Andy Coons, president of the Tacoma UniServ Council and Tacoma Education Association (TEA), has been selected to serve on the National Education Association’s (NEA) Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching. Coons has been with Tacoma Public Schools since 2001, and earned his National Board certification in 2005 while teaching at McIlvaigh Middle School.
The Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching is a national, independent commission that will examine policies and practices governing the teaching profession and craft a new “teacher-centered” vision of teaching and the teaching profession.
“There may be no better time in history than right now to shape the future of the teaching profession and American public education,” said Segun C. Eubanks, director of Teacher Quality for the NEA. “Tacoma Public Schools is fortunate to have such an outstanding educator on staff, and we here at the NEA are grateful to be able to work with Mr. Coons, as well. The work of the commission will not be easy, but it will be exciting and hopefully extremely rewarding.”
A key difference with this commission is that the majority of the commission members are practicing teachers who are both distinguished and accomplished. Other members are accomplished teachers who have moved on to other fields in education such as administration or union leadership.
The commission will meet four to six times over the next year, during which it must address the initial changes and craft a comprehensive set of recommendations for the NEA about the union’s role in advancing and promoting teacher effectiveness and the teaching profession and recommendations for education leaders and policymakers about the future of the teaching profession and the role of teachers in control and governance.
The commission members will also:
- Study and analyze existing standards, definitions, policies and practices related to teacher effectiveness and effective teaching and craft a “teachers’ definition” of an effective teacher and effective teaching.
- Craft a new vision of a teacher profession, which is led by teachers and ensures teacher and teaching effectiveness.
“As an independent commission of practitioners, we can bring real-world, common-sense clarity to the national conversations vying to define today’s quality teachers and teaching practices,” Coons said. “What’s lacking is an understanding of the current work of today’s teachers who navigate high stakes achievement accountability, the complexities of the lives and the diverse needs of the students we are teaching, and the continuous art of balancing relationships, high expectations, best pedagogical practices and rigorous content.”
As president of the TEA and Tacoma UniServ Council, Coons represents about 2,400 TPS employees.
Most of Coons’ teaching experience in TPS was at McIlvaigh, and he was the first middle school teacher at Bryant Montessori. He served as an instructional coach at Stewart Middle School and as a districtwide technology instructional facilitator. Although Coons has taught all middle school subjects, math is his passion which he sees as a gateway subject for future academic opportunity for his students.
Stanley Elementary School students greet TEA President Andy Coons.