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models they have attempted in their own professional field. The Teacher Leadership
Summit also offers a formal administrator academy with professional credits and
facilitated by the Illinois Principal Association (IPA).

Benefits of the Teacher and Administrator Partnerships
Integral to the makeup of the team is inclusion of a practicing teacher and a
school administrator (or leader with decision-making authority). These roles
enforce not only that teacher leaders are experts who should be consulted in shared
decision making but also the importance of administrators’ “buy in” to put ideas
into action. The Summit utilizes protocols to help teachers and administrators work
collaboratively to solve problems; to allow teacher leaders and administrators to
exercise their voices by presenting ideas and receiving constructive feedback; and
to increase opportunities to be agents of change in their schools. Administrators’
presence at the Summit often reinforces a culture where teacher leadership thrives.
Teacher leaders are given a literal “seat at the table” in developing an action plan
that serves to implement innovations at their school. Teachers who work in schools
with principals who act as facilitators and collaborators report more satisfaction than
teachers who work for principals that use a “top down” approach. Teachers want to
work in environments with school leaders who see themselves as collaborators and
facilitators rather than authoritarians (Learning Policy Institute, 2017).
Attending the Summit helps to develop teachers’ capacity for collaboration
and collective decision-making. Using the logic model created by Teach to Lead,
an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education (2014), the Summit helps
teacher leaders launch distributed leadership models in their schools and districts.
Distributed leadership is a management approach that empowers individuals across
an organization to take ownership of leadership responsibilities and share decision-
making authority (Lui & Kang, 2023). At the Summit, new as well as established
teacher leaders lead the development and implementation of action plans that
directly impact local instructional practices or procedures specific to the needs of
their students. Educators from across the state work collaboratively to put their own
expertise into action as they problem solve and develop and implement action plans.
In this process, teacher empowerment and voice are strengthened and can create a
positive learning and teaching culture that impacts student achievement.

Benefits of the Critical Friend and Team Partnerships
A critical friend is assigned to each team to facilitate the conversations that help
the team create their plan and find the best methods to collect and analyze school-
based data to monitor the success of their action plans. The critical friend serves
many roles. As a neutral party, the friend mediates unbiased conversations that
help the team take their idea from a plan to a process. With some experience and
knowledge of the topic the team is addressing, the critical friend is also able to help
facilitate the difficult task of bridging research to practice.

Benefits of the “Across the State” Partnerships
The Summit convenes exceptional educators from across the state. It provides
attendees access to resources needed to improve practices, increase student
achievement, and expand professional learning and collaboration with colleagues.
Educational partners are given the opportunity to support teacher leaders. The Summit
provides a bridge between research and practice, creating information pathways and

28 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators