American Education: A 5-Year Plan for Teacher Excellence
With five years to make a meaningful impact on education, we will focus on reshaping teacher standards to measure practical, actionable skills that genuinely improve classroom effectiveness. Current standards emphasize theoretical competencies but lack concrete, measurable ways to support teachers in the skills that matter most for student engagement and learning, and collaboration. Universal Best Practices for All Learners (UBP) addresses this gap with key indicators that focus on four essential strengths: Communication & Interaction, Learning & Cognition, Social-Emotional Strengthening, and Executive Functioning. These indicators provide teachers with a clear, strengths-based approach that moves beyond theory to the actual practices that make a difference every day in the classroom.
Here’s how I’d do it.
1. Partner with State Departments of Education
We will collaborate with the Department of Education and state-level education departments to pilot UBP as a new, research-backed set of standards that prioritize practical, measurable growth in both teacher development and student engagement in learning. The goal is to create a paradigm shift from outdated standards to key practical indicators, offering a holistic and strengths-focused approach. By demonstrating measurable impact, we can encourage widespread adoption and make it the national standard. The strengths-based approach maximizes teacher retention through collaboration.
2. Comprehensive Professional Development Programs
Use part of the budget to fund intensive professional development that supports teachers and administrators in implementing a program like UBP. This includes training on the key indicators and providing ongoing coaching and support. By equipping educators with these tools, we create an environment where every teacher has the opportunity to grow and excel, ultimately benefiting students’ learning experiences.
3. Develop Evaluation & Feedback Systems
Create an evaluation system that provides real-time feedback on the 91 indicators, empowering teachers to continually refine their practice. By integrating regular, strengths-based assessments, we not only track teacher growth but also highlight their successes, boosting morale and retention.
4. Statewide Public Awareness and Advocacy Campaign
Launch a campaign to communicate the importance of UBPs and the benefits of a strengths-based and collaborative approach in teacher evaluations. This campaign would raise public awareness, support for funding, and help drive legislative support for broader adoption of UBPs across all states.
5. Ongoing Research and Data Collection
Invest in collecting robust data on the impact of UBPs on student outcomes, teacher satisfaction, and school environments. This evidence will be essential to secure further buy-in from stakeholders and policymakers, ensuring UBP’s success and sustainability.
Impact Goal: Within five years, our goal would be to transform teacher standards nationwide, aligning them with UBP’s indicators to better support both educators and students, creating a legacy of excellence that directly translates to higher engagement, stronger learning outcomes, and a more resilient education system for today's students.
Conclusion
Transforming teacher standards to focus on actionable, real-world skills is not just an investment in our educators but a direct path to stronger student outcomes and resilient classrooms. Though this is only an initial proposal, by implementing UBP’s practical indicators, we set teachers up for success and reduce burnout, turnover, and disillusionment. This 5-year plan, anchored in collaborative partnerships, professional development, and measurable impact, lays the foundation for a legacy of excellence that meets today’s educational needs head-on.
Now is the time to create nationwide school environments where teachers can thrive, students can succeed, and the entire education system can build toward a sustainable future.
