National recognition for excellence in K-12 Earth Sciences education is under development by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Teacher Education Division (TED) and other organizations. Teachers and informal educators should have the opportunity to comment on proposed criteria. While teacher leader standards are well established in K-12 education, none provide guidance specifically for geosciences teachers. Specifically, we are interested in exploring (1) how educators would use these standards to support their personal goals, professional growth, and career advancement; (2) how the these criteria could be used to help guide teacher preparation and professional development; and (3) how they fit into the broader objectives of the Earth & space sciences education community.

This session will focus on participant feedback of the proposed Geoscience Teacher Leaders Criteria. Participants will use most of this session time to discuss practical utility of these potential standards. This builds on the work of Ellins & Stocks [1], [2], and Metlay & Ellins [3]. Ultimately NAGT hopes to establish an awards framework for national recognition, ideally with vendor underwriting and partnership with related professional development organizations. 

References:
1. Ellins, Katherine K., and Eric Stocks (2017). Creating Earth Science Teacher Leaders Within and Beyond the Classroom: Examples from Texas. Paper No. 138-11, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, September 21-25, Seattle, Washington. 
2. Ellins, Katherine K., Susan Lynds and Eric Stocks (date pending). Creating a Climate for Teachers to Excel as Leaders in Earth Science Education Within and Beyond the Classroom: Examples from Texas (in preparation for Journal of Geoscience Education).
3. Metlay, Suzanne T. and Katherine K. Ellins (2018), Geoscience Teacher Leader Criteria: Developing a New Standard for Pedagogical Excellence, Abstract ED34A, Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, 10-14 December 2018.