional Learning (TLPL) Network
Teach Plus believes that there are no better experts than highly effective teachers who are currently in the classroom. Our TLPL courses empower these excellent teachers to help other teachers improve. In their work defining best practices for professional learning, Learning Forward asserts that, “for learning and support that leads to changed practice and improved student results, learning designs...[should be] evidence-based, differentiated, sustained, job-embedded, and classroom-focused."
Teach Plus’ Teacher-Led Professional Learning Network embodies these best practices: 1) Teachers’ learning experiences are sustained over a period of time; 2) Learning is collaborative with multiple opportunities for feedback and reflection; and 3) Learning is led by experts in the subject matter. Through the TLPL network, we connect teachers of similar grades and subjects to collaborate on improving instruction. Teacher Leaders (TLs) guide a group of their peers through the process of developing new lessons and strategies, and analyzing their impact on student learning. TLPL helps excellent teachers translate their skills from the classroom into the skills necessary to lead their peers in high quality professional learning. Teach Plus recruits and selects excellent teachers and then provides them with upfront training on the skillful facilitation of adult learning, using evidence to drive instructional purpose, and overcoming the resistance of peers. TLPL courses spread at least 15 hours of professional learning over multiple sessions and are offered across the country.
Change Agent
The Change Agent program creates a unique opportunity – empowering teachers to lead school-based efforts to address a problem that affects students across their school, expanding the effective leadership capacity of high need schools. In Change Agent, teacher leader and principal teams apply together with a self-identified school wide problem that they want help addressing. The problems range from specific goals in improving standards-based instruction across their school to strategic initiatives that directly support student success, such as improving the implementation of Multi-Tier Systems of Support. Teach Plus partners with district leaders to recruit teacher and principal teams from high-need schools to apply to the program, prioritizing schools who are ready to leverage a teacher leadership strategy. Our typical cohort consists of schools with over 90% of students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch rates.
To finalize our partner schools, Teach Plus conducts a rigorous selection process, which includes a written application and an in-person interview day. Our selection process identifies
successful applications that contain the following:
1) High-leverage problems that affect student outcomes and contain clear sources of data for goal-setting and progress monitoring (examples of previous issues selected by school teams include better attendance, higher proficiency in specific content areas, fewer disciplinary referrals, and greater student engagement).
2) Alignment between teacher leaders and principals so that teacher leaders will have the required authority and tools to lead an effective school-wide problem-solving initiative, as indicated in a principal recommendation letter.
3) High-quality teacher leaders, who must demonstrate a track record of success with students and an aptitude for leading their peers. Our current cohorts of teacher leaders have an average of 7.4 years of experience and consists of 85% teachers of color.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Teach Plus believes that every student in America should have an opportunity to learn and achieve at their maximum potential in an education system that is defined by its equity for all learners, its responsiveness to individual student needs, and its ability to prepare students for success in an innovation economy.
We envision a world where all learners from preschool through high school have access to high quality and rigorous curricula, excellent schools, a fair and equitable educational system, and opportunities to advance social and emotional learning. The organization believes that student access to excellent, empowered and diverse teachers in our educational system is a critical lever to attaining these goals.
DRIVERS and 5-YEAR GOALS:
1) Develop and support Teacher Leaders to leverage, build, and forge connections between policy and practice.
Goal - Double the number of teacher leaders leading change from 2,000 to 4,000.
2) Empower a national network of experienced, diverse educators and position them for impact on policy change and improvements in instructional practice.
Goal - Link our communities of policy and practice leaders across the country and mobilize our network of over 35,000 educators to lead systemic change for students.
3) Build, expand, and deepen our impact and reach to more students, classrooms, and states.
Goal - Expand to 16 states, reaching a majority share of the nation’s African American, Latino, and low-income learners.
4) Advance Teacher Leadership as a catalyst for student success and for strengthening the teaching profession.
Goal - Establish Teach Plus attributes, skills, and competencies of teacher leadership as essential levers for change, and increase
the presence of effective distributed and shared teacher leadership in schools.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Teach Plus’ work creates two pathways that expand the impact of highly-effective teacher leaders and form a powerful continuum of teacher leadership from classroom to statehouse:
1. Through our highly-selective Teaching Policy Fellowship program (TPF), experienced and effective teachers working in high-need
schools develop and exercise their voice in policy decision-making that affects students and teachers in their states. Ranging from
12-18 months in duration, TPF supports teacher leaders in drawing connections between their classroom experiences, research
and evidence on what works, and public policy. Fellows engage in a rigorous course of study in policy, advocacy, storytelling,
research, and communications, acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully advocate for changes in programs
and policies to better serve students and teachers.
2. Teach Plus’ Instructional Practice programs support the development of skills and competencies among experienced, effective
teachers to serve as leaders and facilitators of instructional change within their schools and across networks, advancing school
and district-defined goals and priorities aimed at improving student outcomes. These programs are built on Teach Plus’ Leadership
Attribute Continuum—a foundation of essential knowledge and skills that teachers need in order to lead and manage instructional
improvement in collaboration with their peers. Teach Plus Teacher Leaders develop skills to guide their peers in analyzing research
and applying evidence for instructional decision-making, implementing new teaching strategies, evaluating changes in student
outcomes, and creating learning environments that distribute and support shared leadership.
Teach Plus programs illustrate its core competencies. To maximize impact across its programs, the organization:
1.BUILDS THE MOVEMENT: Teach Plus recruits, selects, and develops exceptional teachers as leaders.
2.DEVELOPS TEACHER LEADERSHIP SKILLS: The organization supports these teacher leaders as they shape the professional learning of their peers, improve student outcomes in their classrooms, and advocate to change policies and increase the capacity of their schools and districts to better support learners.
3.AMPLIFIES THE VOICE OF TEACHERS: Teach Plus elevates teachers’ voices in the media and in coalitions where teachers can make effective use of their unique role at intersection of school, parent, and student interests.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As we have gathered knowledge and experience over the past ten years, Teach Plus has made shifts both in strategy and
programming. We have reviewed the experiences and examined the results of Teach Plus Teacher Leaders across policy and
practice, adapted programming and built greater capacity for teacher leadership among our partners, and made significant
strides to both customize and scale programming across Teach Plus regions. Our models and these shifts have taught us key lessons
related to teacher roles in policy and practice, as well as our own organizational strengths in developing and supporting teachers
to be effective leaders.
Building on that foundation, Roberto J. Rodríguez assumed the role of President and CEO of Teach Plus in 2017. As a federal
policymaker and former White House Deputy Assistant to President Obama, Mr. Rodriguez brings a vision to further
elevate teacher leadership and place our most talented teachers at the helm of driving equity and opportunity for students across
our education system. He seeks to blend the policy and practice expertise of our teacher leaders, promote teacher-led innovations
and solutions to close persistent achievement and opportunity gaps, and pursue stronger connections across diverse networks to
achieve collective impact and fulfill the potential for change that teacher leadership brings to benefit students and the teaching
profession at large.
Today, Teach Plus Teacher Leaders express a desire to lead and use their voice to tackle a variety of issues in education, from
advancing equity and social justice for their students to re-designing teaching and learning in their schools and scaling innovation
in their classrooms. Our teachers have proven time and time again their demonstrated effectiveness in supporting systemic
change that leads to improved student outcomes. Through our experience and the success of our Teacher Leaders, Teach Plus is uniquely positioned to advance a new chapter in teacher leadership across policy and instructional practice.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In addition to our flagship programming, Teach Plus amplifies teacher voice through national research, policy and advocacy, and communications work. Unique in our work on both sides of the change equation, Teach Plus brings the ability to leverage learnings across practice and policy. Regardless of which side of the change equation teachers begin their leadership journey with Teach Plus, they
inevitably are eager for opportunities to advance their learning and development and to maximize their leadership across key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success.
Teach Plus targets some of the nation’s best and brightest teachers working in high-need schools. In 2018, Teach Plus developed 784 teacher leaders across 11 states. In communities in which we work, 20% of students are English language learners; 21% of students are African American; 51% of students are Latino; and 67% of students are economically disadvantaged.
In 2018, Teach Plus trained and supported 17,161 teachers in our policy and practice programs. These Teacher Leaders completed 5,843 'educator advocacy' actions, including testifying before legislative and school district administrative committees, publishing issue-oriented op-eds [157] and policy briefs and reports [16], interviewing with local and national media, and generating media placements [354]. Through its social media networks, Teach Plus has over 45,000 followers.
In our teacher practice-based programs, 354 Teacher Leaders collaborated with more than 2,200 of their peer teachers and their principals to build a community of educators dedicated to positive change on behalf of their more than 10,600 students. Based on surveys taken at the conclusion of the 2018 program year, 90% of teachers said they had made positive change in their practice as a result of working with a Teach Plus Teacher Leader.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Teach Plus Incorporated
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Ms. Emily McCann
CEO, Citizen Schools, Inc.
Term: 2018 -
David Driscoll
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
John Luczak
Principal, Education Firs
Michelle Boyers
CEO of the Give Forward Foundation
George Miller
Former US Representative from CA
Emily McCann
CEO, Citizen Schools
Bootsie Battle-Holt
Math Teacher and Department Chair Marina del Rey Middle School, Los Angeles Unified School District
Dr. Travis J. Bristol
Assistant Professor, University of California Berkeley
John B. King Jr.
President and CEO, The Education Trust Former U.S. Secretary of Education
Ashley McCall
3rd grade bilingual English teacher César Chávez Multicultural Arts Center, Chicago Public Schools District 299
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/20/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.