National Conversations about Teaching: The RESPECT Project
All across the country, teachers are talking with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) about how they envision a renewed and transformed teaching profession in the 21st Century. This page is designed for educators who are interested in participating in a National Conversation about the Teaching Profession and giving ED their feedback to inform future policy and programs, including a possible competition to transform teaching, which we are calling the RESPECT Project.
RESPECT Vision. Read the newest RESPECT Project vision statement [MS Word, 156KB], sharpened by thousands of educators across the country.
Toolkit
A Letter to Teachers from Secretary Arne Duncan
To prepare our young people for an increasingly competitive global economy, the United States must do more to ensure that teaching is highly respected and supported as a profession and that accomplished, effective teachers are guiding students' learning in every classroom. To support this effort, the U.S. Department of Education recently launched the National Conversation on the Teaching Profession....
Essential Tools
- RESPECT Discussion Document (revised September 4, 2012) [MS Word, 156KB]
- How to Lead a Conversation about Teaching [MS Word, 64KB]
- What to do Before the Conversation [MS Word, 67KB]
- What to do After the Conversation [MS Word, 58KB]
- How to Report Back to ED [MS Word, 172KB]
Templates
- Invitation template [MS Word, 46KB]
- Confirmation template [MS Word, 52KB]
- Thank you template [MS Word, 47KB]
Materials and Resources
- Video Page [MS Word, 231KB]
- Sign-In Sheet [MS Word, 39KB]
- Strategies for Teachers to Shape their Profession [MS Word, 59KB]
- Facts about the Teaching Profession [MS Word, 59KB]
- April 10 RESPECT Conversation Webinar [MS PowerPoint, 2.15MB] -- Power Point slides that give an overview of the RESPECT Project and tools available online.
Message from Secretary Duncan
Click here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player.