NHED and TeachUNITED are spurring classroom innovation

CONCORD, NH — One year after launching its partnership with TeachUNITED, educators participating in the program say their instructional improvement goals are now coming to fruition, adding the collaborative work has been immensely helpful and effective. 

Twenty-six educators from five New Hampshire schools have completed the first of two years of the TeachUNITED Coaching for Impact Program (previously the School Accelerator Program), which is offering five rural schools in New Hampshire with individualized professional development for their leadership teams and educators. 

“The goal of this unique collaboration is to improve learner outcomes, and we are thrilled to hear that educators are finding the program to be inspiring and meaningful. We can’t wait to see their ambition unfold in the classroom,” said Frank Edelblut, education commissioner. 

The program is designed to support teachers and rural school leaders with strategies necessary to set and reach ambitious student goals by highlighting strategies for mindset, data-driven instruction, personalized learning and student engagement. 

“We know how hard New Hampshire teachers are working and we want to make sure time spent in professional development actually makes their jobs easier. So, when we hear 92 percent of respondents say this was the best professional development they have ever received and 100 percent feel confident implementing new strategies, we know how much that translates into positive classrooms, teacher retention and student growth,” said Heather Hiebsch, TeachUNITED CEO. 

Testimonials from educator participants: 

• “I felt the sense of community that helped me to invigorate my own engagement in the hard work of teaching. Structured conversations helped immensely,” said Amanda Parker of Plainfield Elementary School. 
• “I literally had goosebumps after our last flex webinar together. I left with such a positive feeling. That meeting (and this work from TeachUNITED) has made me realize that we, as teachers, can do things – we just have to work together to find our own way to do them,” said Mitzi Sinclair of Cornish Elementary School. “I’ve enjoyed the positivity and ideas. I’m excited for the ideas we came up with for next year. I think it will really help our staff.”
• “Since a lot of TeachUNITED was talking and discussing ideas and experiences, I learned a lot from my colleagues. I learned new growth mindset activities, ways to encourage more effort on state tests, fun activities to build classroom community, and so much more,’ said Taylor Norbert of Strong Foundations Charter School. 

The full report is available at TeachUNITED.