The Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers (ECET2) network was born out of a desire to provide a forum for exceptional teachers to learn from one another and to celebrate the teaching profession. ECET2 is built on the belief that teachers hold the keys to:
- ensuring that policy is well informed,
- instructional shifts are made with fidelity, and
- educators are equipped with the right professional development supports to be effective in the classroom.
In 2014, four teachers from the
Ohio Appalachian Collaborative (OAC) planned and organized a regional convening of ECET2 for 65 teachers, all nominated to attend by their peers in the OAC. The event grew to include 80 teachers in 2015, who came together to learn, collaborate, and share ideas for growing their practice and impact in the classroom.
Driven by positive feedback and support from OAC educators, ECET2 is working to empower and connect even more teachers across the country through local and regional events in their communities. The OAC ECET2 planning team recently created the
Bringing ECET2 Home toolkit with free resources to help educators plan and host a district ECET2 convening. Developed by teachers, for teachers, the toolkit includes planning tools, templates, video, and other materials to share information about ECET2 with teachers and leaders. Districts are using the toolkit during PD days, in-service days, and even in PLCs or teacher-based teams to strengthen the professional and social ties between colleagues and prepare teachers to best serve their students.
The OAC is composed of 27 rural Appalachian school districts—serving 48,000 students and 3,200 teachers—that are working together to move rural education forward. The collaborative is currently focused on building a shared dual enrollment and personalized learning pathways system to increase high school graduation and prepare students for college and career success.
“ECET2 is bringing teachers together to reflect, be collaborative, to think, to connect, to get in touch again with the heart of the work,” shared one OAC educator.
During the 2015 OAC ECET2 convening, teachers were asked to share, “Why do you teach?”
Read their inspirational and heartfelt responses.