The 2021-2022 school year continued to reflect staffing challenges in schools across the country. In fact, one in four American teachers reported considering leaving their jobs by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Those choosing to stay in the profession were, and still are, often called upon to “do double duty” to address student well-being and overcome the impact of lost instructional time. In response, school systems were finding new and innovative ways to encourage, invest in, and lift up teachers across America by pursuing strategies to increase teacher collaboration, attend to dimensions of teacher wellness, and enact inclusive practices to attract and retain high-quality teachers.

With a growing demand to address the post-pandemic needs of students and educators and the Administration’s continued commitment to advancing efforts in promoting equity and supporting educators, Teach to Lead hosted a spring summit to once again convene P-12 school districts and their partners to engage in similar work. Students’ NAEP scores have seen the worst decline in two decades, more teachers are choosing to leave the profession, and fewer candidates are entering teacher preparation programs. States, regions, and school districts that are designing innovative ways to support the needs of students and staff, to attract and retain effective and diverse educators, and to strengthen systems and practices that improve academic outcomes for all students were encouraged to submit applications.

“Raise the Bar: Lead the World” is the U.S. Department of Education’s call to action to transform P-12 education and unite those working to advance educational equity and excellence. The Effective Educator Development (EED) Division of the U.S. Department of Education, in committing to lift of up educators, hosted a Fall 2023 Powered By Teach to Lead Summit in Denver, Colorado for school teams finding innovative ways to encourage, invest in, and support teachers across America by pursuing strategies to increase teacher collaboration, reduce teacher workload, attend to dimensions of teacher wellness, and enact inclusive practices to attract and retain high-quality teachers.

The Spring 2024 Teach to Lead Summit focused on and aligned with the Secretary’s priorities related to raising the bar and improving the educator experience and elevating the education profession. The Effective Educator Development (EED) Division of the U.S. Department of Education, in committing to elevating the work of PK-12 educators, and in Spring 2024 hosted a Teach to Lead Summit in San Diego, California for school teams working to find innovative ways to encourage, invest in, and support teachers across the U.S. by pursuing strategies to increase teacher collaboration, reduce teacher workload, attend to dimensions of teacher wellness, and enact inclusive practices to attract and retain high-quality teachers. Project submissions including partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and minority-serving institutions were highly encouraged.

The U.S. Department of Education is committed to elevating the work of PK-12 educators and is excited to announce a Fall 2024 Teach to Lead Summit focused on our greatest resource in education: our educators. This summit will convene teams of PK-12 educators from across the country to engage in focused planning and thought partnership around innovative ideas to improve the educator experience and strengthen the education profession. Teach to Lead events provide teams with collaboration time, skills development, and professional consultation to help teams plan for implementation and seek additional partners and support for their work. Registration has closed for this event. Contact EED-TA@aemcorp.com with questions. Visit our Teach to Lead page for more information.