Teacher-Leader Collaborative Grants

The Teacher-Leader Collaborative Grants program, made possible through the generous support of the William Penn Foundation, reinforced strong collaboration between principals and teachers as a means to increase broad-based leadership in Philadelphia schools. The program provided an opportunity for teams of teacher-leaders and their principal, led by a designated project lead, to apply for grants totaling between $5,000 and $15,000 to address a school-specific challenge to student learning.

Research clearly points to the impact that distributed leadership has on student achievement gains – highlighting the positive impact of shared responsibility for students’ learning. The Teacher-Leader Collaborative Grants Program builds on these findings by encouraging and supporting teachers and principals to work together in identifying the challenge, applying for the grant, and implementing the initiative, thus having the greatest possible positive impact on their school communities.

Learn more about the completed projects

A collaborative approach is beneficial to both the best practice teachers involved in the project and to the other teachers within our school. Those who are a part of the team have the opportunity to be recognized for their leadership and share best practices with their colleagues. The other teachers benefit because they hear strategies that are working and can implement into their practice . Collaboration allows for the swapping of ideas and building of a culture of learning from each other.

Sharon Marino, Principal, Alexander McClure Elementary School Teacher-Leader Collaborative Grantee and Neubauer Fellow