Rodel Teacher Council Now Accepting Applications

After 18 months of hard work, the inaugural class of the Rodel Teacher Council has officially wrapped up its term, and today we’re announcing that Rodel is currently seeking applications for new members of the Rodel Teacher Council. The Rodel Teacher Council will be accepting applications through May 8.

The Council will consist of approximately 15-20 members, and the opportunity is open to any current Delaware public school teacher, including special educators, early learning teachers, and teachers in all content areas. We are seeking candidates with at least three years of classroom experience and a commitment to excellence. Participants will commit to serve on the Council from fall 2015 through spring 2016.

Here is what one Rodel Teacher Council member said about her experience:

“The Rodel Teacher Council was valuable because it was a chance to have important conversations with teacher colleagues from all different backgrounds, grade levels, and content areas. People might have thought we wouldn’t have a lot in common, but it was a really wonderful way to get out of my classroom and connect with like-minded colleagues and contribute to the larger conversations around education in Delaware.”
– Tricia Dallas, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Richardson Park Learning Center, Red Clay Consolidated School District

If you follow Rodel’s blog, then you are likely somewhat familiar with the work of the Rodel Teacher Council. Over the past 18 months, members of the Rodel Teacher Council have:

• Met with local and national education experts and policymakers, including legislators, the State Board of Education, the governor, DSEA leadership, PTA leadership, and others.
• Published the Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware, one of the first examples of teachers developing policy recommendations for personalized learning. So far, the Blueprint site has garnered over 3,500 page views from all over Delaware and the country, and as far away as Russia and Australia.
• Contributed to the education conversation by writing op-eds and blog posts for local and national audiences and serving on statewide working groups and committees to inform and shape the future of education in Delaware.
• Planned and executed a personalized learning workshop for teachers, with over 100 educators and school leaders in attendance.

Another alumni member summed up the work of the Rodel Teacher Council, saying:

“I really appreciated the work we did around the capstone projects with the Blueprint for Personalized Learning and the teacher workshop. We have something to look back on and say ‘We did this.’ The whole concept of having teacher input on statewide efforts to improve education was very positive and exciting to me.”
– Sharon Hardnett, Secondary Mathematics Teacher, Concord High School, Brandywine School District

If this kind of work sounds exciting to you, we encourage you to submit an online application by the May 8 deadline, or encourage excellent teachers who you know to do so. You can learn more about the application process and eligibility requirements here. Should you have any questions or specific candidate recommendations, please contact Rachel Chan, Senior Program Officer at rchan@rodelfoundationde.org.