Learning Forward and NCTAF Announce New Ed Policy Advisor and Strategic Alliance Between the Organizations

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Learning Forward and the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) are excited to announce that Laurie Calvert will serve the organizations as education policy advisor, effective immediately. The full-time joint position will leverage Calvert's considerable education and communications expertise in the development of research publications and coordinating policy and advocacy initiatives for both organizations.

Calvert worked most recently as the Teacher Liaison for the U.S. Department of Education, where she spearheaded many of the department's recent teacher leadership and outreach efforts. She coordinated much of the Teach to Lead initiative, conceptualized and wrote the Teachers Edition newsletter, and advised the department and the secretary on a range of policy matters. She joined the department in the 2010-11 school year as a Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow. Calvert is also a former middle school and high school teacher who holds national board certification.

"Laurie's unique experience and skillset will help both of our organizations prioritize the teacher leadership perspective as we work to achieve our specific missions in advancing educator effectiveness," said Stephanie Hirsh, executive director of Learning Forward.

"We are so delighted to bring Laurie on board in this collaborative manner. Her addition also signifies the strategic alliance between our organizations, and the beginning of some exciting shared work to further support and strengthen the teaching profession," said Melinda George, NCTAF's president.

Learning Forward and NCTAF will be working together to advance national and regional policy and advocacy goals that address some of the most pressing issues facing American teachers. This strategic alliance provides an opportunity for both organizations to have greater impact and achieve ambitious goals for educators and students alike.

Learning Forward is a nonprofit, international membership association of learning educators committed to one vision in K–12 education: Excellent teaching and learning every day. To realize that vision Learning Forward pursues its mission to build the capacity of leaders to establish and sustain highly effective professional learning. Information about membership, services, and products is available from www.learningforward.org.

The National Commission on Teaching & America's Future (NCTAF) was founded in 1994 as a bipartisan effort to engage education policymakers and practitioners to address the entrenched national challenge of recruiting, developing, and retaining great teachers in order to ensure that all students have access to quality teaching in schools organized for success. For 20 years, NCTAF has worked to drive and inform the national dialogue about the importance of great teaching, especially in hard-to-staff schools. NCTAF's research and recommendations inform innovations and improvements in teaching quality nationwide, focus attention on the importance of equitable distribution and retention of teachers, and promote promising practices for the development of teachers' skills and career pathways. For more information, visit www.nctaf.org.

SOURCE Learning Forward

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