President Obama has made education a signature investment of his administration. With our economy in decline, however, states are facing extraordinary difficulty maintaining education spending, so every expenditure must prove its worth or face cuts. Despite the importance of professional development, both teachers and experts have expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the routine approach that ignores many of the findings of what is most effective. The American Federation of Teachers believes that to be successful, educators need to have access to high-quality, ongoing professional development and that they must be actively engaged in seeking out what best equips them to do their job.

After intense study of a work-site learning model created by British unions, the American Federation of Teachers has launched a new pilot program to help members enhance their job performance. The program centers on a network of "learning representatives" who are part of a work-site union team that can help employees with career counseling and access to training needs.

Baltimore Teachers Union member Lee Rutledge, left, is the learning representative at Baltimore's Pimlico Elementary/Middle School. Photo by Michael Campbell.

What is a Union Learning Rep (ULR)?
Union learning representatives are workers, selected by fellow union members, who can guide employees to the best forms of professional development, technology supports and skill training conveniently available to them. Some of these may be union programs, such as the AFT's long-standing Education Research and Dissemination Program, some will be offered by community colleges and some will come from private providers. "I have seen what the British unions are doing first hand," said AFT president Randi Weingarten in announcing the pilots. "The union-picked reps have the support not only of the union, but also of employers and government. They help actively engage in their own professional development, making them feel more confident about learning new things. Their work has helped lower employee turnover rates; they have energized the unions by providing new educational services at the work-site level, where it counts."

What do Union Learning Reps do?
ULRs focus on three main tasks:

• Surveying staff about their learning or training needs and the approaches they would prefer for meeting them.
• Relaying information back to ULR coordinators who follow up with union officers to determine whether additional offerings are needed or if existing services need to be re-tailored.
• Providing information and advice to members about learning or training opportunities, based on information and materials compiled by the union.

Where are our pilots?
The Baltimore Teachers Union
North Suburban Teachers Union (Illinois)
Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals
ABC Federation of Teachers (California) 

We'd like to hear from you. Send your comments, professional development news and recommendations to: learningreps@aft.org.