Catalyst for Educational Change

Strong facilitation can transform the bargaining process.

CEC’s Interest-Based Bargaining Facilitation Training helps education leaders and labor partners move beyond positions, uncover shared interests, and work toward solutions that support both staff and students.

Through self-paced learning and live virtual sessions, participants will gain practical tools for:

• Guiding productive negotiations
• Navigating challenging conversations
• Building trust and consensus
• Keeping teams focused on shared goals

Training begins October 19. Registration is still open!

💲 $600 per person
🔗 Register today: https://forms.gle/kqZ3aNAJw6kTRFnp6

We’re thrilled to welcome Leigh K. Kennedy to the CEC Board.

Leigh brings more than 25 years of experience in public education and currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Strategy Department at the National Education Association (NEA). In her role, she facilitates the NEA’s biannual strategic planning process, bringing together research, strategy, and consensus building among a diverse group of leaders and stakeholders.

Leigh is also a nationally respected leader in labor management collaboration. She is the primary author of a comprehensive guidebook on union district collaboration and advises organizations working to strengthen partnerships between districts and unions.

Her experience in strategy, collaboration, and public education will bring valuable perspective to CEC as we continue working alongside educators and systems to strengthen practice and improve outcomes for students.

We are excited to welcome Leigh to the CEC Board and look forward to the insight and leadership she will bring to our work!

Read more about Leigh here: https://www.cecweb.org/about-cec/cec-board-of-directors/leigh-kennedy/

Great work grows when educators have strong leaders supporting them, and Mannheim District 83 is a shining example!

CEC is proud to partner with their dedicated team through A Collaborative Approach to High Quality Disability Aligned IEP Management, along with co teaching support and coaching for special education educators.

We’re celebrating Mannheim 83’s commitment to collaboration, professional growth, and meaningful support for students with disabilities. Their educators and leaders bring care, purpose, and energy to this work!

Almost everyone can name a teacher who made a difference in their life.

In CEC's latest blog, Shelley Taylor reflects on one of those teachers and considers what it would look like if every student experienced that same sense of confidence, competence, and possibility throughout their years in school.

“One Great Teacher Isn’t a System” explores what schools can do to create stronger connections from one grade to the next, so students’ learning builds over time rather than feeling like a series of disconnected experiences.

Read Shelley’s latest post and consider where those connections are strong in your school and where there may be gaps.

Read more on CEC's Substack:

One Great Teacher Isn’t a System Blog Authored by Shelley Taylor

We're launching new Writing Framework cohorts with Chicago Public Schools for schools that want to strengthen writing instruction without adding another program to the plate.

Our Writing Framework works alongside your existing core curriculum, not in place of it. The goal is a shared, schoolwide approach to writing that lasts after we leave.

The cohort has two pathways:
Leadership Institute (1 day): for principals, APs, coaches, and teacher leaders to set a schoolwide vision, monitor implementation, and use writing data to guide decisions
Train-the-Trainer (2 days): for educators who will lead the work in their building by modeling instruction, facilitating PD, and coaching colleagues

Together, schools strengthen consistency across classrooms, connect reading, thinking, and writing, and learn to analyze student writing to respond to what kids actually need.

Schools get better results when leadership teams and teachers join together, and spots are limited.

If writing is a priority for your school this year, we'd love to connect. [email protected]

We’re proud to share Catalyst for Educational Change’s 2025–2026 Annual Impact Report: The Ripple Effect.

This report captures a year of meaningful work alongside educators and leaders who are committed to making their schools stronger. Across 11 states, CEC served 3,407 educators and leaders, provided 3,488 hours of direct support, and reached an estimated 51,000 students.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

The real impact is in the stronger leadership, deeper collaboration, better instructional practices, and systems that continue to grow after our work together. Every partnership creates a ripple, and we’re incredibly proud of the educators and school communities who create those ripples with us.

A huge thank you to our school and district partners, our CEC team, and everyone who continues to believe in the power of educators to create lasting change.
We’re proud of what we accomplished together, and even more excited about what comes next.

Take a look at the full report and see the ripple for yourself: https://guide.cecweb.org/cecannualreport2026 =1

CEC Annual Report 2026 PRINT CEC Annual Report 2026 PRINT

Friday was a great reminder of what we love about this work at Catalyst for Educational Change.

Our team spent the day alongside educators across Chicago Public Schools, learning with school teams, supporting classroom practice, and helping move important work forward.

Lea Anne Frost was at Gale Community Academy, Christopher Collins was at Cooper Dual Language, Crystal Conley spent the day with teams at Douglas Taylor and Haugan Elementary, and Jon Dambek was at Frazier International Magnet School.

We’re grateful to the educators who welcomed us into their schools and classrooms and shared their thinking, questions, and ideas with us. The opportunity to work alongside educators and build on the work already happening in schools is what makes these days so meaningful.

Thank you to our CPS partners for another great day of learning and collaboration.

What if bargaining felt more collaborative—and less adversarial?

CEC’s Interest-Based Bargaining Facilitation Training equips education leaders and labor partners with the skills to identify shared interests, generate solutions, navigate challenging conversations, and maintain trust throughout the negotiation process.

Participants also receive 12 months of access to on-demand learning modules, facilitation tools, guides, and a collaborative peer network.

Join us virtually this fall! Training begins October 19.

Learn more and register: https://forms.gle/kqZ3aNAJw6kTRFnp6

Huge shoutout to the incredible educators at Stony Creek Elementary and Lane Elementary in Alsip School District 126!

Through their amazing work with co-teaching, these teachers are drastically raising the level of student engagement and creating dynamic learning spaces where every student can thrive. Your dedication, collaboration, and passion do not go unnoticed.

Catalyst for Educational Change is incredibly proud to partner with and support you on this journey. Thank you for being true leaders and inspiring change every single day!

This week, Dr. Tiffany Layton had the privilege of working with Chicago Public Schools teachers and leaders from Claremont STEM Magnet Academy and George Washington Carver Elementary School through the CEC Writing Framework Leadership Institute and Train the Trainer Academy.

The CEC Writing Framework brings together research based writing practices and serves as an overlay to any core writing curriculum. It is not a separate program. The framework helps educators strengthen explicit instruction, analyze student writing, and make responsive teaching decisions while continuing to use their existing curriculum.

We are grateful for the thoughtful reflection, collaboration, and hard work these educators brought to each session. Their commitment to strengthening writing instruction and building leadership capacity is an important part of sustaining meaningful change across schools.
Thank you to Tiffany and the educators who continue to learn, model, and lead!

Interested in bringing the CEC Writing Framework to your school? Email [email protected] to learn more.