2013-14 Annual Report | Page 12

Programs That Matter Teaching for Impact Teaching Matters partners with schools, networks and school districts to provide high-impact and customized professional development for teachers and leaders. Our team of expert coaches provide in-person support to meet schools’ needs and goals. Teaching Matters partnerships are strategically designed for rapidly improving teacher effectiveness across a variety of frameworks and accountability models. Teaching for Impact answers today's growing demand for improved teacher performance and measurable student progress. Founded by Elizabeth Rohatyn 1994 1994 10 1994 Wrote citywide technology plan for New York City Department of Education 1996 1996 1996 A recent independent study demonstrated that Teaching Matters’ literacy curriculum, Writing Matters, significantly improved the writing success of students. On average, 1,000 6th graders improved by nearly 4 percentage points in their writing skills, while some schools posted average gains for their students of over 5 percentage points. Voices & Choices Writing Matters Our civics program, Voices & Choices, supports teachers to introduce students to the foundations, issues and responsibilities of democracy and citizenship. Throughout the program, students develop critical-thinking, collaboration and other essential skills. When participating, students present their work in a citywide Civil Rights Summit or Constitution Today Town Meeting, showcasing the results of their learning—and the lessons of civic responsibility. Closely aligned to the Common Core State Standards, Writing Matters engages upper elementary and middle students in the writing process. Developed by us over the course of three years with nationally recognized experts, our original content and interactive technology are seamlessly integrated. Students develop their writing skills as they generate ideas and topics, organize, compose, revise and publish their work online. 2001 Offered our @School Anytime online platform to 1,000 principals and teachers 2001 Introduced civics program for more than 10,000 students, funded by the NYC Council 2003 2003 Established two secondary schools promoting technology-enriched Honored by instruction, reaching Mayor Bloomberg in more than 10,000 proclamation recognizing students in 10 years Teaching Matters’ Day 2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 Developed a comprehensive middle school writing program 2007 2007 2007 11