Statements
Mission
Students of all abilities and backgrounds have access to high quality, inclusive educational opportunities led by empowered and effective educators. The Diverse Learners Cooperative exists to create purposeful networks of educators, providing them with high quality resources and collaborative learning experiences that increase best practices for diverse learners and teacher retention.
Background
Historically, teachers and leaders that primarily support the most vulnerable children, students with disabilities and English learners, get the least amount of specialized support. This lack of support and resources leads to high rates of teacher and leader burnout as well as low outcomes for students. Special education teachers leave the classroom at rates nearly 2x that of their teaching peers. Additionally, turnover rates are shown to be higher in schools with more students of color and students from low-income families. The Diverse Learners Cooperative (DLC) was founded by a special education teacher and leader, Brooke Allen, who experienced this first hand. Brooke founded the DLC in 2018 to disrupt current teacher support practices that limit the access of diverse learners to equipped and empowered educators. In the five years since founding, the DLC has engaged over 1500 educators in meaningful professional learning and partnered with 50+ schools in building team capacity and systems to provide more inclusive educational opportunities for all learners.
Impact
Over the past five years, we have been able to provide steady support and practical resources for teachers and leaders while also expanding our offerings and reach. During the COVID pandemic, we pivoted quickly to support teachers and leaders virtually, creating new opportunities to address current challenges together. During the past school year, the DLC has:
(1) Engaged over 650 teachers and leaders in meaningful, learner-centered professional development opportunities. This includes 27 Teacher Leader Fellows who participated in a yearlong cohort experience, culminating in their implementation of a unique Impact Project. Teachers remarked that they could not have made it through the year without the support of their DLC mentors and peer communities.
(2) Partnered with 63 Tennessee schools to provide specialized supports including workshops and training, leader coaching, resource development, and systems consultation. Schools rated their value of the partnership an average of 4.7 of 5, stating that their teams were better equipped to meet diverse learner needs than before our work together.
(3) To support these efforts and expand their reach, the DLC has continued to grow team of expert educators and diversify its funding sources.
(4) Educators across all programmatic efforts have noted their increased feelings of efficacy, belonging, and support. Our long term tracking of DLC-engaged educators has shown patterns of teacher retention unique to the field. Teachers who stay longer do better for students, and we expect that with the support of the DLC, more school teams will have the development, resources, and networks they need to persist in their roles.
Needs
Current systems and budgets limit the access of educators to necessary training and assistance. To increase access, the DLC needs community support to ensure more educators can access specialized training when and how they need it regardless of the school's ability to pay for it.
(1) Support educator participation in the Teacher Leader Fellowship: This initiative is fully funded through community support. As Fellows build capacity as educators and building leaders, the entire school benefits.
(2) Maintain affordable costs for school partners: All teams deserve opportunities to consult with experts who understand their context, develop actionable strategies, and engage in ongoing support. Special education and EL budgets are stretched and limit teacher access to resources and mentorship. Philanthropic support allows us to maintain affordable rates for specialized services.
(3) Expand specialized professional development to all educators: We have received increased inquiries from diverse learner teachers as well as their general education teaching peers. We seek to build our team's capacity to develop a more robust general education support stream to ensure all teachers feel confident and capable to serve all learners.
CEO Statement
n my work as a special educator, I have had the opportunity to work with incredible students, generous families, and supportive colleagues. I operated with a high degree of trust from my school leadership team -- not because I was highly experienced or skilled, but because they wanted to support me in a craft they were not sure how to support. While I loved developing new ways of meeting my students' needs, I felt alone, unsure, and ill-prepared. I did not have a place to turn for support that was more than cheerleading; I needed real strategies, ideas, and resources that would make a difference for my specific learners. I was afraid I was holding them back from their greatest potentials.
As I began to talk with other diverse learner educators, I realized I was, in fact, not alone. Many educators across my community were feeling isolated, unequipped, and burnt out. As my students kept moving onto higher grade levels, I knew were were losing time. I wanted to be part of the solution.
Our work is vital to strong schools and successful students, especially those often left out of our focus and budgets. We can only do this with your help! We need your support in order to ensure all students can attend an inclusive school led by thriving educators.
Board Chair Statement
Over the last 5 years, the DLC team has supported 2000+ teachers - connecting them with the strategies, resources, and peers they need to thrive in their roles. The team has partnered with schools and districts to address factors that inhibit the success of their educators, and therefore, their learners. I am excited to see what the phenomenal DLC team will do over the next few years. But they cannot continue this work without our support. I am calling on you for your leadership and your generosity. Working together we can positively change school systems so that teachers and students, specifically diverse learners, can thrive.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Education - Special Education |
| Secondary Category: | Education - Educational Services |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Initially founded in Nashville in 2018, the DLC expanded to include team members in Memphis in 2020. With the onset of the pandemic, and people's subsequent comfort level with virtual professional development opportunities, we now provide training to educators throughout the state of Tennessee.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Other |
| TN |
