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Teachers are an essential link in the model.  It is teachers, in collaboration with parents, who keep the focus on the student.

Teachers are responsible for:

• Providing challenging, quality academic work guided by the academic standards set by the state and district
  
  
• Having a strong belief that their students can achieve the academic standards and expectations established for them
  
  
• Identifying students who need special academic help and taking the steps necessary to see that they get this help quickly, before minor problems become major ones
  
  
• Being knowledgeable about the state and local academic content standards for the grades and subject areas they teach
  
  
• Knowing what students are to have learned in the years immediately preceding and following the grade levels they teach
  
  
• Creating a classroom learning environment that motivates students to want to learn, including enforcing classroom and school rules fairly and consistently
  
  
• Working closely with the principal and other school staff to create a positive educational environment for students
  
  
• Being highly-qualified in the subject areas they teach and understanding various instructional techniques for delivering the subject matter to students, including reading, discussions with other teachers, and seeking out and engaging in quality professional development opportunities
  
  
• Focusing all efforts on improving student achievement, including evaluating new programs and initiatives according to whether or not they can help students succeed academically
  
  
• Refusing to give unearned grades or promotions, and working to support consistent grading policies and promotion practices
  
  
• Developing positive working relationships with parents, helping them to understand the curriculum and expectations for students (assignments, tests, etc.), and impressing upon parents the important role they play in helping their child achieve

Teachers need to provide engaging, challenging academic work for students. It is also clear from the research that teachers beliefs about whether their students can achieve the academic expectations set for them is a major determinant of student success. Teachers must create a learning environment that motivates students to want to learn the material the teacher has prepared for them. To do so, teachers must be experts in the subject matter they are teaching and understand various instructional techniques.

The school and school district, and to some degree the state, have a clear responsibility for providing teachers with quality professional development opportunities which enhance their subject matter knowledge and teaching skills. At the same time, teachers must accept the personal responsibility to participate in these professional development experiences and to seek out such experiences when they are not provided by the school/district/state.

We are asking teachers to perform at unprecedented levels.  This is a daunting task that requires the commitment and support of every member of our democratic society.

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