Celebrating Blackness Beyond Black History Month

LeAnita Garner describes herself in a few ways: learner, caring big sister, mother, wife, daughter of an educator, and a career educator herself. These facets are shaped and enhanced by the power she finds in her Blackness. Within the context of Black History Month, she hopes we can start to change the way we celebrate … Continued

Leading Forward

Former Leading Educators CEO Jonas Chartock says farewell to the board Nearly two years ago, amid what many have called the “racial reckoning” of summer 2020, Leading Educators announced plans to diversify our board of directors. Dr. Jonas Chartock, our founding CEO and a member of the board since inception offered to make the first … Continued

Why I Celebrate Black History

Black history is yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I am Black history. My late mother is Black history, and my children are Black history in the making.   In our home, we lead with our individual and collective power as a people. My children understand that what they do today will impact the Black children who have … Continued

MacKenzie Scott Makes Historic $10 Million Gift to Leading Educators

Today, we are proud to announce that we have accepted a $10 million donation from author MacKenzie Scott, the most significant investment toward our mission ever. This support offers important backing for our rallying belief: every child in this country deserves excellent and equitable teaching. It also says that it’s possible and worthwhile to disrupt … Continued

Keeping Learning on Track Amid Shutdowns

How Leading Educators Supported Chicago Public Schools During Pandemic Teaching This case study originally appeared in the 2021 Lloyd A. Fry Foundation Annual Report. We have re-published it as originally written with the foundation’s permission. Photography by Roark Johnson. A Chicago teacher of third-grade math saw her students struggling with multiplication. “There was this refrain: … Continued

How Districts Can Advance Equity in Literacy

How OUSD is using curricula and professional learning to deliver on community demands for change One clear lesson stands out from the global pandemic: too many students have long felt the impact of a society in need of change. As classroom walls dissolved overnight, the realities of teaching and learning were laid bare. In Oakland, … Continued

“Equity Underlines All We Do.”

This piece originally appeared on the EDNET blog, an initiative of the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation. Growing up without peers or teachers who shared my racial identity meant that finding an ally to advocate for me was a nearly impossible task. My own children find themselves in that same situation in school, which means … Continued

What Students Can Teach Us About Equity

A Recap of Students Speak! Teaching is a relationship with students. When we see school and the world through students’ eyes, we not only grow our perspective but also open doors to meeting their hopes, strengths, and needs in our practice. That means we must actively listen to student voice. These ideas are at the … Continued

It’s easy to mistake engagement for learning. Here’s how I learned the difference.

A classroom observation changed my life. “It’s easy to mistake engagement for learning. Here’s how I learned the difference.” was originally published by Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Sign up for their newsletters here: ckbe.at/newsletters. As a middle school social studies teacher, I took a lot of pride in coming up with … Continued

What is Impact?

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