NASHVILLE (AP) — The State Collaborative on Reforming Education recently selected 26 teachers for the new class of the Tennessee Educator Fellowship.

The program, in its second year, gives educators an opportunity to learn and communicate about student-focused education policy issues.

Teachers in the inaugural class have appeared at dozens of public speaking engagements, invited policymakers into their classrooms, written about their education experience in state and national publications, and served on state-level policy committees.

The new class includes teachers with more than 300 years of combined teaching experience. They represent elementary, middle, and high schools in urban, suburban, and rural systems across East, Middle, and West Tennessee.

The new educator fellows will hold their first gathering in July.