The governor announced a Teacher Advisory Committee today made up of 90 teachers from three geographic regions of the state, north, metro and central/south.
One committee member recently wrote for the Get Schooled blog in support of using test scores in teacher evaluations, something Gov. Nathan Deal favors. Deal also has nine teachers from charter schools on the committee.
The governor has ensured his educational priorities and preferences will be represented on the committee, but there are certainly a lot of voices to be heard with 90 teachers. So, I am hoping this committee will not be an echo chamber but a diverse collection of teachers with a range of views.
I am not sure 90 people is a committee; it seems closer to a conference. But we'll see how it goes.
Credit: Maureen Downey
Credit: Maureen Downey
From the Governor's Office today:
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced the creation of the Teacher Advisory Committee, which will review recommendations from the 2015 Education Reform Commission in order to provide feedback and guidance to Deal, legislators and policy-makers.
The committee is chaired by Rep. Amy Carter, a practicing teacher in Lowndes County, and is composed of 90 educators throughout the state. These teachers have experience from kindergarten through high school across a wide range of subject areas including STEM fields, fine arts and special and gifted education. Deal announced his intention to create the Teacher Advisory Committee earlier this year.
“Last year, I charged the Education Reform Commission with studying the state’s education system and making recommendations on how it can more effectively prepare our students for postsecondary programs and the workforce,” said Deal. “The responsibility of the commission was to think beyond the confines of the current system, look into the future and recommend changes that will make that level of educational preparation possible in Georgia. They fulfilled that responsibility and I’m grateful for their hard work and diligent efforts. Now I would like to hear from those on the front lines.
“Georgia’s teachers educate, train, mentor and encourage our children each and every day, and they are dedicated to providing a quality education and shaping the minds of Georgia’s future leaders. I have tasked the Teacher Advisory Committee with reviewing these recommendations and providing input and feedback. Their experience in the classroom will help guide our efforts as we seek to improve educational outcomes for students, retain the best and brightest teachers and address critical needs in Georgia’s K-12 system. I look forward to meeting with them to discuss how we can continue to improve outcomes for Georgia’s educators.”
The Teacher Advisory Committee will participate in meetings, conference calls and webinars throughout the summer and early fall and provide feedback following each discussion. Dr. Susan Andrews, Director of Special Projects for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, will facilitate these discussions.
A complete list of committee members by region can be found below:
Several of you have asked how these teachers were chosen. I asked and received this email from Dr. Susan Andrews of the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget:
After receiving the input, the participants were selected from the recommendations, taking care to choose teachers from each grade level and content area. We were deliberate about having academic content area teachers, career technical teachers, teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL),a foreign language teacher, teachers of gifted students, and teachers of students with disabilities. We also wanted teachers with varying levels of experience so the group has teachers with as few as 2 years of experience up to more than 30 years. We also ensured there were teachers from each region of Georgia. We are confident that the group represents the teaching profession in Georgia.
