Our Story: Educators Leading the Profession
Dan’s daughters, Kourtney and Molly.
From Dan Burkhalter, ELP Executive Director
Two of my daughters are teachers. I witnessed first hand their struggles and triumphs when they entered the profession. I knew there was a better way, and in my discussions with others, I quickly learned that many people felt the same way.
Educators Leading the Profession (ELP) is a unique professional support model designed to help new teachers succeed. We define new teachers as those in their first through third year of teaching, because research shows that nationally about half of teachers who enter the profession leave by their fourth year of teaching.
If we can reach new teachers with the right resources and support to help them succeed, we can advance the profession, help school districts address issues with retention, and enrich student learning. It’s proven that the top indicator of success in the classroom is the quality of the teacher.
What excites me the most about what we’re doing is the feedback I hear from teachers. Some acknowledge they’ve been fortunate to receive a great onboarding experience. But that experience isn’t universal, and there’s room for improvement.
Professional support via mentoring and virtual coaching
Teachers are also really excited about the practical nature of what ELP provides. Through our involvement with teachers’ unions, we provide a school mentor who can help acclimate a teacher to the environment. Having a mentor explain the little things, like learning the gradebook and attendance system, makes a big difference to teachers. In addition, their mentor has no affiliation with the district or their performance evaluation, and that’s important to a new professional.
The second component of ELP provides teachers with access to a virtual instruction coach to help them learn their practice specific to what they teach. The teachers we talk to are ecstatic that they get to pick what they want to learn. ELP provides the online tools and support to coach and acclimate mentors. These two components are the hallmarks of ELP’s unique model.
I worked for, led and provided consulting guidance to teachers’ unions in the Midwest. Through my years of advocacy, I’ve built relationships. Strong industry relationships, if you will. Today we have seven education unions and associations across the Midwest that want to advance ELP.
We’re starting small with a two-year pilot test that will start with the 2021-2022 school year and in partnership with school districts, unions, ELP’s team of advisors, the private sector and philanthropic partnerships. Our seven state affiliates are working to identify local school districts (14 total) to take part. We want diverse districts that are reflective of the Midwest. Funding is in place to implement and fully support those who engage in it. It’s exciting to watch this idea become very real.
We’ve also hired a national research firm to help us measure specific actions and outcomes to evaluate if ELP is having an impact. Our goal is to learn, share our learning, and measure if new teachers become stronger and last longer.
Join us to make a difference for new teachers
If you’re hearing about this initiative now, it’s likely you have been asked to consider the pilot and partner with us. I’m hopeful you will. I believe this is a win for the school districts, a win for teachers, a win for student learning and a win for the state affiliates who are supporting their members.
ELP is a journey – and it’s just starting – but our work has been in motion for years through a brilliant team of partners. I’m here to share more and answer any questions you have. We’d love your support and partnership as we launch something new and impactful.
