SECTION 1: FOR TEACHERS

These resources are for MCPS teachers who want to reclaim their classrooms, strengthen their instruction, and protect their professional autonomy.

Know Your Rights — Build Autonomy from MCEA

Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME, you can opt out of all MCEA dues while still receiving full union representation. If MCEA’s political agenda doesn’t reflect your values — or you’d like to save over $1,000 a year in dues — join the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Access free liability insurance, professional development, and curriculum resources free from ideological mandates.

Implement Evidence-Based Instruction

Follow Karen Vaites’ Substack for the latest research on the Science of Reading and lessons from the Southern Surge states (Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama) that surpassed their pre-pandemic scores. Subscribe to Dissident Teacher’s Substack and read A Library to Build Great Americans, Ages 3-99+ for a curated classroom reading list. Explore Freedom in Education‘s resources and join their Teachers’ Coalition.

Limit Screen Time & Return to Print

Remove Chromebooks from lessons and return to whole books and print materials. Advocate for textbooks in math so parents can follow along at home. Read the MCCPTA Digital Balance Resolution championed by Curriculum Committee Chair Evelyn Chung, and the Curriculum Insight Project on why print beats screens for comprehension.

Simplify Your Classroom — Especially in Elementary

A landmark Carnegie Mellon University study published in Psychological Science found that kindergartners in heavily decorated classrooms scored only 42% correct on lesson content — compared to 55% in sparse classrooms. Students in the cluttered rooms spent 38.6% of their time off-task, versus 28.4% in the simpler rooms. The lead researcher concluded: “The visual environment can affect how much children learn.”

Practical steps: take down displays not tied to current instruction; keep walls calm and purposeful; put away unused materials; protect clear sightlines to the board. This is one of the lowest-cost, highest-impact changes a teacher can make — and it costs nothing.

Master Explicit & Direct Instruction

Get a copy of Zach Groshell’s Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching and Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion 3.0. Both draw on the science of learning to show why direct, explicit instruction outperforms discovery-based approaches.

Advocate for a Teachers’ Bill of Rights

Alabama and Louisiana’s Teachers’ Bill of Rights laws helped both states surpass their pre-pandemic academic scores. Wisconsin’s AB 614 just passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor on March 26, 2026. Advocate for MCPS to adopt similar classroom management protections.