By Shelley Hamm, Educator at Worcester Alternative School
During the after school hours on May 30th, a dedicated group of teachers and school adjustment counselors now known as the Educator Advisory Council (EAC) presented their mission, vision, and structure to the Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Teaching and Learning Team which is comprised of Executive Directors, Supervisors, Assistant Superintendent Marie Morse, EdD, and Superintendent Rachel H. Monarrez, PhD.
Early in the 2022-2023 school year, Dr. Morse invited educators from around the district to represent their schools in order to “include all voices in the Teaching and Learning decision process.”
After a few meetings during the first school year, Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera joined WPS as the Director of Equity, Cultivation, and Recruitment and was tasked with organizing this group of outspoken representatives into a cohesive group, which is focused on agency and advocacy in order to improve the collaboration between leadership and student-facing educators.
After many iterations, the EAC presented a guidebook including a mission, vision, and structure. It also highlighted why teacher voice is so important to the process of ensuring a positive climate and culture resulting in greater student learning and success.
After the presentation, Dr. Morse commented that she “could feel the synergy of the EAC and was reassured that it was a council driven by educators.”
The EAC is ever-evolving and presently adapting to the budget constraints but the founding members look forward to spreading their mission at the start of next school year!