Educators Rising Standards

There’s power in teaching. High school students, who hunger for impact and experiential learning, can gain early opportunities in these Educators Rising Standards-aligned programs to begin to build the skills and mindsets they will need to thrive as educators in the 2020s and beyond.

Educators Rising curriculum and competitions are anchored by the Educators Rising Standards. Developed with support from the National Education Association (NEA), these seven standards define what high school students exploring teaching need to know and be able to do to take their first steps on the path to accomplished teaching. The standards were created by a committee of accomplished educators via the professional consensus model developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

STANDARD I: Understanding the Profession
Rising educators learn about the profession to explore career opportunities, develop skills they need, and make informed decisions about pathways to accomplished teaching.

STANDARD II: Learning About Students
Rising educators learn about themselves and their students for the purpose of building relationships and supporting student development.

STANDARD III: Building Content Knowledge
Rising educators learn how to build content knowledge for the purpose of creating relevant learning opportunities for their students.

STANDARD IV: Engaging in Responsive Planning
Rising educators learn how to respond to students’ needs through thoughtful planning.

STANDARD V: Implementing Instruction
Rising educators learn effective instructional strategies to engage students and promote learning.

STANDARD VI: Using Assessments and Data
Rising educators learn to use assessments and interpret data for the purpose of making decisions that will advance teaching and learning.

STANDARD VII: Engaging in Reflective Practice
Rising educators learn how reflective practice enables them to advance student learning and grow professionally.

Cross-Cutting Themes

THEME I: Cultural Competence
Developing cultural competence, the ability to successfully teach students who come from a culture or cultures other than one’s own, is fundamental to becoming a skilled teacher. It entails developing certain personal and interpersonal awareness and sensitivities, understanding certain bodies of cultural knowledge, and mastering a set of skills that, taken together, underlie effective cross-cultural teaching and culturally responsive teaching. To achieve this level of understanding and respect, rising educators must build cultural competence early in their journeys.

THEME II: Fairness, Equity, and Diversity
Teachers must work vigilantly to provide all students with fair and equitable access to resources and learning opportunities. This means teachers must achieve clear-eyed understandings of historical context and work proactively to nurture an anti-bias learning environment. In addition to infusing these tenets into their practice, teachers should actively facilitate meaningful discussions with students about fairness, equity, and diversity. These conversations will prepare students as global citizens, helping them expand their worldviews and become productive members of a more just and equitable society.

THEME III: Reflective Practice
Reflection is a habit of mind that is essential within all aspects of teaching, from planning through instruction, assessment, and adjustment. To promote student learning, teachers must find ways to evaluate themselves honestly and act responsively and resiliently. They must identify failures and successes so they can analyze their practice and determine what works in different contexts.

THEME IV: Ethics
Successful teachers commit themselves to be responsible, ethical professionals who do no harm. An ethical outlook guides their decision-making, inspiring them to elevate students’ needs, honor diversity, and take action when necessary. It aligns their personal values and professional conduct. The responsibility that these teachers accept for their students, schools, communities, and profession encourages them to serve as role models in and out of the classroom.

THEME V: Collaboration
Building relationships through collaboration with students, peers, experts, leaders, families, and stakeholders is essential. It helps teachers strengthen their practice, enhance learning environments, and invigorate the profession. Thoughtfully aligned efforts between educators and stakeholders benefit students. Collaboration requires patience, hard work, and humility, but it is essential for any teacher who promotes student learning first and foremost.

THEME VI: Social Justice and Advocacy
The teaching profession is a helping profession that advocates for education and opportunity for all. Rising educators’ voices are important in working toward this vision. Teachers should be articulate and skilled in the ability to promote the interests of students and communities. They must learn the proper channels to take appropriate actions as change agents and to empower peers, students, and other stakeholders to express their views as well.

THEME VII: Self-efficacy
Promoting self-efficacy in students is about capacity-building — acquiring knowledge, skills, abilities, and dispositions to build confidence and achieve impact. Self-efficacy and empowerment develop when rising educators are recognized as important members of the teaching profession. They build networks, take initiative to broaden their perspectives, respond to feedback, reflect on what they learn, and proactively take on new projects.