The Fund for Teachers

Our Mission Fund for Teachers strengthens instruction by investing in outstanding teachers' self-determined professional growth and development in order to support student success, enrich their own practice, and strengthen their schools and communities. Our Vision Fund for Teachers Fellows transform instruction and become a national corps of empowered and validated educators, sought after in their communities and nationally as leaders, innovators and change-makers: Who make learning relevant, meaningful and empowering for their students; Who inspire and lead professional growth of their colleagues; Who collaborate in sharing best practices, collective visioning, and solving shared problems; Whose input helps close the gap between sound policy and best practice. Our Values These values define the enduring character of Fund for Teachers: who we are, what we stand for, and how we do our work. These values amplify our mission, foster leadership, and provide the foundation and framework for our work with teachers, Fellows, Board, staff and partners. They are the principles against which we measure the worthiness of our decisions and actions. We hold ourselves accountable for transforming these values into action. Excellence A passion for excellence and improvement drives our work. We – and our teachers – are on a lifelong quest to do more and be more for students. FFT looks for the best ideas to move student growth and achievement forward. Together, the Fund for Teachers team – our Fellows, staff, Board and partners -- inspire and support each other to do more than we think we can. Respect for the Teaching Profession FFT respects teachers as professionals charged with nurturing our country’s future workforce and citizenry. Because teachers often know best how to meet the needs of their students, they need to be empowered with self-directed opportunities to enhance and improve their skills in order to advance student achievement. Opportunity Finder and Risk Taker FFT supports teachers who identify achievement gaps, seek out solutions and strive for the stretch goal. This trajectory requires awareness, inquiry, empathy and resilience. People discover their abilities, values, passions and responsibilities in situations that take them outside their comfort zones. Self-Directed Life-Learners Teachers who model a passion for life-long learning inspire the same in their students. The best professional learning combines passion, a deep understanding of students’ strengths and needs, compelling purpose and challenge. Professional learning is both a personal process of discovery and a group activity. FFT supports self-directed professional learning that develops the teacher and students and strengthens the school and broader community. Catalyst Teachers are the catalysts of their students’ future, sparking curiosity by creating learning experiences that provide something important to think about, time to experiment, time to make sense of new learning, and opportunities to apply learning to new situations. Teachers are agents of change who incite, encourage and even push students – and each other – to be and do more than they thought possible. Collaboration Innovation does not happen in isolation. Ideas that are shared amongst many lead to new and better ideas. Ideas are strengthened when the creators exchange ideas and learn how to influence others to reach a common goal. Empathy Real and deep immersion into our students’ cultures and their learning styles builds empathy and respect for different perspectives. Empathy for our students, colleagues and ourselves is critical to understanding the diverse students and communities we serve and removing the obstacles to their learning.