Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/436829
scenes, but as a recognized force that can influence pre-service education, induction, and the early career stage in our profession. It is a call to recognize the professional capital of teachers as culturally responsive practitioners, as researchers of their own teaching, as advisers to credentialing policy, and importantly, key players in designing assessment. CTA recognizes how vital it is to prepare linguistic and culturally responsive teachers whose goal is to promote social justice. What role should local associations play in this? AGUILAR: Local associations should make efforts to bargain language that puts educators at the center of teach- er induction and early career support. They should be creating opportunities to collaborate with their new teachers and look for ways to support those teachers through the bargaining pro- cess or outside the bargaining process. Local associations should not be rele- gated to issues of working conditions, salary and benefits. They should be seeking meaningful input and active participation in areas such as profes- sional development, mentoring, and creating school climates conducive to teaching and learning. LITTMAN: Associations should play an active role in developing and implementing any early career support plan in their district, from developing the program, selecting those individuals who will provide support for the new teachers, to monitoring the program, setting aside funding for the program, etc. QUINTANAR: All teacher education programs are required to have an advisory committee that is composed of school administrators and teachers. Serving on advisory committees is a great way to provide feedback, which is taken very seriously. This level of involvement requires continuous conversations by teachers and other educators regarding the opportunities and challenges our profession offers. BRICKER: Local associations would become partners by ensuring all new teachers are assigned mentor support. What's next? BRICKER: I would love to see CTA move to be a provider of induction for our new- est teachers. Induction providers must be authorized by the state, and currently these organizations range from county offices of education to universi- ties to individual school districts. I think it would be intriguing for our new teachers to look to their union to complete the final requirement for a teaching creden- tial. It would mean that CTA becomes as strong professionally as we are politically, allowing us to dramatically impact our profession. It only makes sense to have those in the field, our own CTA members, who are making pedagogical decisions, be the ones who guide new teachers as they enter the profession. QUINTANAR: CTA has made great advances in retaking the profession and advanc- ing teachers' exper- tise in thinking about the agencies that are involved in education. I find it surprising that we have to explain CTA's role in making it hap- pen to other educators. The question becomes: How do we make it known to the public how much CTA is doing in enhancing the profession and develop- ing teachers' knowledge? As a minor example, a professor mentioned she attended a professional development meeting at a local school. She was impressed with the support CTA had given to make the meeting possible. She mentioned, "We need to broaden our perspective of what unions are. Few people realize that CTA is involved in professional development and many other social agencies." AGUILAR: This work builds on the Teacher Evaluation Framework, which CTA has already developed, and fits within the existing effort to implement the long- term strategic plan that State Council adopted last year. This is one ex- ample of how the effort to transform our profes- sion — as called for by the strategic plan — can be accomplished. CTA made a commitment to expand outreach to all members, not just ones interested in advocacy, and to develop lead- ers who can lead the profession of teaching from a practitioner perspective. Other efforts, such as CTA's partnership with Stanford University in the development of the Instructional Leadership Corps, and the CTA Educator Think Tank, all fit into this new effort. CTA should expand these projects, facilitate local union efforts to expand educator voices in their prospective districts, and fight for legislation that puts educators at the center of the decision-making process in regard to public education. LITTMAN: CTA should find those chapters that have strong support programs in place and highlight them for other chapters as a starting point for them to develop their own. Each district has different needs and should adopt a program or plan that best meets the needs of their teachers. CTA also should work to make sure that early career support is provided to new teachers free of charge. Advocacy 33 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 5