Nearly 175 teacher leaders and other educators, and nonprofit and community advocates from across the country will gather on July 23-24, in Washington, D.C., at a regional Teacher Leadership Summit to share strategies and build plans to advance teacher leadership in their schools, districts and states. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver closing remarks on Friday, July 24, at 11:45 a.m. Duncan will thank educators for their leadership—both in and out of the classroom. He will also encourage the audience of educator teams, union members, administrators and representatives from states and local districts to make new commitments to teacher leadership.
The Washington, D.C. Teacher Leadership Summit is the fourth in a series of regional summits being convened by Teach to Lead, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, along with 81 supporter organizations. The participants include teams of educators, teacher leaders and nonprofit and community advocates from 27 states and Washington, D.C. who were selected based on ideas they submitted for teacher-led efforts to improve student outcomes.
Teach to Lead focuses on expanding opportunities for teacher leadership in ways that enhance student learning and make it possible for teachers to stay in the classroom while leading in the profession. The summits are designed to reflect and support collaboration between supporters, local school districts, teachers associations and other key leaders on the ground to advance teacher leadership. So far, Teach to Lead has held three regional summits, engaging with nearly 550 educators during gatherings in Louisville, Denver and Boston.