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environments, which help to raise the academic outcomes of students (Fullan &
Hargreaves, 2012; Goddard et al., 2007). Successful collaborative environments do
not just happen. Education stakeholders must find ways to curate these environments
(Snyder & Bae, 2017).

Teacher Leadership Summit: Building Pathways, Retaining Quality
Educators
Launched in 2014, Teach to Lead was designed and led by teachers (U.S. Lisa Caputo Love has
Department of Ed, 2023) as a partnership of the U.S. Department of Education, been a Chicago Public
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and Teach Plus Schools teacher since
2005. She has served as
to create systemic and sustained change. The Teacher Leadership Summit, created both a general education
with components of Teach to Lead, involves and encourages collaboration among and special education
stakeholders at every level of education. teacher and has three
The Teacher Leadership Summit idea was created by a group of Teacher of the master’s degrees and
Year awardees who met at a national Teach to Lead Summit with the sole purpose an administrative
of finding solutions to the problem of practice of loss of teacher voice in decision- certificate. As an active
teacher leader, Love is
making opportunities at all levels of the education system. One of those members the president of Beta
brought the idea back to Illinois, and the Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit began Alpha Chapter in Illinois
in 2017. The Summit provides teams the time, space, and structure needed to engage State Organization,
teacher leaders in meaningful ways. Teacher leaders are provided the opportunity has earned more than
to influence decisions in their school and district while leading their team in 13 grants, presented
implementing ideas for sustainable and systemic transformations. The Summit at conferences, and
completed action research
recognizes that teacher leaders are an important resource in school leadership on self-determination as
and their voices can be leveraged to meet unique school and district needs. At the an intervention for middle
Teacher Leadership Summit, administrators, teachers, and other education partners school students. Awarded
come to the table—creating the structure, time, and space for teacher-leaders’ roles Chicago Foundation for
in a way that aligns with the goals of their school or district. Educators from a variety Education’s “Teacher of the
of backgrounds and positions come together not only to create an environment for Year” award in 2018, Love
worked as a Teach Plus
collaboration at the Summit but also to share ideas and innovations that help to Policy Fellow on finding
implement and sustain educators back in their districts. Teacher voice is important at solutions to teacher
all levels of the school community. As Lindsey Jensen, 2018 Illinois State Teacher of retention and recruitment
the Year, commented at a recent Teacher Leadership Summit held in Bloomington, issues. She has been
Illinois, “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu” (personal communication, an adjunct professor
March 3, 2024). and served on Chicago
Public Schools’ Teacher
Individual districts and/or school stakeholders experience challenges that impede Advisory Council. Love
their desired outcomes. At the Summit, teams from the school/district include teacher is currently in a doctoral
leaders, at least one administrator, and a critical friend (coach) who has extensive program through Illinois
knowledge related to the challenge area. The Summit structure models collaboration State University in P12
across education communities by encouraging the various teams to share experiences Administration.
and expertise to strengthen ideas and their individual implementation plans. caputoteach@gmail .com
In addition, throughout the Summit, professional learning opportunities
are scheduled that focus on innovations that schools and districts would like to
implement. For example, recent topics have included Teacher Social Emotional
Learning (SEL) Health and Wellness School Kit; Teacher Leadership Standards;
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI); Implementation Science: Building Strong
Systems That Work; Why are Children’s Behaviors so Challenging Today and What
Can We Do—to name several. School administrators are provided with a strand of
workshops that provide practical knowledge and practices to encourage and develop
teacher leaders at the local level and provide space for leaders to share and discuss

Promoting Professional and Personal Growth of Educators and Excellence in Education 27