Progressive Teachers Network

The Progressive Teacher Network (PTN) is a learning collective designed to provide support for all practitioners who engage in a child-first perspective and want to engage with others in this essential work.

This site is designed to be interactive and is intended to begin to move the discourse about the lack of a moral reward of the teaching profession.

The creation of the Progressive Teacher Network is the brainchild of several amazing child-centered practitioners who are interested in helping practicing teachers in any number of ways.

Our values

The mission of the Progressive Teachers Network is to sustain a network that supports progressive teachers. The following values drive our mission:

• Progressive: We seek to be easily accessible, honestly responsive and determinedly progressive in our efforts. Justice, equity, belonging and inclusivity are at the core of everything we do.
• Openness: Anonymous conversations with experts can help solve problems faced by progressive teachers. Challenges such as classroom management issues, personnel concerns, curriculum questions, and general situations that occur in any classroom. We help address them.
• Committed: We are a committed group of amazing senior faculty from all areas are ready to respond to requests for advice.
• Practical: We are real educators with real experience in progressive teaching, learning and leadership in K-12 schools, public and private settings, and other educational backgrounds who focus on positive, practical and purposeful responses to real challenges faced by progressive teachers everyday.

NEW Resource

(August 2025) Finding time to read to your students can be challenging. You have so much to do. Taking a few minutes right after recess is a great time to set up your class for a quiet activity. Getting children excited about hearing a new book can set the stage for a love of books and your librarian can lend a hand. Invite a parent or the principal or the custodian to join you and give yourself a quick break. The quick interactive activities in our new free resource, Kindness Lesson Plan Booklet: 5-Minute Post-Recess Activities Inspired by Children’s Books, can be useful for any age or book too. Enjoy and perhaps you can pick some of your favorites to share and ask your community of parents to make suggestions.

New Journal

(Summer 2025) The Progressive Teacher Network is excited to partner on Taboo: The Journal on Culture and Education. Our latest edition is edited by J. Cynthia McDermott, PhD., and is focused on creativity.