Staff from Brooks and Julian middle schools have been selected as one of 20 teams from across the country to participate in the Teach to Lead Summit in October 2023.
Hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, the summit will spotlight and advance groundbreaking, teacher-led work that is happening in states, districts, and schools across the country.
"To Raise the Bar for learning conditions in our schools, we must make sure every student in every community has equitable access to outstanding educators who represent the diversity of the communities they serve and are well-supported, well-prepared, and fully empowered to lead in the classroom," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Designed and led by teachers, Teach to Lead envisions a world in which teachers are valued as the foremost experts in instruction and are leaders of informing, developing, and implementing education policy and practice to steer systematic improvements to benefit student learning.
Assistant Superintendent of Middle Schools Dr. Luis Fernando De León, Brooks Principal April Capuder, Julian Interim Principal William Lee, Julian Student Success Coach Kasey Fleming, and Brooks Student Success Coach Nichelle Stigger were selected for the cohort. District 97’s middle school team was the only team from Illinois selected to attend the summit.
Over the course of two days, educator teams from across the region will convene to think deeply about a problem of practice – an idea for how to improve learning in their school, district, or state – and to work as a team to plan solutions.
“This is an opportunity for our middle school team to learn and lead alongside the nation’s top researchers, policy leaders and practitioners,” De León said. “It is also a chance for us to engage in significant conversations and develop our own logic models, or action plans, around using student voice to enhance engagement, sense of belonging, and the improvement of daily learning experiences for all of our students.”
During the summit, District 97’s middle school team will share their expertise, engage in intensive collaboration and reflection, and participate in targeted skills development sessions designed to increase the success of their project. Then, they will bring their action plans and learning back to their schools to share with colleagues and incorporate into their school improvement work.