The Challenge
Too often in education, decisions come from the top. Students receive a school experience set by relative strangers. Families have little place in their child’s school. Educators are constrained, unable to do what they know their community needs.
The Opportunity
Schools can and do look different. In these schools, decisions are made closer to students. Educator teams collaboratively design and run schools in deep partnership with the students and families they serve:
- Students experience increased choice and agency, in schools designed to reflect their unique assets and needs.
- Educators are able to make decisions impacting school success. With greater agency they also address issues in their profession, like poor working conditions and high turnover.
- Families and communities are included in decision-making spaces as equal partners.
- Administrators facilitate this sharing of power. They advocate for their team and students, ensuring both have the support they need to thrive.
Our Work
We’re moving the needle on this issue at two levels: in Minnesota through policy advocacy, and nationally through our Teacher-Powered Schools program.
Our National Program
We support school teams to shift their leadership structures, educator roles, and power-sharing practices—to improve outcomes for students and teachers.
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Policy Priority
We're advocating for policies that provide autonomy for school communities to drive equitable, student-centered change.
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Featured Resources
Report • August 2023 • By Lars Esdal, Daniel Marks
Understanding Teacher Retention at Teacher-Powered Schools
