States and districts need to engage educators as they develop, implement and improve reforms. Unfortunately too often educators are engaged too late, once the reforms have already been planned or revised, making “engagement” more about building teacher support instead of getting them involved. This guide is designed to provide ways that educators can be engaged to become active participants in reform, not passive recipients of changes being done to them.
In this guide we propose a framework for engagement that keeps teachers at the center. The framework has four components: 1) I Know: Teachers fully understand new reforms; 2) I Apply: Teachers are able to use new reforms in their practice; 3) I Participate: Teachers work together with colleagues to engage with and refine new reforms; and 4) I Lead: Teachers take ownership of new reforms and lead their implementation and refinement. For each component, we provide specific strategies that states, school districts and unions can use.
