The Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative is a non-profit organization founded by local independent schools to provide and coordinate opportunities for teachers to grow as professionals. Its primary purpose is to encourage and facilitate local access to speaker, programs, and instruction that are of interest to Bay Area faculties; to pool resources; to increase inter-school contact, and to form groups of teachers to work in specific areas of interest.
The goal is not homogenization but rather the enrichment of professional growth and increased sharing of resources and experience.
History of the Collaborative
In the winter of 1999-2000 an advisory group of ten independent school Heads formed to explore the possibliltites of combining resources adn starting a local professinal development institute. Its goals inlcudeing providing access to nationally-known speakers and resources, sharing teachers’ expertise, estabilshing a central venue for communication about professional growth opportunities for educators, encouraging and supporting emerging leaders in Bay Area schools, and providing on-going growth opportunities in direct response to the needs and interests of local schools.
The findings of this advisory group led to the establishment of the Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative. The mission of the Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative is to improve teaching and inspire educational leadership by proomoting professional development and supporting collegiality. To date the Collaborative includes 44 schools from the East Bay and Marin to the Monterey Peninsula.
Janet McGarvey was appointed Executive Director of the Collaborative in June, 2002. Janet has taught middle school and high school English for over 30 years. She is also the former Director of the Western Office of Independent Educational Services.