top of page

The Bridges Institute

Texas AFT’s Bridges Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit devoted to providing professional and leadership development opportunities for Texas public school employees.

History
The organization was renamed in June of 2019 to honor the late Texas AFT president Linda Bridges. Bridges started her career in education as an elementary special education teacher in Corpus Christi. Bridges was a charter member of the Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers and served as the local union’s secretary, executive vice-president, and president, with a tenure of more than 24 years (1981-2005). Bridges was elected president of Texas AFT in 2005 and served in that capacity until her death in January 2015.

At the time of her passing, Texas AFT was (and remains) the largest union affiliate of the Texas AFL-CIO. Under her leadership, Texas AFT experienced consistent growth in membership and added new local affiliates across the state. Bridges was a teacher and mentor to many local union presidents, teaching leaders how to develop reciprocal, productive labor-management relationships and how to work for consultation policies that institutionalize these working relationships.


Stay up-to-date

The Bridges Institute offers year-round, for-credit professional development opportunities — both in person and virtually. Stay on top of what’s coming next with our monthly email newsletter and our Facebook page.

Partners

We wish to thank all of our partners who contribute to the success of our institute:

Donate to the Institute

Make a difference for Texas public schools and public school employees. 

Your gift has an immediate impact and is fully tax-deductible under our 501(c)(3) status. 


Programs

The Bridges Institute offers four Professional Development Programs. All institute programming is open to any educator or support staff member, regardless of union status, unless otherwise stated. 


If you are interested in learning more about any of these programs, contact us at bridges@texasaft.org.

Teacher Leaders

The Teacher Leaders Program takes place over one year and brings together a select group of 10–15 educators who learn how to take active leadership roles in their schools, communities, and unions. These teachers then serve as catalysts to build the profession and strengthen their union and its connection to the community, with the goal of generating support and understanding of public schools. The cohort begins with a multi-day orientation and then meets one Saturday each month for nine months.  


 Participating educators will develop skills related to: 

  • Creating a collaborative culture 

  • Accessing and using research 

  • Reaching out to families and communities 

  • Becoming advocates for teachers, students, and their families, as well as for public education 

  • Understanding policy issues and making recommendations to and through their unions 

  • Making oral and written presentations, including using social media 


Through their participation in the AFT Teacher Leaders Program, educators will: 

  • Become conversant with both the local and national dialogue on education 

  • Develop relationships with local policymakers and community leaders 

  • Connect practice, research, and policy 

  • Serve as a sounding board and advisory group for union leaders 

  • Become more actively committed to and involved in their local union

Strategies for Student Success

Strategies for Student Success is a high-quality, research-based program consisting of three modules (each 1 hour and 15 minutes) that create a manageable way to connect with both new and veteran teachers. The content in the modules can be tailored to benefit individuals, groups, or the whole school and can be offered in a virtual setting. 


Strategies for Student Success approaches learning from an issues-based perspective. Whether the need is created by policy, mandates, feedback on evaluations or professional inquiry, the program responds. The program teaches with activities that require reflection on daily practice, debate over research and current practices, use of modeling and experiential learning approaches. Engaged discussions add to the relevance of the research-based classroom strategies, and instruction is designed for immediate use. 


Courses 

  • Activating Learning in All Disciplines  

  • Assessing Teaching and Learning 

  • Beyond Classroom Management 

  • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy 

  • Curriculum Matters  

  • Differentiating Instruction 

  • Empowering Educators at the School Level 

  • Engaging Students’ Long-Term Memory 

  • The Game Factor 

  • Grading in a Standards-Based Environment 

  • Handling Stress 

  • How to Make Technology Work for You and Your Students 

  • Is My Teaching Effective?  

  • Making Parents and Guardians Partners in Educating Students 

  • Meaningful Changes 

  • Questions Package 

  • Using Questions to Teach and Learn  

  • Questions: A Second Look  

  • Questions Beyond Bloom 

  • Rethinking Punishment 

  • Setting Measurable Objectives 

  • Social and Emotional Learning: Where, How, and When? 

  • Student Engagement 

  • Students with Challenges 

  • Teach Them to Think 

  • Tools for Teachers from Brain Researchers  

  • The Trio: Inquiry-Based, Problem-Based, and Project-Based Learning


Learn more about Strategies for Student Success and find full course descriptions here (PDF download)

Professional Learning Program for Educators

The Professional Learning Program offers graduate-level courses ranging from 30 to 45 hours, three-hour modules, webinars, and more. The program represents the institute’s major efforts to improve student achievement by making a difference in practitioners’ performance and professional growth.  

 

The program empowers educators to connect theory to practice and improve student outcomes. Courses are rooted in evidence-based educational, cognitive and social science research. Content is guided by cutting-edge experts in the field and designed by frontline educators who know firsthand what goes on in classrooms and schools every day. The program provides educators with the tools and resources necessary to make complex decisions and select the most effective strategies for meeting individual students’ academic, social, and behavioral needs. Lessons connect excellent teaching practice with broader educational policy issues and campaigns. 


Courses 

  • Delivering Effective Professional Development 

  • Classroom Management & Behavior  

  • Foundations of Effective Teaching I: Organizing the Classroom Environment for Teaching and Learning 

  • Managing Behavior in School Communities 

  • Managing Student Behavior for Support Staff 

  • Mind in the Making 

  • Transitioning to Kindergarten (T2K) Toolkit 

  • Community & Family Involvement 

  • School, Family and Community: Partnerships That Support Student earning 

  • Community Schools 101: The Nuts and Bolts 

  • Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment  

  • Instructional Strategies That Work for All Disciplines  

  • Making Data and Classroom Assessments Work for You  

  • Share My Lesson: Free Resources Developed by Educators, for Educators 

  • Math 

  • Thinking Mathematics K-2 

  • Thinking Mathematics 3-5 

  • Thinking Mathematics 6-8: Journey to Algebra 

  • Reading 

  • Beginning Reading Instruction 

  • Reading Comprehension Instruction 

  • Special Needs 

  • Accessible Literacy Framework 

  • English Language Learners  

  • Colorin Colorado Introductory Workshop for ELL Educators 

  • English Language Learners 101, Module I: Who Are ELLs?  

  • English Language Learners 101, Module II: Second Language Acquisition and Literacy Development 

  • English Language Learners 101, Module III: Cultural Competency and family/Community Connections for the ELL Classroom 

  • English Language Learners 101, Module IV: Providing Effective Instruction with Research-Based Instructional Strategies and Assessment 

  • Instructional Supports: Formative Assessments 

  • Instructional Supports: English Language Learners 

  • Instructional Supports: Differentiating Instruction 

  • Strategies for Student Success  

  • Student Learning Objectives  


Learn more about the Professional Learning Program for Educators and courses here.

National Board Support Group

More information coming soon.


Visit https://www.nbpts.org/in-your-state/in-your-state/tx/ for additional details.

Texas AFT Nationally Certified Trainers

Over 300 members have been certified to deliver high quality professional development through our program. Texas AFT members have also become nationally certified to provide content instruction. 


 Our nationally certified trainers:

  • Rebecca Salazar-SSS

  • Jamie Womack-MBSC

  • Raechel Chandler-MBSC

  • Monico Vitela-Foundations 

  • Melina Duplessis-Foundations

  • Glenda Guzman Santos-ELLs 

  • Monique Boone-FEPL


If you are interested in becoming a certified trainer, please contact Jamie Womack at jwomack@texasaft.org.


bottom of page