Lead by Learning

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Oakland, CA
Lead by Learning

We are a professional learning organization who partners with schools, districts, and county offices.

We put learning and equity at the heart of teaching and leading so that educators can deliver on the promise of a quality education for all students. We encourage and celebrate educators and leaders who grow their ability to ask questions and nurture curiosity about their learners. We work with our partners to design and create vibrant learning cultures for educators so that they evolve as learners who address equity by leading systematic improvement that gives all students opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. Our work as mentors, coaches, program designers and facilitators leverages inquiry as a launching pad by using data to uncover and then address learners’ experiences, needs and potential.

10/09/2026

How can educators sharpen their practice to build students' oral language skills? By learning out loud, together. 🗣️

On Monday, our McKinley Elementary School partners held a Public Learning session during their PD meeting. One educator shared data and reflections about a focal student, while a colleague helped her shape a clear, actionable inquiry goal connected to their schoolwide focus on oral language instruction.

By making their thinking visible, educators help each other see what they can't on their own and share responsibility for supporting all students. 🤝

Interested in integrating Public Learning into your PD? Download the tool: https://hubs.ly/Q04zxBCj0

10/08/2026

How can we structurally support educators of multilingual students in collaboratively examining their practice and responding to students' academic and emotional needs?

Recent research in the Fall 2026 issue of CABE's Multilingual Educator points to Supportive Challenge, a signature Lead by Learning framework designed to support collaborative and coaching conversations about student learning.

Professor Jacquelyn Urbani (Mills College at Northeastern University) and former Lead by Learning facilitator Charley Brooks drew on the experiences of educators from Oakland Unified's English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement (ELLMA) Office who used Supportive Challenge in their inquiry work.

The findings show how the framework helps educators surface assumptions, reflect on their practice with vulnerability, and let student data guide their instruction.

See how educator conversations shift from sharing to learning when Supportive Challenge is part of the process.

Read “Empowering Educators of Multilingual Students Through Supportive Challenge” by Jacquelyn Urbani and Charley Brooks: https://hubs.ly/Q04zwXN_0

Download the Supportive Challenge tool: https://hubs.ly/Q04zwXMj0

10/07/2026

Our Quality Support Coaches (QSCs) from Oakland Unified’s Expanded Learning Program gathered last week at our Northeastern University Oakland campus to review program evaluation data and feedback from students and families.

Together, they identified goals and next steps to strengthen the after-school programming at their sites.

QSCs bridge school-day and after-school staff, helping to strengthen program quality and create safe, supportive, and enriching spaces where every student can thrive. We're so excited to continue supporting them throughout this school year!

10/06/2026

Your principals and assistant principals are navigating constant change while driving improvement. What if they had dedicated space to step back, reflect, and lead with intention?

The Learning Leadership Lab brings your site leaders together in a small, role-alike cohort with a skilled coach for six sessions of honest reflection, strategy, and supported sense-making.

Over six weeks, your leaders will:
⭐ Sharpen their site vision
⭐ Strengthen trust and collaboration within their school culture
⭐ Distribute leadership so the vision doesn't rest on one person
⭐ Build a habit of reflective decision-making

Enroll your site leaders: https://hubs.ly/Q04zmG230

10/01/2026

To improve teacher retention and close inequitable student outcomes, we have to start with the people leading our schools.

A recent report from the Learning Policy Institute and The Wallace Foundation, The Principal Effect, finds that principals shape student learning, teacher retention, and school climate more than any other single factor. For instance, students from historically underserved communities whose principals had strong instructional leadership training gained about 4 extra months of learning in math.

In our own work, we've seen the principal effect firsthand. Through our Community of Practice with Tamalpais Union High School District, we support principals with individualized coaching to lead LLT meetings, collaborative inquiry to develop collective expertise, and stronger data practices for Instructional Rounds.

Together, we've helped build a culture where teachers openly share dilemmas and use focal student inquiry to strengthen instruction. Between 2023 and 2025, our partnership contributed to a rise in Hispanic/Latino students meeting or exceeding state math standards, from 44.6% to 54%.

Results like these reinforce what the research tells us: investing in principals' learning is investing in student learning. 👨‍🎓

⭐ Read our TUHSD Case Study: https://hubs.ly/Q04yXv8c0
⭐ Read the LPI Report: https://hubs.ly/Q04yXv4R0

09/30/2026

This month, we kicked off our second year of partnership with Cherrylee Elementary School, one of our California Community School partners.

Cherrylee's Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) and staff dug into last year's data and used our Public Learning protocol to set instructional goals tied to their school-wide priority. It's all part of their work to build a culture of instructional leadership, where the ILT leads cross-grade-level PLCs in using assessment data to strengthen their practices.

Here's to launching the year with intention! 🙌

Try the Public Learning protocol with your team: https://hubs.ly/Q04yG9fd0

09/29/2026

How can improving professional learning inspire instructional innovation?

Shoutout to our partners at Hillcrest Elementary, featured in our 25-26 Annual Report, who made this possible.

When Hillcrest's principal was looking for professional development that would inspire teachers to continuously improve, we implemented a focal student inquiry model where teachers focused on building students' confidence and capacities as independent learners. By engaging in inquiry around assessment design, independent writing, peer revision, and collaboration, they are now capable of understanding the impact of their practice and improving their instructional decisions.

One thing that stood out to us: A veteran educator changed his assessment strategy for the first time in a decade by adding oral and project-based assessments, which boosted student engagement and mastery.

This is how effective professional learning can impact the classroom.

📖 Read our 25-26 Annual Report to see how our partners are driving change within their systems: https://hubs.ly/Q04yn0df0

09/28/2026

The 2025-2026 school year was a year of learning and continuous improvement for Lead by Learning.

Across 25 California school districts we served, we saw educators ask questions, try new ideas, learn from data, and adapt their practice to achieve more equitable outcomes for students. As an implementation partner, we helped schools and organizations build the conditions for inquiry and high-impact collaboration. Here are some impacts we’re proud of:

⭐ 96% of Lead by Learning partner educators reported that they adapted instruction in response to student needs
⭐ 94% saw focal student growth
⭐ 97% plan to stay in the field of education

We're excited to share our 2025-26 Annual Report — a look at what's possible when educators are supported, challenged, and retained through our model of adult learning.

Thank you to our educator partners, sister organizations, sponsors, and supporters for your continued partnership and support in helping us build the schools students need.

📖 Read the full report: https://hubs.ly/Q04ysXxY0

09/23/2026

Last chance to register for our Coaching for Deeper Awareness workshop on September 29, 2026!

Don't miss your chance to build coaching skills that help colleagues see the equity impact of their decisions more clearly.

📅 Tuesday, September 29 | 4:00–6:00 PM PT | Virtual
💵 $199 (group discounts and scholarship options available)
🎓 Certificate of Completion included for PD credit

If this session timing doesn't work with your schedule, we also have two more sessions on January 21, 2027, and June 15, 2027.

Register now: https://hubs.ly/Q04xV-7j0

09/21/2026

Less than one week left until our Coaching for Deeper Awareness Workshop - September 29 Session! Bring your team to engage in a deep examination of equity challenges, build trust, and walk away feeling more connected as colleagues.

One thing participants consistently love about this workshop is the opportunity to role-play real scenarios. It's where you get to practice Supportive Challenge, examining how unconscious bias and values shape your actions, and disrupting the patterns producing inequitable outcomes.

Check out what a past participant had to say above. 👆

Register yourself and your colleagues: https://hubs.ly/Q04xVZQ60

Address

5000 MacArthur Boulevard
Oakland, CA
94613

Website

http://weleadbylearning.org/

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