About the School Leadership Learning Lab

Teach for America (TFA) seeks to build a coalition of educators and school leaders prepared to meet the current needs of students while also preparing students to live, learn, and thrive in their communities. In partnership with Transcend, TFA Texas is excited to continue our state-wide School Leadership Learning Lab (SLLL), the next cohort will launch in November 2023! 

The SLLL cohort will have an opportunity to activate their visions and plans towards building equitable, extraordinary experiences and outcomes for students. During the six month SLLL, TFA will facilitate a series of  workshops anchored in Transcend’s 10 Leaps for Equitable, 21st Learning that will offer resources and tools to help our community leaders actualize equitable change in schools. The cohort will participate in virtual and in-person learning spaces, including school visits to Texas schools exemplifying one or more of the 10 leaps.  The SLLL will provide participants the opportunity to develop leadership skills, build their understanding of equity, and become a stronger community-centered advocate. Ultimately, TFA Texas hopes the SLLL will help catalyze a cohort of leaders that are reimagining classrooms and campuses that better meet student needs now and in the future.

Workshops

Alongside Transcend, Teach For America Texas has developed a customized series of “spark workshops” that give educators the opportunity to come together virtually and in-person to explore, connect, interrogate, and dream about what is possible for students in Texas. These workshops are designed to inspire participants to join a growing coalition of community members as part of our greater collective leadership efforts toward creating 21st Century learning opportunities for all students. Throughout the six month SLLL program participants will:

• Explore Transcend’s Leaps for Equitable, 21st Century Learning to deepen your understanding of the shifts that need to be made in their school community in order to realize equitable and extraordinary outcomes
• Learn how to conduct and analyze interviews and focus groups to deeply listen and engage with their communities 
• Understand how to leverage Transcend’s Leap survey to assess the needs of your community 
• Attend school inspiration visits in Texas to see different learning environments 
• Create a Case for Change and an action plan to enact change in your own contexts

Participants

All educators are encouraged to apply and do not need to be a Teach For America Alumni to participate. The cohort will include approximately 20 participants from the following Texas regions: Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and the RGV.  The SLLL is most applicable for emerging or aspiring school leaders including campus principals, assistant principals, deans, PIRs, other campus leaders, and district central office administrators. 

SLLL participants will be working in small groups throughout the Spark Workshops. To get the most out of the series and learn from others, participants are expected to attend all workshops. 

The School Leadership Learning Lab is an inspiring and rigorous leadership program. We understand, especially during this time, that campus leaders are extremely busy and your time is precious. We are committed to ensuring the work is both manageable and meaningful. We anticipate cohort members spending 2-4 hours a month, in addition to the monthly workshops either preparing for or following-up after each workshop. We anticipate the following total time commitment per month (including the workshops):

• November, 3-4 hours
• December, 3-4 hours
• January, 2-3 hours
• February, 2-3 hours
• March, 12-13 hours (this includes a full day of school visits)
• April, 3-4 hours

Program Costs

Thanks to our generous partners including The Lowe Foundation, the School Leadership Learning Lab is free of charge for all participants. Teach For America, will provide a delivery meal credit for each participant for each workshop throughout the program. Participants will also receive a selection of items to support their participation in the program.  Teach For America is approved by TEA as an approved Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider, and participation in this program will provide you with approximately 18 CPE credit hours. 

Join Us!

Eager to learn more? Please attend our informational webinar about the School Leadership Learning Lab on September 6, 2023 at 7pm. Register here

Applications are now open. Apply today and develop leadership skills necessary to reimagine education for all Texas students.

Questions? Email Nicole Seltman at nicole.seltman@teachforamerica.org