More than 7,400 educators are gathering in Louisiana this week as the annual Teacher Leaders Summit reaches its largest attendance total yet. State education leaders say the event reflects growing momentum around teacher development, literacy improvement, workforce readiness, and student achievement.
The summit, hosted by the Louisiana Department of Education, brings together teachers, principals, district leaders, early childhood educators, and school administrators from across the state. This year’s theme, “What Big Ideas Start Here,” focuses on preparing educators for the upcoming school year while building long-term success strategies for students.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jenna Chaisson said the conference continues to grow because educators want opportunities to collaborate, learn, and prepare for future challenges. Louisiana is offering 368 unique sessions and nearly 700 total learning opportunities during the multi-day event. Organizers also folded the state’s Fast Forward Conference into the summit this year, bringing more focus to career readiness and workforce preparation.
Education leaders say workforce preparation remains a major priority. Sessions cover early literacy, math foundations, college readiness, career training, and teacher workforce development. State officials believe building strong academic foundations early creates long-term student success.
Louisiana leaders point to recent academic gains as proof that those efforts are working. According to discussion during the summit, Louisiana ranked first nationally for reading growth and second for math growth in a Harvard and Stanford Education Recovery Scorecard study. Officials also highlighted that Louisiana has exceeded pre-pandemic academic performance levels.
Chaisson credited educator support, policy implementation, and classroom experience for helping drive progress. The Department of Education continues sending literacy and math specialists into school systems statewide to provide coaching and instructional support.
Education officials expect attendance to continue growing in future years as Louisiana pushes to strengthen literacy, math achievement, career readiness, and student success statewide.