This is a defining moment for public education in Chicago.
Teacher shortages are growing. The teachers most needed in our highest-need schools are the hardest to retain. And yet we know from decades of research that no policy, technology, or reform effort matters more than what happens when a skilled, committed teacher walks into a classroom.
At Teachers Supporting Teachers, we believe those teachers deserve more than appreciation. They deserve investment, opportunity, and a community of leaders behind them.
The problem
Today in Illinois, 88% of school districts report difficulty filling teacher vacancies. The impact falls hardest on schools serving students of color and students from low-income families, the very students who most benefit from experienced, diverse educators. While more than half of Illinois students identify as BIPoC, only 16% of the teaching workforce does.
What we do
TST develops teacher leaders through our Impact Teams model. We embed a classroom teacher in their school as a Teacher Liaison, supported by a TST Coach, and empower them to lead a team of colleagues toward a school-wide improvement goal. The result is a school with deeper instructional capacity, stronger culture, and teachers who stay.
Over ten years, we have worked with 83 schools, empowered 246 teachers in new leadership roles, and supported more than 1,000 teachers on Impact Teams. This year, we are working with a cohort of 23 schools, 95% of whose students identify as BIPoC and 73% of whom live below the poverty line.
Our results
TST teacher leaders return to their schools at a rate of over 90%, year after year, surpassing the average school-wide retention rate by more than 8 percentage points. And 91% of principals we partner with report that TST is improving culture in their buildings.
What people are saying
"TST has supported my ability to reflect on what I am doing with my teams. I appreciate the opportunity to think about what I am doing and how it's impacting the school as a whole."
— TST Teacher
"TST has helped my teacher build instructional leadership capacity. In working with staff, our teacher has learned to focus objectives to create positive outcomes for teacher practice and student results."
— Principal of a TST-supported school
Where your gift goes
Your donation directly funds TST's work in schools: coaching, professional development, teacher stipends, and the organizational infrastructure that sustains it all. Every dollar supports teachers who are staying in their classrooms, leading their colleagues, and building the kind of schools every student deserves.
It is an honor to be in this work alongside you.