Teacher Leadership Council

The North Carolina Teacher Leadership Council was launched with an inaugural group of 30 public school teachers from across the state. Superintendent Catherine Truitt and Special Advisor for Teacher Engagement, Julie Pittman, announced the council in November 2021.

Since then, the council has grown to 142 members who are invited to participate based on their selection as a district teacher of the year, NCCAT beginning teacher of the year selection, or other teacher recognition program.  The council meets monthly to discuss current policy issues and educational initiatives, and also engages teachers from within their regions and districts in important conversations about education, allowing teachers from across the state to be more connected with the work being done that affects the profession, their schools, classrooms, and students.  

The goals of the Teacher Leadership Council are twofold. The council will help strengthen communication channels with teachers across the state, allowing them to provide input and feedback educational issues that affect them, their students and schools throughout the year. The council also will serve as a professional development opportunity for those who have an interest in teacher leadership.

Monthly meetings cover teacher leadership opportunities, ongoing initiatives, current events, and challenges facing educators. 

With the support of our partners at Equitable Foundation, teachers on the council have the opportunity to participate in in-person professional development at the annual AIM Conference, as well as a myriad of other state and regional opportunities for teachers.  
Additional Teacher Leadership Council information.

Quotable

“This Teacher Leadership Council is an important way to stay in tune with the needs of those in the field through direct lines of communication. This group of leaders allows for the department to better understand and support educators, while providing an opportunity to engage directly with them on the challenges they face and how we can overcome them together.

- State Superintendent Catherine Truitt

“When you work for a system as large as North Carolina’s public schools, it’s easy to feel like a small cog in a big machine. By design, our regions and districts are meant to keep educators’ work rooted in our beautiful communities while centering the children and families we serve. An unintended consequence of that design is that it tends to isolate teachers into silos. The mission of the state TLC is to break down those silos and to replace them with bridges. Thanks to the Superintendent’s vision and the hard work of many, it has become a professional network that regularly invites and amplifies teacher voice to ensure our perspectives are included. If you look closely, you will begin to see the TLC’s fingerprints on statewide initiatives that are shaping the future of public education in North Carolina. This is how we effect positive change for the profession that we all love, and this important work must continue in the future.”

- Ashtyn Berry, 2022 SW Region Teacher of the Year