Meet Dr. Jennifer Slanger When Dr. Jennifer Slanger started her early education in Grand Rapids Public Schools, her school experience didn’t necessarily reflect the district’s diversity at large. She recalls, “My elementary school was primarily White students. I think I can remember one or two Black children in the entire kindergarten through sixth-grade building.” High … Continued
Commentary on Leading Educators’ study of long-term Impact School districts nationwide invest 3-5 percent of their budgets each year in developing their educators. Yet, professional development programs often fail to improve teachers’ instructional practice or student achievement (Kraft et al., 2018). In the 2016-17 school year, U.S. spending on public elementary and secondary schools totaled … Continued
4 Ways School System Leaders Are Addressing Equity Educating all our young people for the future they imagine is our greatest collective responsibility. Reaching this vision requires specific work from all of us. So, what is the role for school system leaders? Leading Educators’ new action guide Teaching for Equity calls out school and system-level … Continued
Wherever you are this holiday season, we hope you feel safe and connected to those you hold dear even if they are far away. This year has been incredibly tough. It has called on all of us—as people in the fight for greater equity in our schools and in our world—to lean into our values … Continued
Despite the chaos in the world, there’s a sense of calm in the air. I’m talking with Amy Rome, who recently left her role as Leading Educators president after five transformative years, although she is continuing to serve Chicago students and schools in new ways. While at LE, Amy led a national network of partnerships … Continued
Introducing Laura Meili, Chief of Impact at LE Recently, Leading Educators announced that Laura Meili will step into the role of Chief Impact Officer, a shift that will put greater focus on supporting partners to understand what’s changing in their schools in complex ways. This move comes at a critical time for the education community … Continued
Meet LaKimbre Brown, Chief of Networks Dr. LaKimbre Brown recently joined Leading Educators as the new Chief of Networks. Throughout her 22-year education career, she has made equity, fairness, and belonging for students her personal mission. In this conversation, she shares about the experiences that have shaped her leadership and her vision. Adan Garcia: Let’s … Continued
In Conversation with Morris Jeff Community School Leading up to March 16, 2020, there were whispers that New Orleans Parish Public Schools might have to close. The leaders at Morris Jeff Community School began to build a distance learning plan. Within the week, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a directive for all schools to … Continued
How Districts Can Overcome Opportunity Gaps Once and For All The screen read: “a2 + b2 = c2” Twenty seventh-grade students, seated in rows in this Tulsa classroom, were silently working from an old textbook. Their teacher, illuminated by an overhead projector, looked on. For about thirty minutes, I heard only the soft scratching of … Continued
Sara Neal is a Senior Director at Leading Educators. She has supported dozens of Louisiana schools to establish strong leadership and professional development systems since 2014. Sara has been an educator for more than 20 years, and she was a member of Leading Educators’ first cohort. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess … Continued
Get timely insights direct to your inbox. Sign up for the latest news, tips, and opportunities from Leading Educators.
