By Dr. Rahesha Amon, CEO, City Teaching Alliance
As we step into a new year, I’ve been reflecting on what it truly means to move this work forward together. As I look ahead to 2026, the message I want to center is simple:
Excellent educators are the foundation of thriving communities, and investing in them is one of the most powerful commitments a city can make.
We often talk about economic development in terms of industries, incentives, and growth. But every strong local economy rests on something more fundamental: stable institutions that prepare people to contribute, adapt, and thrive over time.
Schools are foundational civic institutions, and educators are the workforce that makes them function. When teachers are well-prepared and well-supported, schools become more stable, communities strengthen, and opportunities expand. In that sense, investing in educators is the cornerstone of long-term economic stability.
That belief shaped how I wanted to begin this year. Rather than starting with assumptions or national trends, I wanted to listen closely to the leaders who sit closest to the work.
Over the past few weeks, I invited our team to hold space for deep, honest conversations with our four Executive Directors: Dr. Kimberly Washington (Baltimore & Central Maryland), Dr. Alexes Terry (Dallas), Jeff Glowik (Philadelphia), and Anthony Dorado (DC Metro).
They shared what they’re seeing in schools, what their Fellows and alumni are carrying, and what their communities need most in 2026. I see these as the signals of what will actually sustain schools and communities in the years ahead.
What they shared was energizing, candid, and full of momentum. And while each region has its own story, together they revealed a collective truth that strongly affirmed where I believe City Teaching Alliance must lead next:
Across all four cities, there is a renewed belief in what skilled, passionate, career educators can make possible, especially when they are well prepared, well supported, and deeply connected to the communities they serve.
Taken together, their reflections offered a clear picture of what real investment in educators looks like and what it demands of us next.
Here are the insights that stayed with me, challenged me, and helped sharpen my vision for 2026.
1. A National Recommitment to Excellence in Teaching
This theme surfaced in every conversation, though each leader framed it through their regional context.
In Dallas, Dr. Alexes Terry described the moment with remarkable clarity: Texas is drawing a line and saying, our students deserve certified, high-quality teachers, and we are willing to define and measure that standard. With City Teaching Alliance approved as a Texas Teacher Residency pathway and offering enhanced certification, she sees the system moving toward rigor.
In Philadelphia, Jeff Glowik spoke about the power of City Teaching Alliance’s 5C framework—clinical placement, coaching, coursework, certification, and community—as the backbone of teacher growth. He’s seeing firsthand how fidelity to these elements fuels retention and strengthens entire school ecosystems.
In Baltimore & Central Maryland, Dr. Kimberly Washington underscored the region’s urgency around cognitive rigor and content expertise, particularly in literacy and mathematics. She spoke passionately about cultivating classrooms where students are expected to think deeply and take intellectual risks.
And in the DC Metro region, Anthony Dorado emphasized the growing need for multilingual and special education teachers who reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of DC’s communities and who are prepared to meet complex learning needs with skill and heart.
Across all four regions, the message was unmistakable: Excellence is a disciplined, daily choice made together.
This reinforced a lesson I am carrying into 2026 from my own leadership journey: trusting the process requires preparation, consistency, and the courage to stay anchored in purpose even as conditions shift.
If excellence is a disciplined choice, the next question is what that choice actually looks like inside classrooms.
2. Our Teachers Are Entering Classrooms and Changing Them
Every Executive Director spoke about the profound shifts happening inside classrooms.
They described learning environments where:
- Curiosity is cultivated, not controlled
- Productive struggle is normalized
- Critical thinking is expected
- Belonging and high expectations live side by side
These classrooms are here and now, shaped by Fellows and alumni who teach with courage, humility, and craft. What struck me in their reflections is that these conditions are not the result of charisma or luck. They are the result of preparation, sustained coaching, intentional practice, and an ongoing investment in people.
This directly challenges a misconception I feel called to address more publicly in my role as CEO: the idea that talent development ends once a teacher enters the classroom.
High-performing school systems know better. Sustained coaching, certification pathways, leadership development, and strong professional communities are essential.
Those classroom conditions only endure when educators stay, and that makes retention metrics impossible to ignore.
3. Retention Is the New Performance Metric
Recruitment matters. But retention is the measure that tells you whether your preparation, coaching, and community truly work.
In Philadelphia, Jeff shared a data point I’ve returned to often: a 93% return rate from Year 1 to Year 2. In today’s teacher workforce, that is extraordinary, and reflects the readiness, belonging, and sustained support City Teaching Alliance offers.
In the DC Metro, Anthony is seeing alumni step into leadership roles as mentor teachers, instructional coaches, and community anchors, building durability within the region. As an alumnus himself, his perspective reflects what becomes possible when Fellows can see a long-term future in the profession.
In Baltimore & Central Maryland, Dr. Washington pointed to the direct connection between retention and the culture of rigor that Fellows experience in their clinical placements.
In Dallas, Dr. Terry emphasized the role that mindfulness, pacing, and wellness play in keeping educators grounded at a moment when many Texas classrooms are staffed by teachers navigating high expectations without consistent preparation or long-term support.
Together, their reflections reinforced a truth I want to elevate in 2026: communities thrive when classrooms are led by well-prepared, well-supported, career educators.
And retention? It’s a practice we build every day.
However, we know that retention doesn’t happen through policy alone. It happens through people, relationships, and shared responsibility.
4. Teachers Need More Than Inspiration. They Need Community.
Another powerful thread emerged across regions: the emotional, cognitive, and logistical load our teachers carry is real.
Balancing graduate coursework, classroom responsibilities, testing seasons, shortage-driven demands, and the lived realities students bring into school each day is extraordinarily challenging.
Our leaders reminded me of something important: No teacher thrives in isolation.
Teachers thrive when they are:
- Coached with care
- Affirmed in their growth
- Challenged with purpose
- Surrounded by peers who understand the work
- Supported by mentors who have walked the path
- Led by people who believe in their potential
Community is, and must continue to be, one of the core conditions for impact at City Teaching Alliance.
This mirrors another leadership truth I am carrying into 2026: purpose steadies us, but progress requires collective strength, especially when the work is complex and the stakes are high.
All of these point to a deeper truth about the year ahead: progress will require courage.
5. 2026 Demands Courage from All of Us
One line from Dr. Kimberly Washington has stayed with me:
“Excellence is not luck. Excellence is intentional.”
That statement captures the heart of this moment.
It applies to our Fellows. It applies to our alumni. It applies to our school partners. And it applies to us as a national organization.
If 2025 was a year of resetting expectations, 2026 must be a year of courageous alignment and staying anchored in purpose while doing the disciplined work that transformation requires.
What This Means for 2026
Guided by my team’s insights, here is where we are placing our collective focus:
1. Strengthening the ecosystem around early-career teachers.
Coaches, clinical faculty, alumni, and school partners must operate as a coordinated support structure.
2. Elevating the quality and diversity of the teacher pipeline.
We are doubling down on bilingual pathways, special education preparation, and recruiting educators who reflect the communities they serve.
3. Supporting wellness and sustainability.
Teachers cannot pour from an empty well. Our programming must reinforce pacing, mindset, and community, especially during high-stakes seasons.
4. Building stronger partnerships with school leadership.
A teacher’s effectiveness is inseparable from the conditions of their school. Strong relationships with principals and district leaders are essential.
5. Advancing a unified national vision for CTA.
Our regions are powerful individually. Together, they are unstoppable. In 2026, we will act on that truth with clarity and purpose.
Looking Ahead
To our Fellows and alumni:
Your work matters more than you know. Your presence changes the trajectory of students’ lives. You carry the legacy of the teachers who saw you, believed in you, and helped you imagine what was possible.
To our partners and supporters:
Your collaboration makes this work sustainable, scalable, and real for thousands of students each year.
To our regional leaders:
Thank you for your honesty, your clarity, and the way you continue to stretch our thinking.
And to our team:
This year invites us to lead with courage, humility, and precision. Let’s step into 2026 aligned, energized, and committed to the excellence our students deserve.
