State Superintendent Cade Brumley and Gov. Jeff Landry have revealed recommendations they believe will improve teachers’ working lives.

At the beginning of this year, a workgroup coined Let Teachers Teach (LTT) was created to determine best practices to recenter classroom instruction away from “common classroom disruptions and unnecessary bureaucracies” The group was composed of 29 educators from across the state. Ted Beasley, deputy chief of communication for the Louisiana Department of Education, told the American Press an open nomination was conducted to select workgroup members. LDOE selected educators from that pool to ensure various regions — rural, suburban, metropolitan — of the state were represented.

There was one teacher from Southwest Louisiana in the workgroup, Dena Jinks from Allen Parish.

LTT determined 18 different recommendations regarding professional learning, required training, student behavior and discipline, non-academic responsibilities, planning and curriculum and instruction, all of which prioritize the well-being of the teacher in and out of the classroom.

Louisiana has reached a record ranking on The Nation’s Report Card in education, jumping from 41st to 40th. It is only one of only three states to academically recover from COVID-19-related learning loss, according to a Harvard/Stanford study. In a letter signed by Brumley and LTT Chair Kylie Altier, it was said that the state’s recent education accomplishments would not have been possible without teachers. These recommendations aim to support the teachers that are so necessary for statewide academic success, the letter said.

“Keeping student outcomes at the forefront, actions can be taken to improve the profession of teaching — for teachers.”

In a release, Landry said the State’s education system in its current state is detrimental to teachers’ agency.

“We have seen the results of an education system that holds back our educators and does not give them the freedom to teach in their classrooms. This system has failed both our teachers, our children and our parents.”

BESE member Kevin Berken, District 7, said that the recommendations are a “much needed assist” for Louisiana’s teachers. He told The American Press in an email that he has echoed Landry’s campaign to let teachers work in a way that is “conducive to progressing our kids to the next level.”

“Over the last decade or two, teachers have been burdened with well-intentioned requirements that take time and effort away from preparation for, and the teaching of, the lessons that they were asked to teach,” he said. “Having the opportunity to vote on lessening that that burden is something that I look forward to doing at our June meeting.”

Beasley said that some of the recommendations can be addressed at a local level, but others will require state action.