Applications are now being accepted for the AFT Teacher Leaders Program 2024-25. This program brings together a select group of educators throughout the school year to learn how to take active leadership roles in their schools, unions and communities. Participants can help strengthen the union and our connection to the community—building greater support and understanding of public schools.
The AFT Teacher Leaders Program supports the goals of the local unions and provides:
- A strong tie to community organizations and community leaders;
- An informed educator voice;
- A vehicle for positive messaging about public schools and their unions; and
- A pipeline for future school and union leaders.
Participating teachers develop skills related to:
- Creating a collaborative culture;
- Accessing, using and presenting relevant research;
- Reaching out to families and communities;
- Becoming advocates for educators, students and their families, and public education; and
- Understanding policy issues and making recommendations to and through their unions.
Through their participation in the AFT Teacher Leaders Program, teachers:
- Become conversant with and participate in both the local and national dialogue on education;
- Develop relationships with local policymakers and community leaders;
- Connect practice, research and policy; and
- Serve as a sounding board and advisory group for union leaders.
To date, more than 2,300 educators across the country have participated in this intensive policy training and research program. These local cadres meet once a month for eight months to discuss and debate policies, conduct action research, and build a local leadership bench in their unions.
To learn more about the AFT Teacher Leaders Program as well as new opportunities for former participants to engage in, join us for an informational webinar on March 25, 2024, at 7 p.m. EDT, and check out these AFT articles:
- Cultivating Teacher Leadership, American Educator, Spring 2019
- Building Home-School Connections with Pre-K 'Buddy Bags'
- One Custodian’s Mission: Green Cleaning
Build your bench; strengthen your voices; connect policy to practice. Apply now.
In unity,
Lisa Dickinson Director, Professional Learning and Member Engagement
