Winter 25 TLC Teacher Leadership Newsletter

CPS External Partners

NBCT - Chicago Teachers Union's Nurturing Teacher Leadership Program

This is a two-year program with free professional development and candidate support designed to prepare CPS educators to become National Board Certified Teachers. The next recruitment meeting is March 4, 2025, at 4:30 pm. For more information and to register, visit their website. 

NBCT - Illinois State University's National Board Resource Center (NBRC)

Through the NBRC program, candidates will receive free, high-quality support tailored to their certification process. Sign up on the NBRC website for one of the informational webinars:

• Thursday, March 6, 7 pm
• Tuesday, March 25, 7 pm
• Tuesday, April 8, 7 pm

Teachers Supporting Teachers Coach

The Teachers Supporting Teachers (TST) Coach is a teacher with previous leadership experience who will support up to two (2) Teacher Liaisons from different CPS schools. Their goal is to energize and empower teacher leadership to build lasting staff capacity in schools. The application will open on March 19, 2025, and close on April 26, 2025. See their Coach Application Kit for more information.

Teach Plus K12 Policy Fellowship

The Illinois Policy Fellowship is a highly selective leadership opportunity for outstanding Illinois teachers looking to deepen their knowledge of education policy and gain a voice in decisions that affect students and the teaching profession. The application will be open until Monday, April 7 at 11:59 pm.

Teach Plus Change Agent

A Chicago Change Agent is a teacher leader who will lead a school-based effort to address a problem of practice that affects students across their school. The application is due by April 21st, 2025, and must be completed by a current teacher with at least two years of classroom experience, with approval from their principal. Teach Plus is holding three (3) virtual info sessions you can register for in their interest form.

• Thursday, March 6, 7 pm
• Thursday, March 13, 6:30 pm
• Monday, April 14, 4:30 pm

Teach Plus Illinois ECE Teacher Network

Powered by Teach Plus, the Illinois ECE Network brings together early childhood educators to receive training on policy and advocacy, have the opportunity to have their voices heard and engage in advocacy, and network with other early childhood educators.

IL Affinity Group Network: Facilitator Fellowship

The Illinois Affinity Group Network seeks to cultivate authentic, inclusive, intersectional spaces, shaped by and for educators who identify as People of Color. Each affinity group will be led by a facilitator who proposes an affinity group that is appropriate for their context. The affinity groups will meet at least monthly. The application is open until Friday, May 16, 2025. More information, the application, and the nomination form can be found here.

Yale National Initiative

The Yale National Initiative is a program that aims to improve public school teaching by establishing Teachers Institutes in high-need school districts. Each year, the Initiative brings K-12 public school teachers to Yale to participate in content-based, collegial seminars led by Yale faculty. The teachers who participate - named Yale National Fellows - develop a curriculum unit to teach their students in the coming year, and learn about the Teachers Institute Approach to professional development through school-university partnership. There are already some great Chicago Teacher Fellows who have participated!

Teacher Leader Highlight

Gabrielle Gant at Gresham School of Excellence, Lead Coach

I am currently a Lead Coach for 3-8th Grade ELA/Social Science at Gresham Elementary. I started my leadership journey as an ILT member 4 years ago. I provide coaching to teachers through side-by-side planning, modeling/co-teaching strategies, and offering consistent feedback to help strengthen their instructional practice. I also take part in planning and facilitating professional development. I consistently help conduct data analysis and utilize it to identify areas of instructional improvement, create targeted action plans, and offer ongoing support to teachers.

I support my school's climate and ongoing improvement by collaboratively planning and implementing strategies that foster a positive culture. At Gresham, we promote inclusion to ensure that all students are receiving equitable instruction. Through strong and consistent relationship building, my team and I strive to foster a learning environment where students feel safe and supported. Culture/climate and school improvement start with our staff, so I help to intentionally plan meaningful learning cycles and professional development based on various school-wide data trends and needs.

The most rewarding part of being a coach is seeing my teacher’s growth in their instructional practice. Knowing that I have a positive impact and being able to constantly see the evidence in student achievement brings me the most joy! I really love the feeling of making a difference in the lives of not only our educators but our students as well. My role has given me the opportunity to collaborate with all stakeholders in and outside of our school. I feel connected to the CPS community knowing that we all have one common goal and that is to see our scholars succeed in and outside of the classroom.

Opportunities to Learn

Western Governors University announced its $8,000 "Shaping the Future" scholarship to support new students and returning graduates pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in education. This scholarship is only available for a limited time and is open until April 15th, 2025. See their website for more information.

Explore all the continuing education options to find the right fit for your qualifications, interests, and schedule. CPS has partnered with universities to provide opportunities to earn college and graduate-level degrees, certifications, and endorsements at a significant discount. The applications for these opportunities will open again in the Fall. Email keeplearning@cps.edu with any questions.

All CPS Employees have free access to the LinkedIn Learning Platform. Please use the LinkedIn Learning Log-On Job Aid to access the portal. They offer thousands of free video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills. They have courses such as "Improving your Leadership Communications", "Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers", and "How to Be a Good Mentee and Mentor" that can sharpen your skills as a teacher leader.

Resources

The Teachers Lead Chicago Team has created resources for all stakeholders in Teacher Leadership across CPS. This includes At-A-Glace Documents for all TLC Teacher Leader roles, our SY25 Handbook, and a Teacher Leader Responsibilities Crosswalk. You can access all of these resources in this drive.

Thank you for reading, we look forward to sharing more Teacher Leader news!