Avondale Schools_USE THIS

Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications, 248.260.8466, barbara@eafocus.com; Julie Kelly, Avondale School District, 248.537.6001, julie.kelly@avondale.k12.mi.us

Auburn Hills, Mich.—Dec. 22, 2014—- Marcia Hudson, Linda Maniago and Serena Stock, teacher leaders in the Avondale School District, an achievement-oriented learning community focused on student leadership and success in academics, the arts and athletics, were presenters at the Teach to Lead summit held Dec. 5 – 7 in Kentucky.

Teach to Lead is an initiative of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the U.S. Department of Education to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership, particularly those that allow teachers to stay in the classroom. The program seeks to highlight existing state and district systems that are working to support teacher leadership, share resources to create new opportunities for teacher leadership and encourage people at all levels to commit to expanding teacher leadership.

At the summit, Hudson, Maniago and Stock presented Avondale’s award winning Teacher Lab program, which focuses on providing teachers the opportunity to observe colleagues and learn research-based practices; the ability for teachers to debrief, reflect and set personal goals; and provides a system for collaborative inquiry that supports student achievement and authentically builds leadership. In addition to the presentation, the Avondale teacher leaders took part in workshop sessions on educational policy decision-making, mentoring and coaching, and elevating the ‘voice’ of the teacher to expand existing efforts and create new models.

“We are grateful to the Avondale School Board for their continued support of the Teacher Lab,” Hudson said. “Taking our findings from Avondale to a national level and engaging in a larger discussion about bettering the education for all students is so rewarding. We continue to receive substantial, favorable feedback from other Teach to Lead participants and are extremely proud to represent the Avondale community, Oakland County and the State of Michigan through our participation in this event.”

To learn more about Teach to Lead, visit http://teachtolead.org/.

About Avondale School District
Avondale School District is a collaborative community of teachers, staff and families working together to assure student success. The district, encompassing portions of Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Township, Troy and Rochester Hills, celebrates the richness of a diverse student population and strives to be a model school community that prepares students to be lifelong learners and contributing citizens to the world that awaits them upon graduation. Learn more about Avondale Schools, an AdvancED accredited district, at www.avondale.k12.mi.us.

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