History

A history of leadership.

Arizona has a long history of supporting teacher leaders, beginning with the Arizona Education Association and its promotion of National Board Certification in the state. This effort gained momentum in 1997, when the College of Education at Arizona State University received an endowment from the Bank of America to support teachers seeking National Board Certification. Increased funding opened the door for more teachers to pursue and attain certification through an organized system of candidate support. This support system came to form the core of accomplished teaching and teacher leadership in the state.

An important additional structure for sustaining leadership in Arizona was added in 2005 when the Master Teacher program was established by the Governor and the State Board of Education through the Arizona K-12 Center. In the process of helping outstanding teachers through National Board Certification and the Master Teacher program, a larger category of teacher leaders has come clearly into focus. Today, the AzTLN makes its mission to empower a diverse group of teacher leaders through a variety of programs and opportunities.