The Beginning Teacher Leadership Network (BTLN) aims to retain, support, and accelerate the development of beginning teachers, complementing their existing professional development opportunities. BTLN meetings will consist of face-to-face forums and digital networking in the areas of education policy and advocacy, cross-curricular collaboration, and professional development.
By bringing together educational practice and policy, we hope to produce and retain teachers that are “empowered to lead and informed to change” in a new era of teaching. We provide unparalleled access to information and key decision makers in education, while simultaneously giving beginning teachers high-level professional development. Our four objectives are to 1) improve practice, 2) raise understanding of policy, 3) boost influence, and 4) increase collaboration.
Education Policy and Advocacy
Cross-Curricular Collaboration
Professional Development
The Mission
The Beginning Teacher Leadership Network (BTLN) sparks active engagement with public education policy and fosters professional growth, collaboration, and advocacy among a network of beginning North Carolina teachers. The BTLN premiered across Wake County in the spring of 2015 and operated for its first full year in 2015-16. The BTLN is currently operating in Cabarrus, Carteret, Mecklenburg, Union, and Wake counties for the 2017-18 cohort.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible participants (North Carolina traditional and charter public school teachers in their first three years of experience) can apply to the program by submitting basic information about their teaching experience and level of curricular and instructional support, and submitting a personal statement describing what they hope to achieve by participating in the network. Participants may remain in the network for three years, regardless of when they enter the program.Program Components
Face-to-Face Forums and Digital Reflection/Networking. The core program will consist of monthly sessions, one during each traditional teaching month, during after-school hours. Forums will consist of education policy briefings, teacher collaboration sessions, and interactive professional development. In order to encourage reflection on techniques and strategies, and to extend key takeaways into classrooms, other professional learning communities, and policy discussions, monthly forums will be digitally enhanced through online discussion and social media. The final forum of each school year will be a capstone event involving participants, speakers, special guests, and media, to celebrate the BTLN’s work.
Sponsors
