ECET2 Michigan

Led by teachers, for teachers, Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers (ECET2) is a national event created and made possible by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This convening aims to inspire and empower teachers across the country to grow, collaborate, and lead in a variety of ways to effect change in their classrooms, schools, districts, communities, and in the teaching profession. 

The belief behind ECET2 is that teacher leadership is critical to transforming student outcomes and strengthening the teaching profession. Even promising teachers, however, can have a hard time exercising that leadership. On a daily basis, teachers face challenges such as declining morale, feelings of isolation, and a sense of frustration that much of their potential remains untapped by their schools and districts. ECET2 seeks to respond to these challenges by connecting teachers to one another through national and regional convenings that are focused on teacher leadership and innovative instructional practices. 

Michigan is a large state with diverse regional demographics. There are many professional associations, including some unofficial grassroots professional learning networks around the state, but no statewide entity that supports teacher leadership in a targeted way.

In the metropolitan areas, there are some resources and opportunities for teachers to engage in leadership development, participate in professional learning networks, and assume roles as teacher leaders; however, in much of the state, teacher leadership is stagnant or non-existent due to a lack of access to opportunities. This leads to an uneven distribution of teacher leaders across the state.

ECET2 Michigan aims to ensure that teachers leave with tools, best practices, and a network they can tap for advice, feedback, and strategies. The goal is for teachers to return to their schools and districts inspired and empowered to grow, collaborate, and lead in ways that strengthen the teaching profession and improve student outcomes. How teachers choose to put these new skills to work will vary. Ultimately, the goals of ECET2 Michigan are to help teacher leaders grow, collaborate, and lead.