Leading Educators aims to develop the capacity of teacher-leaders in order to maximize student and faculty success through three primary objectives: • Directly improve high-need schools by increasing the skillfulness of teacher-leaders • Retain highly effective teachers in high-needs schools by articulating a career pathway from teaching to teacher leadership • Create national networks aligned around investment in teacher leadership in order to close the achievement gap In January of 2008, Leading Educators launched a pilot program in New Orleans as a partnership between FirstLine Schools and New Leaders for New Schools. To date, Leading Educators has trained 41 teacher-leaders in New Orleans. Building upon the New Orleans pilot and Teaching Leaders (UK), Leading Educators is now an independent 501c3 organization assembling an ambitious team to expand the program nationally. In New Orleans and the first national expansion site, Kansas City, we are currently working with 109 teacher-leaders across over 60 schools. In partnership with Absolute Return for Kids, Teaching Leaders, New Leaders for New Schools, NewSchools Venture Fund and FirstLine Schools, our expansion model aims to serve 12 regions by 2016.