Summary: The National Writing Project awards badges to educators who have organized, led and/or taken part in leadership-development events focused on the teacher as leader. The guidance criteria for earning the Teacher-Leader Badge are detailed on this page.
What does it mean to be micro-credentialed as a teacher-leader at the National Writing Project (NWP)? Teacher-leadership is one of the core social practices of National Writing Project teacher-leaders. This badge recognizes NWP teacher-leaders who have built school, site, and network capacity by leading in the classroom, sharing expertise locally and beyond, and supporting others’ development as writers, teachers, and professionals.
Connection to Core Principles: Teacher-leadership is necessary for school reform. Teacher-leaders understand knowledge of writing and the teaching of writing comes from many kinds of experiences and they help both students and colleagues develop knowledge of theory, research, and practice in online and face-to-face spaces. Teacher-leaders support, design, and shepherd a diversity of teacher-learning experiences, helping others become fully vested members in local and global communities of practice.
NWP Micro-credential: Teacher-Leader
Someone who earns this badge has had a substantial engagement with leadership. They are likely to have participated in experiences such as:
- Developing and facilitating innovative writing experiences for others
- Developing and facilitating innovative professional development experiences for others
- Sharing expertise in a particular area of writing or teaching
- Opening classroom or writing space to observation & collaborative inquiry
- Participating in co-teaching or co-planning activities
- Leading teacher a professional development workshop or program
- Co-facilitating a Writing Project summer, open, or advanced institute
- Serving as a mentor (formal or informal) for other teachers
- Serving as a resource for other teachers who are studying their own classroom practice.