Nurture excellence.
The future is changing rapidly, and we know you want all students to be ready to seize every opportunity it promises them. We do, too.
We'll help you accelerate learning by design.
Leading Educators is a national nonprofit that helps school systems and states surround educators with intentional collaboration and support systems to get better together so all students have the kind of teaching they need to reach their full potential.
We help partners use research on how students learn, what teachers need to excel, and how systems improve to nurture excellent teaching in every classroom. We specialize in finding nimble and sustainable ways to scale ongoing professional learning tied to high-quality instructional materials that enable teachers to practice what they teach and accelerate learning by design.
Bridging Teaching, Talent, and Technology
While many systems are focused on sustainable ways to shift practices in literacy, math, and science, changing world and workforce needs also challenge us to imagine new futures for how schools are organized and how learning happens.
Beyond our proven work to help school systems and states use research-based support to reinforce visionary leaders, develop excellent real-world teaching, and reach universal student success, we’re offering new support focused on technology-enabled instructional practices, strategic staffing, and artificial intelligence.
Our Work at a Glance
We’re not in the business of piecemeal solutions. We exist to help visionary leaders realize the kinds of school systems they’ve always dreamed about. The system all students deserve.
That takes coherent action: connecting the power of vision, shared leadership, differentiated and dynamic roles, high-quality materials, strong teaching, and ongoing professional learning and collaboration. If you want results, we’ll get you there.
Instructional Strategy
Not sure where to start? We offer highly customized services steeped in a system’s specific context, priorities, and needs. These include creating (or reframing) an instructional vision of excellence; aligning roles, responsibilities & resources to instructional improvement strategy; and selecting, adopting, and managing change around a high-quality curriculum.
High-Impact Professional Learning Design
Excellent teaching takes practice. We design school-based professional learning content tied to high-quality curriculum, building the capacity for relevant, ongoing learning in literacy and math. At the same time, we offer workshops for PLC leaders to strengthen their content knowledge and adult learning skills.
Coaching for Educators and Leaders
Practice improves most when supported with targeted coaching. That’s why we offer instructional coaching around planning, practice, and adaptation within a curriculum; modeling instructional or coaching strategies; observation and debrief; and real-time troubleshooting. We also coach system leaders on change management and instructional leadership.
What Makes Us Different
System-Ready Support
Unlike traditional professional development or one-time coaching, we build vertical alignment and lasting capacity. Our support options are grounded in 6 strong school and system conditions that enable scalable and sustainable impact.
Conditions are the foundation for our partnerships, regardless of partnership type, because they are so critical to getting results beyond our work together. We’ll develop targeted plans to ensure you see the full potential of your investment.
Learning & Impact
Structural Change Can't Wait.
Today, school systems face staggering obstacles and competing priorities on the path to their core purpose: ensuring all students have the opportunity to learn and achieve greatly. Schools have been pushed to their limits. Structural changes to how districts cultivate excellent teaching can’t wait, but they can’t do it all on their own. Educators know that better is possible.
For leaders
Historical inequity, a changing world, and the recent shocks of a global pandemic have brought about unprecedented challenges. While the urgency of recovering and accelerating student learning mounts, resource constraints and declining enrollment appear imminent.
For teachers
Educators face urgency to accelerate and reimagine learning, but too few have sufficient support. Many lack high-quality instructional materials and the training to use them. Their opportunities to learn and improve on the job are infrequent and unpredictable, making their role harder every day.
For students
Too many students at the margins are not ready for their next step because they haven’t yet had a fair opportunity to learn. Incoherent instructional systems leave their experiences to chance and bring high variability from classroom to classroom.
Grow Systems that Support Lifelong Success.
When you observe instruction across your district, how often does it meet your bar for excellence? How consistently do students have grade-appropriate and relevant lessons?
Better professional learning can help.
Our best-in-class professional learning options focus on helping educators practice what they teach and plan for the future. What they learn builds upon their curriculum and is immediately transferrable to upcoming lessons, so students benefit in real time.
"I really learned as a district person what it looks like for PD to be quality. And it's a little bit at a time. I can see our growth from year one to three years. Most times we want to just jump in and do everything at once. But after so many years of education, I see the power of high-quality instructional materials, strong PD and, an amazing team. You can get your teachers where they need to be because that's what they're craving.”
Jacqueline Haynes, Associate Superintendent at Charleston County SD
Build for What Comes Next.
Rigorous studies with independent researchers conclude that our approach improves students’ literacy and math learning, student experience, and teacher retention at higher rates than similar interventions.
Better yet, those results compound years after partnership. One randomized control trial found that Leading Educators’ support elevated an average teacher to the top third of effectiveness. Teachers reach new professional heights, and more students thrive.
Whether you want to adopt new curricula, develop instructional leaders, or bring an instructional vision to life, we can help.
Take a Deeper Dive
Our approach isn’t just a theory–it’s tried, tested, and effective. Dig into case studies to learn how we’ve helped partners reshape the support around their teachers so every student thrives.
DC Public Schools
How has one of the most heavily-watched districts improved outcomes for 49,000 students for four straight years? LEAP, a first-of-its-kind effort to provide teachers with collaborative planning and practice every week raised the bar for the teacher support.
Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District is seeing rare success in its historically lowest-performing schools after significant investments in the conditions and structures for educators to learn together. Now, its schools have accomplished four years of sustained improvement, even amid pandemic shocks.
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