In this week’s episode, Nancy sits down with Clairese Jorgensen, a fourth-grade teacher at Dessie Evans Elementary and a member of the district’s elementary math cadre. Clairese shares her journey from paraeducator to teacher leader and reflects on how serving on a cadre has strengthened her teaching practice and leadership at the school level.

From aligning common assessments to refining pacing guides, cadre work is hands-on and classroom-driven. Clairese highlights the power of collaboration and the importance of teacher voice in shaping decisions that directly impact student success.

She puts it best: “If you want to change something, you have to speak up. You have to join a cadre.”