Taking advantage of current social media technology, Teachers Network—with funding from the Ford Foundation—is introducing an important forum for collaboration to a population currently underserved by social networking platforms.
Teachers Network has just launched a social networking website www.effectiveteachers.org, in order to bring interested people together through a national, online community to share ideas, suggestions, and examples of what is helping to support and keep effective teachers teaching.
The goal is for this site to become the “go-to” place for discussions on education topics—especially to help inform the national conversation about supporting teachers. Through collaboration of educators, policy-makers, and virtually all public stakeholders, the aim is to improve teacher effectiveness and retention in all schools so that every student has the very best possible opportunity to achieve. From its inception, Teachers Network has been dedicated to improving student learning in public schools by cutting through teacher isolation and encouraging collaboration among educators. Findings released last month from the national survey conducted by Teachers Network, “What Keeps Effective Teachers in the Classroom,” show that quality teaching is largely the result of a variety of measures that need to be put in place to better support teachers, and point to the necessity of teachers and others having many opportunities to collaborate.
Ellen Dempsey, Teachers Network’s President & CEO, affirms that “Through its long history and experience of encouraging networking opportunities with a focus on emerging technologies, Teachers Network is uniquely poised to take on the role of host for such a platform.”
As online communication is increasingly the way of the present and future, Teachers Network recognizes the need to incorporate social networking into national education discussions. This site is designed to be separate from Teachers Network’s main website www.teachersnetwork.org, which receives well over half-a-million hits per month. Visitors to www.effectiveteachers.org will be able to access content and any discussions/comments made by community members, post topics and replies in a simple discussion forum environment, and register and become members in order to participate in ongoing dialogue. Teachers Network, along with leading experts in the field will moderate and encourage topics essential to supporting teachers. This new site will also provide another means of presenting the survey findings of the research report, accompanying documentary-video, brochure, and multiple policy briefs—as well as focus on the regional forums/convenings that are occurring in conjunction with the dissemination of this study and revolve around the related discussions.
About Teachers Network
Teachers Network is a non-profit organization–by teachers, for teachers–with a three-decade long track record of success, dedicated to improving student learning in public schools, and cutting through teacher isolation. Using the power of an award-winning website, video, and print resources, it leverages the creativity and expertise of a national and international community of outstanding educators. The organization is unique in its focus on the teacher as key to improving student achievement in public schools. Through its leadership, Teachers Network empowers teachers to transform public schools into creative learning communities so every student will succeed and contribute to the public good. Over the years, Teachers Network has directly impacted over 1.5 million teachers and nearly 40 million students.
