Teacher Academy is a program developed by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and funded by The Winston-Salem Foundation. The program’s main function is to support teachers and improve instruction.

Teacher Academy Testimonials“We had previously decided not to ask for the final two observations, but she was very excited by what she observed. She has asked to go for another observation.” - Teacher Academy Mentee’s Principal

“This is my second year participating in the Teacher Academy. My Teacher Leader always comes with great ideas, suggestions, and strategies for me to take back and use in the classroom. This has been a wonderful experience where I have shared my immediate and long-range goals and have built on them over the last two years. This program has allowed me the opportunity to visit other schools as well as collaborate with other teachers and learn new ideas to implement in my classroom. I have enjoyed participating in this program over the last two years.” - Teacher Academy Mentee

“I had a positive experience with Teacher Academy. Thankfully, I have a very supportive principal that wants to see their teachers and students succeed. I was matched with a teacher at a school similar to mine and that makes a HUGE difference. I am so glad that our school system has a program like this. I had been asking for this type of help for several years. Thank you!” - Teacher Academy Mentee

“I truly enjoyed my experience with observing my Teacher Academy mentor. She was able to provide me with feedback on which areas of teaching I need to improve and provide me with resources/activities to use in my classroom to help students who are struggling with concepts in math.” - Teacher Academy Mentee

“My experience was amazing!! I learned about the responsive classroom and it has tremendously changed the way I teach!! It has truly been a blessing to me!!” - Teacher Academy Mentee

“I think it is a great program. I always enjoy observing other teachers and receiving/sharing ideas, strategies, and practices. From this program, I took away a lot of tools to use in my practice.” - Teacher Academy Mentee

“It was a great experience! I would recommend it to new teachers and even the veteran teachers too! My Teacher Leader was fantastic!” - Teacher Academy Mentee

Contact Information:Donna Cannon, Instructional Superintendent

dcannon@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

Beth Ausley, Teacher Academy Coordinatorbausley@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

Sally McCombs, Teacher Academy Support Coordinatorsmccombs@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

The Teacher Academy program has two distinct pathways of support for teachers. They are the Quality Colleague Pathway and the Professional Development Pathway. Both pathways utilize high quality teachers from our district as Teacher Leaders.

Instructional Superintendent, Donna Cannon, is the Teacher Academy Director, Beth Ausley is the Teacher Academy Coordinator, and Sally McCombs is the Teacher Academy Support Coordinator.

Quality Colleague PathwayThe Model Classroom Pathway has been merged into the Quality Colleague Pathway to give more comprehensive support to teachers in the district. Teachers participating in the Quality Colleague Pathway will be matched with a Teacher Academy Teacher Leader for a year-long relationship of support including a pre-program, mid-year, and end-of-year conference with his or her principal, observations of the Teacher Leader with debriefings, observations by the Teacher Leader with debriefings, and face-to-face meetings with the Teacher Leader as needed throughout the year. Through these observations and meetings, the Teacher Leader can give guidance in planning lessons, developing assessments, finding resources, improving classroom management, and/or any area of needed improvement.

This pathway is a comprehensive form of support for teachers in our school system.

Professional Development PathwayAny and all teachers are welcome to participate in professional development opportunities developed and presented by Teacher Academy Teacher Leaders.

Professional development workshops and presentations will be planned and posted on the school district’s Workshop Calendar and Keeping You Informed, the district newsletter, throughout the school year. Recommendations from principals for specific professional development topics are welcomed and encouraged. Professional development series can be specifically designed and presented to meet individual schools’ needs.