In 2010 a group of educators in Seattle and Tacoma came together around a simple idea: if 100% of the students in Washington graduated high school ready for college or career, the teaching profession in our state would be as highly regarded as most everyone believes teaching ought to be. Legendary educator Jaime Escalante said: "students will rise to the level of expectation." Our current structures and policies have set expectations that reflect our current level of student achievement. Rife with opportunity gaps and lagging graduations rates, we must rethink the policies that govern our schools. As educators, if we seek to elevate our profession and do what is right by our students, we must become more intelligent about the policies that affect them, and advocate for policies that put students and student achievement first.

In February 2011, Teachers United was born when two educators testified in front of the House Education Committee in Olympia in favor of a bill that would change the way teachers are retained in the event of layoffs. Representing the voices of growing numbers of educators from around the state, they spoke to the idea that if we want to achieve the best possible results for our students, we must make sure that the most effective among us are protected from being laid off no matter if they are in their second or their twenty-second year. That was just the beginning.

As bills and policies are introduced at the state and local level, Teachers United Affiliated Educators will study them, consider relevant research findings and gather opinion through the lens of what those policies mean for students and student achievement. If the policies will ultimately move us toward our goal of 100% of students graduating from high school prepared for college or career, we intend to vigorously advocate for them. We hope that you too will become part of that story.