MUSD teachers take project to national summit

Maricopa Unified School District Professional Development Coordinator Heidi Vratil responded to a call for presentations at the National Teach to Lead Summit. The project proposal was one of 26 selected from over 100 submissions.

The proposal addressed an important issue for MUSD and for the state or Arizona – a significant number of new teachers leave the district or the profession each year. The proposed project is designed to address this issue by providing training and mentor support for MUSD student teachers and encourage partnerships with major Arizona universities.

MUSD staff members attending the national summit in Washington, D.C., July 22-23 were Vratil, Dr. Jen Robinson, Jennifer Miller, Treva Jenkins and Aidan Balt. This team will work to implement the project during the 2015-16 school year with the goals of helping MUSD teachers to be more successful with students, and remaining longer in the classroom.

In 2014, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met with teachers and administrators from across the country to develop the Teach to Lead Initiative. This initiative was co-sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to improve student learning and expand opportunities for teacher leadership.