Another important figure in K-12 reform has connected with Education Evolving. Barnett Berry, the president and CEO of the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), met with us over lunch on Monday, November 19 during his short visit to Minnesota.

Based in North Carolina, CTQ is a nonprofit policy research organization that is dedicated to advancing teaching as a results-oriented profession and developing specific tactics for improving student learning. Since its founding in 1999, CTQ has evolved from a think tank to an action-based organization that conducts practical studies on teaching quality and promotes smart policy.

CTQ is most known for its Teacher Leaders Network, a virtual community of more than 1,500 practicing teachers from across the country who work with community leaders and policymakers to transform teaching into a result-oriented profession.

Berry, a former high school teacher, believes there is a sufficient supply of good teachers in the U.S. The problem, he says, is that we don’t have a system in place that gives teachers the platform or support necessary to succeed. In a 2011 paper, Berry coined the term “teacherpreneurs,” that is, teachers who are trusted to use innovative teaching methods to address challenges facing their students. Berry told us he hopes CTQ will be obsolete by the time he dies, and that its function will be replaced by unions.

Berry supports many of the concepts we endorse, including teacher-led schools. He is also a fan of our latest video, A Split Screen Strategy, which he has incorporated it into his recent presentations about teacher innovation.