5 Must-Bookmark Sites for Teacher Leadership Resources

CHALKING THE LINE | BY DEBRA MEYER | 5 MIN READ

In this blog post, I share five online sites that I have bookmarked and use regularly for staying current on policy, issues, and best practices in teacher leadership.

The resources on these sites help teachers advocate for teacher leadership and incorporate teacher leader voices from national policy to the most innovative and equitable classroom practices. Enjoy exploring the links.

Edutopia

View Edutopia’s resources

You may already know about the popular Edutopia. I started following when the site was first created through the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

In the beginning, I used the site because it focused on project-based learning and assessment. Over the years Edutopia has exploded in breadth and depth and can be counted on as a credible and up-to-date resource for teachers.

Recently, I have found the resources for online learning during the pandemic and teacher well-being and burnout especially helpful. I’ve also come to use the site as a resource on social-emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching—addressing issues of equity in schools.

The teacher leadership resources on this site are exceptional. Edutopia provides a variety of resources on collaboration and professional development, which are supported with high-quality video and links to other sites. The link provided here takes you right to the site’s teacher leadership resources to start your exploration.

Learning for Justice (Formerly Teaching Tolerance)

READ ABOUT CONFRONTING BIAS

This link takes you to one of my favorite spots on the Learning for Justice site, which was formerly Teaching Tolerance. The name change, new in 2021, is explained on the site:

“Founded by the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) under the name Teaching Tolerance in 1991, Learning for Justice was originally created to prevent the growth of hate by reducing prejudice. In the last 30 years, our work has evolved to center justice and the action that students and educators can take to realize change.”

I have used this site for the last three decades and it just keeps getting better. From online professional development, which is exceptional, to the lesson plans for classroom teachers, the site continues to support anti-bias education and inclusive practices.

Teach to Lead

BROWSE TEACH TO LEAD’S RESOURCES

I learned about this resource after becoming involved in a Teach to Lead conference with teacher leaders in Illinois several years ago. Teach to Lead represents a partnership between Teach Plus (the professional organization), the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and the U.S. Department of Education. It has almost 200 supporting organizations, including teacher unions, state departments of education, colleges of education, and non-profits. The organization supports summits for teachers to network and problem-solve.

I used the free resources on the site with teachers working on their master’s degrees and teacher leadership endorsements. Two useful resources are the teacher leader self-assessment tool and the teacher leadership skills framework. Check them out!

Leading Educators

VIEW LEADING EDUCATORS’ TOOLKIT

This link is to the Leading Educators Teacher Leader Toolkit, which is one of my favorite resources.

Leading Educators is a non-profit that started working with schools and school teachers to lead reform for equity in schools, having started in New Orleans and expanding nationally.

The site offers three resources for teacher leadership. The Toolkit is the most recent resource (2019), and it provides strategies for supporting teacher leadership at the state and local levels. Leading Educators also has a comprehensive Teacher Leadership Competency Framework that I’ve enjoyed exploring.

The most recent work on this site is focused on Equity, and it is one that I recommend following if you are an educator who is an advocate for teacher leadership at the school, district, state or national level.

Center on Great Teachers and Leaders

GTL CENTER WEBSITE

The Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) is hosted by the American Institutes for Research. While the Center is set up to offer professional consulting focusing on educator talent, I’ve used many of the GTL Center’s and AIR’s free resources over the years.

For example, I’ve been able to help teachers plan and support mentoring programs with the Mentoring and Induction Toolkit 2.0 and Teacher Leadership Toolkit 2.0.

The site offers policy snapshots, like this one on teacher leadership that synthesizes and summarizes the research for action planning. Also available are professional learning modules with all the materials (facilitator guides, PowerPoints, agenda, and handouts) as well as links to articles.

The site is up to date on topics such as COVID-19 and ESSA, with guidebooks and the latest policy.

Bonus Teacher Resources: Your Education

Reach your leadership potential with an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from Elmhurst University. In our program, you’ll engage in critical inquiry and apply best practices—all while collaborating with educators across disciplines.

Want to find out more? Submit the form below to let Elmhurst know you’re interested!