The Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teacher Leadership Award celebrates outstanding teacher leaders who are pursuing systems change in order to expand opportunities for students.

Imagine all of us changing the policies and practices that have historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities from receiving an equitable education. Imagine yourself not only achieving exceptional outcomes with your students but also working in coalitions to ensure these changes endure beyond the classroom. 

This annual award recognizes leaders like you who are working inside and outside of the classroom in pursuit of systems change. You’ll have an opportunity to reflect on your impact as a teacher leader or a team of teacher leaders in the fight to end educational inequity. Your reflections will fuel your own learning and commitment and also help Teach For America shape its future development of our corps members and alumni, increasing our collective impact over time.

To be considered for the award, applicants must:

• Be Teach For America alumni or corps members who are currently teaching. If applying as a group or team, each applicant must be teaching at least part-time and also be an alumni or corps member.
• Demonstrate that they’ve made a profound impact with their students, including exceptional academic achievement.
• Have achieved systemic change in established policy or practice that is leading to a more equitable education for students.

Given the rigor of the application, we recommend that you begin compiling your application materials as early as possible during the application window. Some pieces of the application may take several weeks to create.

Thank you for your application and good luck!