Bridge Boston is committed to investing in and retaining our highest-performing teachers. That's why we're thrilled to share the story of our Lead Teacher Plus program, which creates opportunities for educators to model instructional and pedagogical practices that result in exceptional student growth and teaching across our school building.

There are three distinct pathways and initiatives under the Lead Teacher Plus umbrella, each with similar expectations in terms of deliverables and time commitment:

Problem of Practice Team

Known affectionately as the “PoP Squad,” this team works on an annual basis to identify a single problem of practice that cuts across multiple grade levels and subject areas at Bridge Boston relating to an area Bridge would like for students to achieve.

Literacy Task Force

The LTF drives BBCS' Literacy Response to Intervention (RTI) program - a multi-tier approach to the early support of students with learning and behavior needs. They develop and lead professional development sessions on the use of data to support teachers in constructing literacy intervention groups, as well as specific instructional strategies to use during those groups.

Department Chairs

In addition to their role as lead teachers, Department Chairs serve as the primary coach/supervisor of the teachers in their departments - ELA, Math, Science, Athletics, and Music. This position is responsible for the implementation of curriculum and instructional practices that result in exceptional student achievement.

Our community has already been introduced to the work of teams like the Literacy Task Force and various Department Chairs. In this issue, we want to share more about the specific work of the PoP Squad as a way to highlight the theme of this program overall: teachers teaching teachers in the pursuit of excellent instruction across the school.

1st Grade Teacher Candyss Woodberry, 6th Grade ELA Teacher Amelita Melville, and 5th Grade Special Education Teacher Kate Ahearn came together at the beginning of the year to identify a common problem of practice that the entire school could rally around. It was important for them to uncover a challenge that every teacher - from K1 to 8th Grade - saw as relevant in their classroom. Given the great variation in needs between those age groups, this was no easy feat.

“Plainly put, we are the torch-holders of collaborative solutions. Starting now and every year moving forward, we aim to address and eradicate one main noticeably common problem of practice in the Bridge community that poses a barrier to true student success in either academics and/or social emotional learning. In doing so, the PoP Squad works and will continue to work alongside our peers to find sustainable solutions for ALL grades. The success of our work stems from the partnering and investment made by our fellow teachers. We’re all in the thick of making positive change happen for our students and school culture, which ultimately keeps and spreads the magic that we so love here at Bridge.”

Candyss Woodberry

Through their collective expertise, the PoP Squad decided to focus on productive struggle, or the process of helping students develop stronger habits of mind - independence, perseverance, and thinking flexibly - instead of simply seeking the correct solution. They began with a whole-school professional development session on "Three Before Me," an independence-building strategy that encourages students to engage in productive struggle prior to raising their hand and asking a question. We've included an example developed by our Third Grade team that highlights it perfectly!

After introducing and workshopping Three Before Me, PoP Squad followed up with another PD on how to build students' sense of empathy. As teachers began trying out the technique in classrooms, they realized that in order for students to work through a problem and make a mistake, they had to feel psychologically safe and trust that others won’t make fun of them for not knowing something. In this way, productive struggle goes hand in hand with building growth mindsets in classrooms across the school.

One of the most rewarding parts of this work for the PoP squad has been receiving positive feedback from peers across our entire instructional team at Bridge: "We were really intentional about making this work sustainable for teachers - not just another strategy." They describe peer-led professional development as their "superpower" that fits perfectly into their perception of the JAGUAR Resilience that characterizes Bridge as a school community.