TREC is a group of educators committed to supporting meaningful teacher professional development in the Tucson Region. We want to build professional development capacity, increase teacher retention, and develop teacher leaders.
Our mission: TREC brings together the region’s educators, resources, and partners to support their evolving professional growth.
Our vision: A collaborative community that cultivates a thriving teaching profession.
Our values: Equity, Connections, Teachers are Experts, Inclusivity, Innovation
Who We Are
We at TREC believe that no single entity can do it all. This is why we have chosen to bring in a number of partners that will invite innovative ideas and collaborations across stakeholders to go beyond individual district’s or school’s professional development efforts.
The University of Arizona College of Education is leading the development of TREC along with 9 regional school districts, several charter schools, and 12 community organizations and governmental agencies. All TREC committees and retreats include teachers as integral participants, as this is an effort to build from the ground up based on the needs of teachers. TREC is a collaborative effort to support the region’s teachers.
Our Rationale
The professional development approach we are building is driven by the premise that teachers are professionals and should have more choice in advancing their careers.
This premise is supported by the data from our teacher survey as 78% (1,095) of the teachers surveyed indicated a need for professional development to support them in growing as a professional. Schools and districts provide important professional development for their teachers, they may be limited by resource and time constraints that may prevent them from being able to meet the individual needs of all of their teachers. TREC is also grounded in the premise that there is strength in bringing together a number of partners because we acknowledge that no single entity can do it all. We invite innovative ideas and collaborations across stakeholders to go beyond individual district’s or school’s professional development efforts. This approach provides a broader range of opportunities because we can bring more resources and additional expertise options, increase schools’ and districts’ potential to reach teachers in other districts, offer teachers a range of options to fit their individual goals.
Our Long-Term Goals
Inspire, Support, Connect, and Grow educators and communities
We will both leverage current professional development activities by providing opportunities (including online) to showcase partners’ professional development efforts in the region and create new opportunities to fill needs. This work will ultimately lead to increased teacher retention.
- Inspire: Raising the visibility of and providing greater access to high-quality professional development activities offered in the greater Tucson area.
- Support: Supporting early childhood through 12th grade educators (classroom teachers, counselors, specialists, etc.) in finding the best matches for their learning needs.
- Connect: Supporting connections and community-building for educators across the region.
- Grow: Creating new professional development and leadership opportunities wherever these needs are unmet.