PA Education Advocates Stress Importance of Teacher Voice in Creating ESSA Plan
May 24, 2017
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera and 2015 Teacher of the Year Mairi Cooper stress the need for policymakers to listen to teachers in the classroom when it comes to creating the state’s ESSA plan and ensuring greater educational equity. Citing ESSA as an “opportunity to reignite conversations in our state about what it will take to create quality educational opportunities for all students and how we can work together to achieve that vision,” they argue that “giving teachers a seat at the table allows them to share their stories and those of their students and provide timely insight on how changes in state education policy could make a positive difference in classroom practice – or where it might not have its intended effect.”