Leading the Profession:  Four More Local Association Teams Attend Training to Prepare for ESSA Implementation  

Leaders and members from the Christina Education Association, Christina Paraprofessional Association, Colonial Paraprofessional Association, and the Red Clay Paraprofessional Association attended a four day workshop in May at the Montgomery Institute in Rockville, MD.  The session focused on Educator Leadership and ESSA and highlighted the opportunities for educators to get involved at the state and local level to improve schools and benefit their students.  

UniServ Directors Julie Harrington and Laura Rowe and their teams worked with affiliates and locals from across the country to develop an action plan geared toward educating and organizing their members around the Every Student Succeeds Act.  

Over the four days participants:

• Learned how ESSA changes allow them many more opportunities to use teacher leaders in shaping policy and regulations impacting teaching and learning; 
• Considered how bargaining tactics may be employed to shape ESSA implementation at the local level;
• Expanded their understanding of leadership and various ways in which the union can grow leaders;
• Used organizing skills and strategies to develop a plan that engages leaders in policy advocacy that supports student learning and teacher quality; and 
• Developed a narrative around empowered union leaders that collaborate with critical stakeholders to co-create solutions designed to shape the future of education, improve student learning, and enhance professional practice and the quality of professionals.