Teacher Leader Roles
The teacher leader application for the 2024-25 will be open from December 2024-March 2025. If you are interested in becoming qualified for a Model Teacher or Peer Collaborative Teacher (PCT) role, we encourage you to apply when the application for the 2024-25 school year opens. Reach out to us at teacherleadership@schools.nyc.gov if you have any questions.
Model Teachers
Model Teachers demonstrate strong instructional practice, a dedication to professional growth, and a strong understanding of their community’s needs. Learn more about the Model Teacher role in this in-depth Model Teacher Overview.
Peer Collaborative Teachers
Peer Collaborative Teachers, also known as “PCTs,” support their colleagues through focused coaching, intervisitations, and designing meaningful opportunities for growth. This may come in many forms, including leading grade or content area teacher teams, and designing and facilitating other professional learning experiences. In addition to the skills noted of Model Teachers, PCTs also have a well-developed skill in data analysis as well as the ability to build consensus with teams. Learn more about the PCT role in this in-depth PCT Overview.
Master Teachers
Master Teachers are a select group of educators who work closely with their school and/or district leadership to promote excellent teaching through purposeful sharing of effective practices, peer coaching, and the creation of a collaborative learning culture that bolsters instruction. In addition to the skills demonstrated by Model Teachers and PCTs, Master Teachers have a wealth of experience facilitating professional learning for colleagues and leading school-wide initiatives. Learn more about the Master Teacher role in this in-depth Master Teacher Overview.
Eligibility and Selection Process
The application for teacher leadership roles is open from December - March each year to be staffed for the following school year. This is where you can access the teacher career pathways application.
Eligibility and Qualification
A joint NYCPS-UFT committee completes application reviews and interviews in order to determine the qualified pool of teacher leaders. Qualification is valid for two consecutive school years, at which point teacher leaders must requalify for the role. Teacher leaders can be staffed in any NYCPS school, and principals ultimately make all staffing decisions.
Eligibility: To be eligible to apply for a Teacher Career Pathways teacher leader qualification, teachers must be all of the following:
- A current, full-time DOE educator (with at least one class of record, 40% of your time spent in the classroom);
- Tenured as of the first day of the school year; and
- Receive an Advance overall rating of “Highly Effective,” “Effective,” (or “Satisfactory,” if applicable) for the preceding school year.
Qualification: In order to qualify for a TL role, teachers must complete the following:
- Online written application
- Interview with a joint NYCPS-UFT panel
Qualifications are valid for two consecutive school years. After every second year, candidates who are interested in continuing to serve in the same role must renew their qualifications to stay in the teacher leader candidate pool.
Selection: Selection/staffing decisions are at the discretion of the principal.
Application and Selection
Check out our process infographic.
Serving in Your Role
Every Year:
- Teacher leaders must be selected and staffed by their school principal at the start of every school year to serve in their role.
- Teacher leaders develop a body of work products and engage in an on-going reflection process aligned to Teacher Career Pathways teacher leader continuum.
- At the end of every school year, principals review teacher leader staffing for the next school year. After the principal takes into consideration the needs of their school community, the contributions of their teacher leaders, and available budget, they will make a decision on whether they will continue to staff teacher leaders at their school.
Every Two Consecutive Years:
- Teacher leader qualifications are valid for two consecutive school years.
- Every two consecutive school years, teacher leaders who want to continue in their role will go through a requalification process by submitting work products as evidence of their work and growth to the joint NYCPS-UFT Committee for review.