Let Teachers Teach policy package approved today also
decouples student discipline measures from school accountability
(BATON ROUGE, LA) - Louisiana is implementing wide-ranging solutions proposed by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley to help eliminate classroom distractions for teachers. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved new policies today based on recommendations from Dr. Brumley’s Let Teachers Teach workgroup. Set to take effect before the end of the school year, the policies will significantly reduce the number of trainings teachers are required to repeat every year, tighten student discipline, and give effective educators more freedom over lesson planning.
“Louisiana is making a stand to take the teaching profession back for educators, students, and parents,” said Dr. Brumley. “I applaud BESE for helping us remove disruptions so teachers can actually teach and students can actually learn.”
Let Teachers Teach is a workgroup of over two dozen teachers from across the state. They developed a set of 18 recommendations centered on reducing excessive training and paperwork, restoring the art of teaching, and removing classroom disruptions. Highlights of the policies approved by BESE during their August meeting include:
- Decoupling student behavior and the school accountability system. Student suspension rates will no longer be used to identify schools needing intervention.
- Ensuring teachers have the right to have a student removed from the classroom immediately when their behavior prevents the orderly instruction of other students or poses a threat. A new discipline policy impacts the Teacher Bill of Rights and changes how school leaders must respond to persistent disruptions during class.
- Streamlining and reducing dozens of non-academic trainings and lessons teachers had been required by the state to repeat annually. Most will shift to a “one-and-done” approach where teachers complete the training one time, while others will be folded into other resources or support opportunities.
- Increasing professional autonomy for effective educators. Teachers who consistently demonstrate success will be provided more freedom with teaching practices and lesson planning.
“Our unanimous decision today reflects an intentional approach to improve student outcomes,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. “By eliminating redundant training and improving educator support, we are optimizing the environment for both teaching and learning, which are essential to academic success.”
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) collaborated with multiple stakeholders in the development of the policies. The LDOE and BESE have outlined actions around all 18 recommendations. These range from new state laws, policy changes, and guidance for local school systems.
About the Let Teachers Teach workgroup
Dr. Brumley launched the workgroup in February to develop common sense solutions to unnecessary bureaucracies and classroom disruptions that keep teachers from doing what they do best — teaching students. Governor Landry joined Dr. Brumley and teachers from across the state to unveil the recommendations in May. The workgroup is the product of feedback the LDOE has received through formal channels such as the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council as well as informal channels such as classroom visits and faculty meetings hosted by Dr. Brumley.