Building Capacity, Leading Change: Instructional Impact of the Transformative Teaching Cohort

At Madison City Schools, we believe that empowered educators lead to empowered learners, and our Transformative Teachers are living proof of that.

The Transformative Teaching Certification Program is a district-led initiative that focuses on enhancing instructional technology practices and developing teacher leaders. The program is built around two core components: building expertise in classroom technology integration and leveraging that expertise to support other educators through coaching and collaboration.

Since the program began in 2022, this dedicated group of teachers has continued to refine their instructional practice, support colleagues, and help shape what effective technology integration looks like across our district.

A Year of Instructional Growth

The 2024–25 school year marked a major milestone for the Transformative Teaching initiative, with two active cohorts contributing to instructional growth across the district.

Cohort One, made up of teachers who completed the certification process between 2022 and 2024, continued their work this year by providing over 600 hours of support through peer coaching, professional development, and collaboration. These educators also completed more than 100 hours of additional learning focused on topics like digital citizenship, AI in instruction, formative assessment tools, student engagement strategies, and data-informed instruction.

Cohort 1 members Emily Boshers (Columbia), Julie Vandiver (Columbia), and Shemeaka King (Midtown) leading a professional development session at the elementary back-to-school PD event. 

At the same time, we launched a second cohort of 23 teachers during the 2024–25 academic year. These participants engaged in a structured process that included targeted professional learning, classroom application, and leadership opportunities. As part of the certification, each teacher compiled a portfolio that captured their instructional growth and highlighted the intentional use of technology to enhance student learning, whether through more responsive assessment practices, increased collaboration, or more effective use of data.

Peer Support That Scales

One of the most valuable aspects of the program is the peer support it enables. At each school, cohort members serve as on-site thought partners, helping teachers troubleshoot tech tools, embed instructional strategies, and align with district initiatives. 

At Midtown, cohort teachers developed student-friendly resources to help troubleshoot devices and make simple repairs. By sharing these tools with colleagues, they reduced instructional disruptions across classrooms and helped maintain a smoother tech environment for all.

At Discovery, cohort members led efforts to coordinate cross-curricular collaboration using digital tools. By working with other teachers to align instructional goals, they supported improved student performance on state assessments.

At Bob Jones, cohort participants created accessible resources on how to utilize AI tools to enhance, modify, and redefine student engagement, note-taking, and feedback. These resources were shared across departments to help teachers explore more effective ways to integrate emerging technology.

These aren’t one-off projects—they’re part of an ongoing effort to build systems of support that improve instructional practices at scale.

Cohort 2 member Bess House, ELA teacher at Liberty Middle School, leads a PD on using Instructional Technology as a tool for formative assessment.

Looking Ahead

As we plan for the 2025–26 school year, our focus remains on sustainability, innovation, and instructional alignment. Our next steps include continuing to offer high-quality professional development that is aligned with district goals and classroom needs, expanding the program’s reach by identifying teacher leaders in underrepresented grade levels or content areas, and encouraging the deeper integration of technology to support formative assessment, student agency, and targeted intervention.

We are excited about the work these teachers are doing and look forward to seeing how both our original and new cohorts continue to grow, lead, and support learning across the district.