School and Teacher Leadership Academy

The four-day summer academies are focused on key areas of school improvement: 

• Instruction and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): Designed to enhance instructional strategies and support effective collaboration among educators to improve student outcomes. 
• School Culture and Climate: Centered on building strong, healthy, and inclusive school cultures that positively influence student learning and engagement. 

Who Attends:

Each participating school forms a team of 4–8 educators, including their principal. Teams may consist of members from a School Leadership Team, grade-level or subject area representatives, and other staff identified as instrumental to the school improvement process. 

What to Expect:

During the academy, teams engage in interactive sessions, collaborative team discussions, and dedicated planning time. Each team develops a customized schoolwide implementation plan based on the practices learned. Participants also create a strategy for sharing new knowledge and strategies with their full school staff. These summer academies provide a unique opportunity for educators to deepen their professional development, strengthen leadership capacity, and create actionable plans that support lasting change in their schools. 

Academy Objectives: 

• School teams will be able to identify and design collaborative structures to increase instructional focus to support high levels of student learning.
• School teams will be able to identify and plan for implementation of effective planning and processing techniques that will increase student learning.
• School teams will be able to identify and plan for effective implementation of research based techniques  related to learning and instruction.
• School teams will increase their understanding of the power of collective efficacy among members of a school team to increase student learning.
• School teams will develop skills related to unwrapping and implementing essential standards for  student learning.
• School teams will deepen their understanding of the change process and how to support change in schools.
• School teams will develop a plan together to implement practices, strategies and structures to increase student learning in the coming year.

Hear What People Say About Us

“These days were incredible. As we look to reset our school, we have so many great tools to implement. Nothing felt irrelevant or lost because facilitators had incredible knowledge. I’ve learned so much and feel so honored to have been here.”

– Emily Taylor, Teacher Leader

“This was, by far, the best professional development for my team. I could see their focuses shift and their agency grow. I also believe that igniting the team to launch a school year will be a powerful way to ignite the staff (their colleagues) and drive the work throughout the year. The caliber of the facilitators was top notch – engaging, fun, and incredibly accomplished. The focus on Colorado educators is effective and commendable.”

– Sally Hensley, Principal

“The ability to bring a team to all be part of the change was unmatched. Providing many members of our team with the knowledge, responsibility, and autonomy to promote positive change helps move the needle. The facilitators at the Tointon Institute are so impactful. Every presenter brought applicable information, real-ness, and fun to important work.”

– Nicole Lovato, Teacher Leader