JCPSForward was created to promote teacher leadership and collaboration. It aims to foster communication between teachers and create a culture of learning. JCPSForward coordinates various teacher-led initiatives to encourage professional learning and collaboration, such as Twitter chats, meetups, and EdCamps. It also develops tools to support new and experienced teachers and provide leadership opportunities. The goal is to reduce teacher attrition and enhance professional practice through collaborative teacher networks.

1. JCPSForward – Innovating from the Ground Up
JCPSForward was created with the idea teacher leadership mustimpact student and
teacher to teacher professionallearning. Since its inception in summer 2015, the
theory of work is that teacher to teacher collaboration must be taking place at every
JCPS school on a daily basis. JCPSForward aims to foster a cohesivethread between
the teachers of JCPS, and ultimately create a culture of learning and a strong sense
of collective efficacy. Using Hope Street Group engagement strategies, we wantto
open solid lines of communication extending beyond the walls of our schools. The
work of JCPSForward strongly aligns with Vision 2020, promoting educators within
the districtto take a more active role in professionallearning and collaboration.
JCPSForward is the umbrella collective for many organic teacher leadership initiatives in
within the district with state and national reach. JCPSForward has an established
committee structure, with additional practitioners continuing to become active in the
movement. Some of the projects JCPSForward team members have implemented or are
actively planning are:
● JCPSVoice – A virtual learning community: Cohort members received VOICE training
through the Center for Teacher Quality and lead professional conversations
centered around various educational topics.
● #JCPSchat – Monthly Twitter chat (third Tuesday of each month at 8PM): #JCPSchat
has become the largest district chat in the nation, with the January #JCPSchat having
over 1,100,000 impressions.
● Monthly meet ups and EdMingles – With informal events planned around the city,
teachers are better able to share ideas, have professional conversations, and
collaborate on educational endeavors. Events planned are either centered around
professional topics or focus on networking.
● EdCampJCPS – Scheduled for June 29th
at Waggener High School, EdCampJCPS is
open to all JCPS educators. Planned, promoted and delivered by teacher leaders,
EdCampJCPS is unique in that the day of professional learning is planned by the
attendees, with any educator able to lead a session. There will be additional
EdCampJCPS events each semester beginning in Fall 2016.
● ECET2LOU – ECET2 (Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers)
resembles an EdCamp event, but unlike an EdCamp, an ECET2 convening is by
invitation only and fully funded through grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates

2. Foundation. A diagnostic tool to identify invitees has been created to provide JCPS
educators with ECET2 experience the opportunity to recommend fellow JCPS
educators for the convening. This tool employs the Kentucky Teacher Leadership
Framework’s first three tiers. The ECET2LOU application is currently in
progress. Tentative date for the event will be February 2017.
● Pioneering Possibilities - A dynamic and engaging platform for active JCPS
educators to offer and implement solutions to specific problems facing the
profession. For the 2016-2017 school year, the problem addressed will be to
understand and craft a solution to keep highly qualified teachers from leaving the
classroom. District educators will be able to offer their valuable insight to and
present solutions to the community and a team of district judges (a team of multiple
shareholders) for funding and implementation. Audience members will be invited
to attend, listen to pitches and cast their “vote” for solutions they feel viable using
innovative tools, such as smartphones and tablets. The Community’s input will be
vital to the proposed solution’s score. There will be several rounds of input and
judging to ensure efficacy before moving forward into the final judging stage during
ECET2LOU. The solution chosen as the most effective will be written into the
district budget for the 2017-2018 school year and that educator will be given the
creative time in their work day to actualize and put in motion their innovative idea
for sustainable change.
● New Teacher Needs Assessment – Designed to run concurrently with the Tenured
Teacher Needs Assessment, the goal of this tool is to determine needed supports to
reduce the attrition rates of non-tenured teachers in JCPS by not only providing
resources for new teachers, but also creating mentoring opportunities extending
beyond KTIP.
● Tenured Teacher Needs Assessment – Designed to run concurrently with the New
Teacher Needs Assessment, the goal of this tool is to establish a means of providing
established teacher supports needed to enhance professional practice, connect
educators to fellow teachers who may share the same professional interests, and
create an opportunity for mentoring with new and non-tenured teachers.
● Think Tank Day – Held on April 6, Think Tank Day provided select JCPS teacher
leaders working on district level projects a morning to “workshop” as individuals
and in teams before presenting their ideas to “Critical Friends” from within the
district and around the state in the afternoon. Additional Think Tank events will be
held thanks to the success of the initial event.

3. ● JCPSForward Ambassador Program – The goal of the JCPSForward Ambassador
program is to further engage each school in the initiative’s programs by recruiting a
teacher leader in each building to help post upcoming events and promote
JCPSForward initiatives as a liaison for the movement. Each Ambassador will
receive a JCPSForward t-shirt (sponsored through a donation) and access to
materials for a consistent and unified message.
Diffusion of Innovation theory as a means to identify innovators, early adopters, early
majority and late majority teachers Approximately 6700 teachers in JCPS means that 167.5
teachers are innovators. 904 teachers are early adopters. 2278 teachers are early
majority. The combination of innovators and early adopters make up 15% of the teaching
population in the district. Add in the early majority and a total of 50% of the teachers in
JCPS will have accepted and implemented an idea/strategy/etc.
Add in a portion around Missy’s micro credentialing work with GCC’s and Sandra’s work on
Urban Ready educators. She is a founding partner of JCPSForward. All of this work centers
around a cohesive approach to adult learning and career ladders. Throw in the NISL
training with the administrators and Carla’s Beginner to Board idea that can create a
cyclical approach to all of our work.
There is an emerging teacher professional pathway of growth and leadership, documented
and accounted for growth-- beyond higher-ed. And one that keeps teachers teaching.