Chicago Collaborative
Chicago
Leading Educators won an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the US Department of Education in 2016 to launch the Chicago Collaborative, an effort to boost instructional leadership capacity in Chicago schools. Funds from the i3 support a cohort of teacher leader teams representing 20 schools across three Chicago partners—Chicago Public Schools, KIPP Chicago, and the North Chicago Community United School District—who lead curriculum-based professional learning for peers.
This phase of Chicago-based partnership will culminate with the results of a randomized control trial conducted by the RAND Corporation to assess effects on student achievement. Leading Educators aims to expand on this foundation with new, customized partnerships across the Chicago metropolitan area.

About Shyla Kinhal
Prior to joining Leading Educators, Shyla was a Curriculum Designer and School Designer for EL Education. Before joining EL Education, Shyla was the Dean of Culture and a founding Kindergarten teacher at KIPP Infinity Elementary School in Harlem, NY. Her educational career started in the Bronx as a 2nd and 3rd grade bilingual teacher through Teach for America.
Shyla received her B.A. in Spanish and Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S.T in Bilingual Elementary Education from Pace University.
About Tori McGowan
Before joining Leading Educators, Tori worked as an instructional coach with a charter school in Chicago.
Tori holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Tufts University and a M.A. in School Leadership from Concordia University. She lives in a suburb of Chicago where she enjoys exploring the different neighborhoods of Chicago, reading, baking, and spending time with friends and family.
About LeAnita Garner
Previously, LeAnita provided targeted, individualized coaching supports for new teachers in schools within the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) network of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to her work at AUSL, LeAnita was a primary and intermediate classroom teacher with Atlanta Public Schools and more recently at the University of Chicago Charter School-Donoghue Campus.
LeAnita holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Development from Northern Illinois University and a M.A.Ed in Instructional Leadership from Argosy University. She lives in Chicago, Il, with her husband Eric and son Logan and spends her free time exploring Chicago for and through the eyes of her toddler, binge-watching shows on Netflix, and occasionally cozying up with a good book.
About Ashley Davis
Ashley began her career as a 5th grade teacher in her hometown of Rockford, IL. She moved to pursue her graduate studies at Western Michigan University, where she served as a reading specialist in the university’s reading clinic and taught content area literacy upon graduation. Before joining Leading Educators, Ashley served as a Literacy Coach for two Chicago charter school campuses.
Ashley holds a M.A.Ed. in Literacy Studies from Western Michigan University and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Western Illinois University. Ashley lives in Chicago with her husband Daniel and her two sons Daniel Jr. and Dylan.