Public schools face enormous challenges in the 21st Century - higher expectations from our communities coupled with increased apathy and indifference by our leaders; greater needs to improve achievement balanced against fewer resources to meet the challenge. More than ever before, our nation's strength will come from efforts to bring about dramatic change in our urban public 
schools, and to raise performance levels of all our students. TEP seeks to forge a new kind of school and we need talented, dedicated teachers from all across the country to lead the charge. TEP needs your help to revolutionize our education system. What are you waiting for?
Teachers are an essential component of this new school. However, to forge a new kind of school will require a dramatic change in the traditional conception of the teacher's role. Teachers no longer can be seen as doing their jobs ONLY when they are in classrooms in front of students. Teachers in transformed schools will work to plan curriculum, coach peers, explore student work, fine tune lesson plans with colleagues, engage with parents and develop thoughtful assessments. Such work takes time, leadership and a change in culture. Teachers, as transformational leaders in their schools, are key to changing the quality of education that is offered and the organization in which it is offered.