We can't succeed without happy teachers

Teachers matter.

So during a coffee chat with a potential school board candidate last week, when they asked me why I ran for school board the first time, my response was clear.

Before I ran for office, I attended several school board meetings and noticed:

• There was no one with teaching experience on the board and they rarely focused on the teacher experience in our system;
• The board spent almost no time talking about student experiences and outcomes;
• The board rarely talked about how to serve students better who weren't experiencing success in the existing system (equity).

In summary, the board lacked a practitioner's perspective and student outcomes focus.

I knew then what I still know now - teachers are the single most important lever a district has to improve student experiences and outcomes.

If our end goal is improved student achievement, we can't get there without thriving teachers. (And thriving Principals who manage them!)

So why don't we listen to them and trust them?

If I could wave a magic wand, no decision would be made in a district without serious input from current teachers, students and families.

As our partner Our Turn says: "No decisions about us, without us."

And yet, in my experience, boards rarely hear directly from diverse teachers in systematic and proactive ways, whether or not the board includes former teachers.

• We might rely on the teachers union, which although an important voice, is not the only voice of teachers.
• We might rely on an annual survey that teacher's don't really trust, because it rarely results in action.
• We might rely on the loudest teachers who write emails or give public comment.
• We might rely on what the Superintendent and cabinet tells us teachers are saying/feeling.
• We might rely on hearing from our friends who are teachers.

None of those are sufficient methods of feedback loops for our most important internal stakeholder.

Instead, we could consider:

• Regular paid focus groups with teachers, facilitated by a trusted external facilitator, with a representative group of teachers focused on different topics, with school board members either attending or receiving a summary directly from the external facilitator.
• When conducting school visits, making a regular habit of letting staff know that you'll be in the staff lounge for an hour or two if folks want to stop by to talk.
• An annual survey co-designed with teachers with a strong feedback loop, including teachers on the committee that reviews the survey results and decides what actions to take.
• Host board listening sessions with 3 board members (one less than quorum) so teachers can speak openly and honestly without having to be in a public meeting.
• Include current teachers on every central office team/committee making decisions that impact schools. (Personally, I think it's really important that current teachers are included, not former teachers. That might mean that more current teachers need part of their schedule freed to engage in this way. Schools are changing so rapidly that as soon as you're no longer in the classroom, you're out of touch.)
• Ensure that all building and central office administrators receive an annual 360 degree review so that teachers have a voice when it comes to their Principal's evaluation and support.
• Ask that all presentations to the board include teacher voice.
• Create a review system to ensure that all board policy changes include teacher input.

As a school board member, I also talk with my union association president regularly. (Almost daily when I was Chair, now weekly or bi-weekly.) My goal with these conversations is transparency and learning. With any issue, I want to listen to the union's position, and I want to share my position. To be clear, we don't always agree, but my union chair knows she can trust me to share my honest opinion and not blindside her. That matters. Even if we don't agree, we have a trusting relationship and know where each other stands.

The bottom line: We must listen to teachers, trust teachers, engage teachers and respect teachers. All. The. Time.

Also, just a reminder that a lot of this applies to classified school site staff, who also have an impact on the experiences of our students, though not to the same degree that teachers impact student outcomes. And I'll focus on student voice and community/parent engagement in other posts, don't worry!

Carrie Douglass is the co-founder and co-CEO of School Board Partners and a twice-elected school board member in Bend, Oregon. Douglass is a former teacher, school leader, district administrator, education funder and nonprofit leader. She owns three small businesses with her husband and has two children in public schools in the district she represents. Ms. Douglass holds a BA in Education and an MBA in strategy and finance.