Spring 25 TLC Teacher Leadership Newsletter
01 May 2025
Greetings Educators!
The Teachers Lead Chicago (TLC) Team is excited to share the Spring Teachers Lead Chicago Newsletter! In this newsletter, you will find the results of our annual Teacher Leadership survey, upcoming opportunities for teachers to lead, a highlight of a Team Director, opportunities to learn, and resources. We hope your school year has been filled with joy and learning, and that you have a restful summer!
Survey Results
Our team conducted a district-wide survey on Teacher Leadership in January of 2025, and we are excited to share some highlights! We heard from over 25,00 school leaders, teacher leaders, and teachers working in 80% of CPS schools.
- Over 90% of teachers say that support from teacher leaders impacts student growth and their school's climate and collaborative culture to some extent.
- 4 out of 5 teachers say that teacher leaders have some influence over their decision to stay at their school for the next 2-3 years.
- Over 95% of school leaders and teacher leaders say that support from teacher leaders impacts teacher effectiveness and teacher retention at their school to some extent.
For more results and our next steps, see the full district report.
Opportunities to Lead
Below is a list of upcoming opportunities that allow you to lead within and beyond the classroom. To see more leadership development opportunities, including those with CPS partners, visit Lead with CPS. If you have questions, email teachersleadchicago@cps.edu.
IDEAcon Presenter
IDEAcon is one of the largest Midwest teaching and learning conferences designed for all educators, including educational leaders, technology specialists, IT professionals, librarians, instructional coaches, and pre-service teachers from pre-K through higher education. IDEAcon offers over 400 formal and informal learning opportunities from leading local presenters. The conference engages these professionals in an exploration of pedagogical strategies and resources connected to instructional technology. Presenters will have a variety of formats to choose from. Proposals are open from May 1 to August 5, 2025.
NBCT - Chicago Teachers Union's Nurturing Teacher Leadership Program
The Nurturing Teacher Leadership program is a CTU/CPS partnership designed to prepare CPS educators to become National Board Certified Teachers. This is a two-year program with free professional development and candidate support. For more information on Nurturing Teacher Leadership, or to register for the next informational meeting on Zoom from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday, May 31st, visit www.ctuf.org/NTL or contact Lynn Cherkasky-Davis at LynnCherkasky-Davis@ctuf.org.
Teacher Highlight
Digna Rivera-Orta
Pilsen Community Academy, Team Director
I am the English Learners Program Teacher (ELPT) and Team Director at Pilsen Community Academy. Six years ago, I started serving our community as a bilingual Kindergarten teacher. On my journey in CPS, new opportunities arrived to mentor and coach teachers, lead the bilingual and grade-level teams, serve as a Teachers Lead Chicago Advisory Council member, and, first and foremost, foster a supportive and inclusive environment for every member of our school community.
A significant focus of my work this year has been leading the Instructional Leadership Team to create and implement professional learning cycles responsive to the identified needs of our teachers and students. Our focus is to ensure that the professional development and support provided are pertinent and impactful, contributing to elevating the teachers' instructional practices and, most importantly, providing our students with the support they need to achieve academic, social, and emotional success. An essential part as a Team Director has been actively promoting teacher communication and collaboration. This intentional approach has promoted connections that encourage vulnerability to learn openly from each other, building trust between us teachers, positively impacting our school culture and climate.
One of the greatest joys of being a Team Director is seeing the incredible leadership potential within our teaching staff unfold. My passion is empowering educators to leverage their unique skills and expertise to become leaders within our school community and outside of it. This year, we've seen several teachers step into new leadership roles, leading professional development opportunities and new initiatives that directly address the evolving needs of our students and enhance teachers' practices. Witnessing their growth and positive impact on our school culture and student outcomes is genuinely inspiring. I feel privileged to support their journey.
The opportunity to serve as a Team Director has been a significant source of inspiration, directly influencing my aspiration to pursue a principalship. Witnessing the impact of my leadership at a school-wide level has motivated me to expand the support I can offer to every member of our educational community, particularly to educators, as a principal.
Opportunities to Learn
Explore all the continuing education options to find the right fit for your qualifications, interests, and schedule. CPS has partnered with universities to offer opportunities for earning college and graduate-level degrees, certifications, and endorsements at a significant discount. Email keeplearning@cps.edu with any questions.
Resources
The Teachers Lead Chicago Team is hard at work creating resources for all stakeholders in Teacher Leadership across CPS. This includes new role descriptions for TLC Teacher Leader roles, our SY26 Handbook, and a TLC One-Pager with all you need to know. We also anticipate launching a TLC webpage by the start of next school year as a one-stop shop for all of our resources, teacher highlights, and additional information.
Thank you for reading. We look forward to sharing more Teacher Leadership news!