Welcome to TeachingWorks! As founding director, I continue to be compelled by the importance of honoring teaching and respecting the people who do it every day. This requires continuing to unpack the nuance, judgment, knowledge, and commitments needed for teaching practice in ways that support students to thrive. It means honoring the complex work of learning to teach well.

At TeachingWorks, we believe that every young person should have teachers who support them to flourish—academically, personally, and socially. We want every student to feel seen, cared about, and valued. Teaching is about creating spaces where students explore, create, and collaborate. Teaching opens doors for young people. Teaching supports them to meet new ideas and develop new skills. Teaching matters. But we know that good teaching has never been equitably distributed in this country and that historically marginalized groups have been denied the quality education that everyone deserves. And the practice of teaching has been underappreciated and poorly understood.

We were inspired to start TeachingWorks because we recognized that learning to teach has been too often taken for granted. It is common to think that some people are simply born teachers, and that others can develop it on the job. Yet the evidence, as well as our own experience as teachers, teacher educators, and researchers, said something different.

Having been teachers ourselves, we understand how vital teaching is. And we also know it is not easy work. This means it is vital to have strong systems for preparing and supporting teaching. The power that teaching has is at the heart of why we created TeachingWorks. The possibilities and promise of equitable teaching for children’s futures are what inspire us to do this work.

We recognize that, too often, teachers are left on their own to figure out the many things required to practice in caring ways that disrupt injustice and support children’s flourishing. Our goal is to change that, to give learning to teach the respect it deserves. We are dedicated to strengthening the preparation that people get to enter teaching as beginners, and to deepening the learning experiences that practicing teachers have. We partner with teacher educators and teacher preparation programs to provide rich professional learning for their teacher candidates—professional learning that intertwines practical work on subject matter, teaching, and equity. We also carry out our mission by collaborating with PK–12 teachers, coaches, and school districts to design supportive learning resources that focus on the real challenges of teaching today.

This mission depends on collective work. We actively seek partners to carry out this mission together. We work with teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders, with teacher preparation programs and school districts. The next generation depends on meeting the challenge of lifting up and supporting the teaching profession by transforming professional learning and advancing the critical importance of public education.

~Deborah Loewenberg Ball