Dear Colleagues,

This school year, we celebrated Louisiana students as they made another year of historic academic growth. Just as students dedicated themselves to growth and improvement, so too did our teachers. Across the state, educators grew their instructional practice and embraced the coaching and feedback process in the Louisiana Educator Advancement and Development System (LEADS). 

We know the improvement process takes hard work and dedication, and I am proud of the way educators used this learning year with LEADS to grow their instructional and leadership skills. In the video below, Mike Jonker, a teacher in Rapides Parish, noted that the observation process offers educators one of the most effective tools for reflection and improvement: high-quality feedback. “As a result of the observation process,” he said, “my reflective practices have evolved…I am becoming more consistent and purposeful in evaluating myself.” 

Educators from communities in every corner of the state shared their own experiences with this new system, providing powerful examples of how individual improvements in practice add up to big changes for our students.We also heard from system and school leaders about the flexibility within LEADS that allows them to provide differentiated feedback and better meet the needs of educators in their districts and schools. Our higher education system leaders described how the use of common language and instructional tools with aspiring teachers makes their preparation experience more robust and relevant.

As we wrap up this school year I am excited to share these educator reflections below, and to use the feedback we received from so many educators this year to continue to improve the LEADS process in the coming year. 

Sincerely,

Arthur M. Joffrion, Jr., Ed.D.

Deputy Assistant Superintendent

Educator Talent and Workforce Development

Success Stories

Celebrating our Teachers

Educators across the state have made tremendous strides this year with the help of LEADS processes and resources, including the Louisiana Educator Rubric (LER). In this newsletter, we celebrate a few of the ways that our teachers, leaders, and educator preparation providers have used LEADS to strengthen instructional practices and impact student learning.

Student Learning is at the Forefront of LEADS

“I have been teaching for 27 years, but LEADS has prompted me to think about my teaching differently. I’m learning to give my students control of their learning by giving them time to discuss strategies with a group. It’s exciting to hear students talking about their learning and even coaching each other through problems.”

Stephanie Peavy

3rd Grade Math Teacher

Waller Elementary School

Bossier Parish

LEADS Establishes Clear Expectations For Teachers and Leaders

“As a first-year teacher, I found the LER to clearly define teacher performance expectations. Looking at how each rubric indicator progresses across performance levels provides me with a roadmap for professional growth. Because the descriptors within each indicator are so specific, I have experienced meaningful conversations with my observers about how to improve student learning.”

Shelbi Dickson

1st Grade Teacher

Southside Elementary School

Livingston Parish

Flexibility is Key in LEADS

“My school has a mixture of experienced and novice teachers. The flexibility of LEADS allows me to tailor support based on individual teachers’ needs. This approach fosters a school atmosphere of collaboration and trust as teachers feel supported and valued.”

Dr. Robert Robinson

Assistant Principal

L.B. Landry High School

Algiers Charter Schools

Feedback and Coaching Plans Align Under LEADS

“I have never had the kind of feedback conversations that I am having with teachers and leaders now that we’re using the LER. Teachers are listening and asking questions – and this is where the coaching begins. Teachers now leave post-observation conferences with a plan and next steps to begin working on immediately.”

Jodi Lemoine

Director of Accountability and Curriculum

West Feliciana Parish

LEADS Builds a Common Language for Instruction

“The Louisiana Aspiring Educator Rubric (LAER) creates a common language for aspiring teachers that leads into the LER. Utilizing this common language and instructional tools like the LAER and LER allows educator preparation faculty to give our teacher candidates a more robust and relevant experience to meet the needs of all their future students."

Dr. Aaron Sinclair

Induction Coordinator

Southeastern Louisiana University

LEADS Gives Teachers Tools for Reflection and Improvement

5th/6th grade math teacher, Mike Jonker, from Forest Hill Junior High School in Rapides Parish shares in this 2-minute video clip how he uses feedback from observations to reflect on and improve his instructional practice. 

Mike Jonker on Self-Reflection.

We want your feedback!

As we continue to provide monthly LEADS newsletters to support the statewide transition, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the newsletter experience so far. Your input will help us ensure future newsletters are clear, useful, and aligned with your needs. Take the survey here - it will remain open through June 5.

Thank you for helping us improve how we communicate with educators across Louisiana.

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