Monthly eNewsletter – October 2025
Our collective power expands when we support each other to foster the unlimited potential of each and every student.
Share the Load to Expand Impact
“I do not have to do it all. That is great, because I cannot do it all.”
Leadership does not grow in isolation. It develops through trust, collaboration, and the willingness to share responsibility. Leaders in our recent USDOE grant-funded Equity Leadership Accelerator Program reflected on how their perspectives shifted from carrying the work of student-focused improvement alone to cultivating leadership in others. One principal explained: “In my first year, I felt like a lot of the responsibility for ensuring equitable outcomes rested with administration. [But]I found that there are people in the building who had goals that were aligned with equity. The shift in my thinking was, ‘I do not have to do it all. That is great, because I cannot do it all.’”
Building Shared Leadership
Participants described growing confidence as they engaged others in the work to improve outcomes for all students. “I feel like we always thought about equity, but I feel like I have a deeper understanding of what that looks like and feels like.”
Leadership became a collective practice rather than a solo effort. One aspiring principal fellow noted: “It was really nice to not feel alone in the work we are doing. It felt like I was in this work with other people who had a similar vision.” Another fellow reflected: “It pushed me to think more deeply about how I am showing up as a leader and how I can help others lead too.”
Community and Confidence
Leaders drew strength from collaborative networks that reinforced their values and supported their growth. One participant shared: “I would come to meetings with a dilemma, and we could discuss and problem-solve together. That was really helpful.” Another explained the impact of peer and mentor support: “Between my mentor, my coach, and CLEE staff my questions were always answered. My concerns were always addressed. I am not used to that level of support.”
Through shared learning, shared leadership becomes more deliberate, data-informed, and student-focused. One fellow observed: “It was not a secret that certain populations of students did not achieve at the same levels, but I did not realize how drastically different the results were for some student groups.” Another noted the power of improvement cycles: “It is always going to be a continuous cycle, and being able to back those changes up with numbers is a really powerful way to ensure equity.”
By learning together and sharing responsibility, participants cultivated both skill and confidence – in themselves and in others.
Looking Ahead
The most lasting insight was clear: leadership is not a solo act. By sharing responsibility and centering student impact, leaders cultivate collective ownership and build confidence in themselves and their teams.
Next Steps: Build Your Leadership Practice
You don’t have to be part of a grant program like ELAP to benefit, CLEE offers open programs designed to fit your time, budget, and goals. Two powerful starting points are CLEE Fall Meeting, an immersive two-day in-person gathering of educators and leaders from across the country, and Introduction to Adult Facilitation, a flexible online course that equips you with tools to lead collaborative adult learning communities. You can also explore additional opportunities: Facilitator Training or Community of Practice. Each session will deepen your skills, expand your network, and strengthen your ability to collaborate to impact student outcomes.
5 Reasons to Join Colleagues at Fall Meeting
Colleagues are coming to Fall Meeting for more than just professional development. According to them, it is also a chance to:
- Reconnect with Community – Experience the support, energy, and inspiration of a national network of educators who share your challenges and passions.
- Advance Student Success – Celebrate progress, share innovative approaches, and strengthen your ability to lead meaningful change for each and every student.
- Sharpen Your Practice – Build facilitation skills, explore protocols, and gain practical strategies you can apply immediately in your setting.
- Learn With and From Peers – Exchange ideas, reflect on dilemmas and deepen your understanding of student-centered leadership through collaboration.
- Recharge and Reignite Your Purpose Leave feeling rejuvenated and equipped with new tools and fresh perspectives to take back to your community.
These are drawn from registrants’ responses to why they are coming to the Fall Meeting. Register now and tell us why you are coming.
Small Group Facilitators
Participants will spend a majority of their time giving and receiving feedback and sharing dilemmas and facilitating tools in small groups that model a Community of Practice (or you may know it as a Professional Learning Community or Reflective Learning Community, etc.). Small Groups will be co-facilitated by the following CLEE Community members paired with a CLEE Staff member.
- Cherian Armstrong, Career Education and Planning Coordinator, Monomoy Regional High School, MA
- Caroline Beasley, Assistant Principal, North Andover Middle School, MA
- Bill Wehrli, School/Leadership coach
- Terra Lynch, Principal, Headwaters Middle School, TX
- Adrienne Stang, Director, History and Social Science, Cambridge Public Schools, MA
- Lindsay Eysnogle, MTSS Literacy Coordinator, 1LT Charles W. Whitcomb School, MA
- Amanda Finizio, Dean of Humanities, Innovation Academy Charter School, MA
- Kristine Lapierre, Teacher, Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, RI
- Cindy Townsend, Assistant Principal, Nathan Bishop Middle School, RI
Investing in Leadership Today for Schools of the Future
Strong schools do not happen by accident. They are built by leaders who step into new roles, take risks, and reflect deeply on the future they want to create. Educators who practice sharing ideas, facilitating dialogue, and leading collaboration develop the confidence and skills needed to make meaningful improvements.
CLEE’s Facilitator Training provides structured opportunities to practice these skills in collaborative settings while building confidence, clarity, and actionable strategies
✅ Do you want to run better, more productive meetings?
✅ Do you want to be more confident leading your team, school, or district?
✅ Do you want to become a CLEE facilitator?
✅ Do you want to stretch beyond your comfort zone to grow as a collaborative leader?
✅ Do you want to connect today’s actions to long-term impact for your school?
Participants describe the impact of these experiences in their own words:
- “I volunteered to be host for my group, which is normally out of my comfort zone, and it strengthened my confidence in collaboration.”
- “Talking in rotating groups with colleagues I don’t usually work with pushed me to share my thoughts openly and listen to different perspectives.”
- “It was nice to reflect on action steps that we would take to meet those goals and where we see ourselves in a few years.”
These learning-zone experiences and future-focused reflections help educators sharpen facilitation skills, strengthen collaboration, and plan for meaningful improvements that last well beyond the session itself. By connecting present actions to long-term student outcomes, participants build leadership capacity that pays dividends for their teams, schools, and communities.
Upcoming Facilitator Training (Virtual):
12/4, 12/11, 2025 & 1/8, 1/22, 2/12, 3/12, 4/16, 5/14, 2026
All sessions 1–4 pm (Eastern)
Cost: $1200
Expand Your Growth with the Collaborative Leadership Package:
Bundle Fall Meeting, Facilitator Training and Community of Practice for $1800, a savings of nearly $500. Gain national connection and inspiration, practical facilitation tools, and ongoing opportunities to learn with colleagues across the country.
Introduction to Adult Facilitation is a flexible, online learning course designed to build capacity in the frameworks, tools, and mindsets required to lead effective and collaborative adult learning communities.
Through seven course modules, participants learn how structured dialogue and guided inquiry create conditions for reflective practice and shared leadership. Each module offers practical strategies that can be applied immediately in professional learning settings to support instructional improvement and learner success.
Cohort begins 10/15/25
CLEE invites you to our second annual national gathering – Fall Meeting 2025!
Continue the work of collaboration and student-focused leadership in person this fall. CLEE Fall Meeting will bring together educators and leaders from across the country for two days of hands-on practice, deep reflection, and shared learning.
We will focus on facilitative leadership, adult learning, and building strong communities of practice.
Each month, CLEE offers a question or two to help you reflect on what you are experiencing. Thinking about the importance of questioning and what your answers mean is one more step in your growth as a leader.
Join CLEE on social media to follow the monthly questions and share your answers.