Independence Mission Schools Teacher Leadership Project
What is the IMS Teacher Leadership Project?
Over four school years from summer 2021 to summer 2025, Teach Plus PA partners with Independence Mission Schools to develop a cohort of teacher leaders to lead their peers to improve student outcomes through professional learning communities (PLCs).
During the first three years of the partnership, cross-school, grade-level teacher teams met virtually via Zoom on a monthly or twice-monthly basis, led by Teach Plus-supported literacy teacher leaders. During the 2024-25 school year and final year of the partnership, school-based cross-content teams will meet in-person monthly, led by a Teach Plus teacher leader. The purpose of PLCs is to increase teacher instructional practice knowledge and collaboration to support improvement and fidelity to grade-level instructional standards, in service of network-wide instructional initiatives. To achieve these goals, teacher teams engage in collaborative planning, lesson rehearsal, data and student work analysis, and other protocols to support teacher and student learning.
What does Teach Plus do?
Teach Plus supports teacher leaders in developing capacity to be:
- Purpose-driven instructional leaders
- Evidence-based decision makers
- Skillful facilitators of adult learning
- Equity advocates
Teacher Leader Supports
Teacher leaders receive the following supports from Teach Plus as they lead their PLCs:
- Biweekly one-on-one coaching sessions, focused on PLC planning and agenda creation, feedback, and individualized leadership development
- Biweekly after-school cohort meetings, focused on content knowledge development and Leadership Attribute Continuum growth
- Annual Summer Institute
- Monthly feedback on their PLC facilitation and agenda drafts
