Dear Members and Friends of the Alliance,

On October 30th, the room I have been describing since July finally came together in one place. Superintendents sat beside human resources directors. State agency leaders sat beside the principals and coordinators who carry this work every day. Pipeline partners, preparation programs, and educators at every stage of the journey filled Stonehill to capacity, and for one day, the whole system that decides who teaches our students was at the same table.

When someone sets the table,
the whole system will sit down at it.

That is what I am carrying out of October 30th. Diversifying a workforce was never meant to be solo work, and the day showed how much becomes possible when it isn't. Agencies heard directly from the districts implementing the Educator Diversity Act. Districts met the partners who can help them do it. And educators of color saw a room built around their futures in this profession.

The conference was a beginning, not a finish line. The convening year is underway, our first ALOC Fellowship cohort begins this month, and the work now returns to where it is decided: your committee tables, your pipelines, your buildings. Thank you for being in the room, and for what you will do with what you heard there.

With gratitude,

Claire Galloway-Jones, M.Ed.
Founder & Executive Director

Rooted and Responsive: Building the Educator Workforce Massachusetts Students Deserve convened a sold-out audience at Stonehill College. Secretary of Education Steve Zrike opened the day, and Dr. Mary Bourque, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, delivered the keynote.

Dr. Dianne Kelly of Revere, Almi Abeyta of Chelsea, and Dr. Angela Allen of Prospect Hill Academy joined a leadership panel moderated by Manuel J Fernandez. Workshops from AMSEL, Latinos for Education, Building Bridges Education, and Simone Miles Esteves, Ed.M., gave every attendee practical work to bring home. In the afternoon, fireside conversations brought Darcy Fernandes of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Devin Morris of The Teachers' Lounge, and Lisa Lazare and Pema Latshang of Teacher Pathways Connect into conversation with the room.

The Stoughton Public Schools team at the Founding Members display. Conference photos by Darden Photography.

Devin Morris, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Teachers' Lounge, shared these with the room on October 30th.

Elephant in the Dark. Rumi's parable of people who each touch one part of an elephant in a dark room and mistake their part for the whole. It is a fitting picture of this work: agencies, districts, and partners each hold a piece, and no one sees the full shape alone. Watch the parable

The CLOC Fellowship. The Classroom Leaders of Color Fellowship is a two-year cohort for early career teachers of color in Greater Boston, with coaching and mentoring from educators who share their identities, designed to keep them in the profession. Where ALOC supports administrators, CLOC supports the teachers coming up behind them. Applications are open on a rolling basis. Learn more

More from The Teachers' Lounge. Professional learning and community events for educators of color, and research and consultation for schools and districts.

Foxborough Regional Charter School, Prospect Hill Academy, and Walpole Public Schools joined the founding class in October, ahead of the conference, and Reading Public Schools joined in the room on October 30th, the founding class's final day. Welcome to each of you. We are glad to do this work alongside you.

Our inaugural cohort of Ascending Leaders of Color begins with a full-day launch retreat on Friday, November 20th. Fellows join us from two founding member districts, Foxborough Regional Charter School and Reading Public Schools, alongside leaders from Lexington Public Schools, Hingham Public Schools, and Boston Public Schools. The Fellowship brings administrators of color together for cohort sessions, one-on-one executive coaching, and a leadership arc that builds to a June capstone. To our fellows, and to the districts standing behind them: welcome. We look forward to sharing more as their year unfolds.

Zoom links for member events are sent to members ahead of each session. The full 2026–27 calendar lives at masseducatorequity.org under Calendar.

Some of the most promising future teachers are already in our buildings. Paraprofessionals know our students, our families, and our schools, and a bachelor's degree is often the one step between them and a classroom of their own.

Quincy Public Schools is hosting an online information session on Wednesday, December 2nd, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM, where paras can meet a dozen bachelor's completion programs in one sitting, along with Journey into Education & Teaching (JET). The funding is real: the state's Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant covers up to $9,900 in tuition at state schools and up to $13,500 at private institutions. Several districts are also building Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs, where candidates work as paraprofessionals while their education costs are covered.

Please share this with the paras in your district and invite them to register. View the flyer

Districts, charter schools, and organizations committed to educator diversity can join the Alliance at any time. Membership includes the full convening calendar, the Educator Diversity Act webinar series, access to the spring Educator Career Fair, and member rates on the ALOC Fellowship. Learn more at masseducatorequity.org.