For the past year and a half, the Illinois P-20 Council Teacher and Leadership Effectiveness (TLE) Committee examined the topic of teacher leadership by looking at the issue of teacher leadership through the lens of district and school based positions in an effort to assure that the university-based teacher leadership endorsement programs are designed to meet the needs of districts. As such, the committee has focused on the following activities:

  • Examining the current state of teacher leadership in Illinois schools by documenting what is occurring in this arena throughout schools and districts and to identify the needs of districts in this area.
  • Learning about and publicizing innovative teacher leadership programs at the school, district, higher education, and state levels.
  • Identifying best practices in teacher leadership at the district level.

To get a pulse of the landscape of teacher leadership in Illinois, the P-20 TLE Committee The P-20 Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Committee developed and disseminated a teacher leadership cross-sectional survey of teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members in Illinois and analyzed the proposals for current university-based teacher leadership endorsement programs in the state. This report documents the findings of the survey and analysis and lays out next steps for the committee.