ABOUT US

History/Our Story

The widening achievement gap in open enrollment urban public schools has been acknowledged for over 20 years. Research in the U.K. finds that the answer requires more than merely the leadership capabilities of principals and that improvements are more likely when leadership is instructionally focused in the classroom. Teacher leadership has been recognized as very promising for sustaining school improvement in high-needs schools, but is not systematically developed in the U.S. The teacher-leader role is difficult and complex. Without high-quality training and support, teacher-leaders are under prepared to do this complex work effectively.

In 2008, Leading Educators and Teaching Leaders in the U.K. launched programs to better serve and develop mid-tier teacher-leaders. With promising results in its pilot program, Leading Educators is developing two high-impact service lines for high-needs schools across the U.S.: an enhanced version of its Leading Educators Fellowship and Strategic Support Initiatives designed for school systems to maximize the potential of teacher leadership.

Our ambitious growth plan will directly serve and improve 12 regions across the U.S. by 2016; specifically, increasing the skillfulness of 2,500 mid-level teacher-leaders over the next 6 years and in the process, impacting nearly 100,000 students across high-needs schools through Leading Educators Fellows and the teachers they mentor. In the Fall of 2011, we will welcome our newest cohort of teacher leaders in Kansas City, MO, as we build a national movement to empower great teachers to lead their colleagues to close the achievement gap.