Instructional Leadership Collectives

Instructional Leadership Collectives (ILCs) are guided, data-informed groups of educational leaders who come together around shared problems of practice. 

These collectives are designed to move beyond traditional models of professional learning by combining collective inquiry, structured protocols, and evidence of impact, which are all rooted in the belief that collective leadership drives system improvement.

Each ILC is formed around a key theme, drawn from data surfaced by school and system leaders. These themes reflect real, persistent challenges, such as equity, belonging, Tier 1 instruction, or grading practices, and serve as the foundation for deep, focused learning and leadership development, and are based on nearly one thousand surveys using exit tickets and Mentimeter.

Who Participates? 

ILCs are specifically designed for leaders at all levels of the education system, including:

• Teacher leaders
• Instructional coaches
• Middle leaders (including those in rural or regional settings)
• Principals and assistant principals
• Central office leaders and superintendents
   

This cross-role design fosters connection and coherence, especially for those who often feel isolated, such as rural leaders or mid-level administrators.

6 Phases of ILCS

Phase One: Gathering Leaders & Theme Identification

Leaders engage in structured reflection and dialogue to surface individual insights, patterns, and shared challenges. These themes provide a grounded starting point for collective inquiry and ensure the work is rooted in authentic leadership practice.

Phase Two: Collective Formation

Participants are organized into Collectives based on shared themes, contexts, or problems of practice. This intentional grouping builds trust, relevance, and the conditions necessary for deep collaborative learning.

Phase Three: Collaborative Inquiry Design

Each Collective, and individual leaders within it, designs a focused inquiry by identifying a Problem of Practice, establishing a priority, and developing a clear Theory of Action. Evidence of impact is intentionally defined using leading data aligned to the “if”of the Theory of Action and lagging data aligned to the “then/so that,”guided by Bernhardt’s four types of data.

Phase Four: Implementation & Leading Data Analysis

Collectives implement their Theory of Action and intentionally gather and analyze leading data to examine the extent to which agreed-upon actions and practices are being implemented. Ongoing analysis supports timely reflection, course correction, and refinement of leadership actions.

Phase Five: Review & Lagging Data Analysis

Collectives analyze lagging data to assess the impact of their leadership actions on desired outcomes. This summative analysis focuses on understanding results, identifying patterns of success and challenge, and determining the overall effectiveness of the Theory of Action.

Phase Six: Knowledge Sharing, Communication, & Cycle Renewal

Collectives communicate their learning by sharing evidence, insights, and lessons learned across groups and the broader organization. These shared learnings inform the design of the next inquiry cycle, reinforcing a culture of continuous learning, analysis, and improvement while deepening collective leader efficacy.

Why Instructional Leadership Collectives? 

Many existing models of collaboration fall short, either because they’re overly compliance-driven (as with some PLCs), or too unstructured to sustain (as with some CoPs). ILCs offer a new path forward.

How do ILC's Work?

ILCs meet monthly in facilitated, inquiry-driven sessions using tools such as the Collective Inquiry Placemat to guide their work.

Each collective moves through a disciplined learning cycle:

1. Identify a Problem of Practice based on local data
2. Develop a Theory of Action tied to system goals
3. Use Leading and Lagging Indicators to measure progress
4. Engage in Ongoing Reflection and Adjustment
    

This structure ensures the work stays grounded in evidence while creating space for authentic dialogue and relational trust.

Instructional Leadership Collectives are:

• Flexible – Able to scale across schools, districts, regions, or provinces
• Inclusive – Designed for leaders across roles and contexts
• Purpose-Driven – Aligned to meaningful themes grounded in real data
• Networked – Building coherence across systems and stronger leadership capacity at every level
   

Whether you’re a superintendent in a provincial system or a teacher leader in a rural school, ILCs offer a space to lead, learn, and grow together.

What are the current themes?

Leaders join one of ten theme-based collectives, aligned with current challenges and opportunities in the field. Themes include:

• Equity and Belonging
• Tier 1 Instruction
• Grading Practices
• Collaborative Cultures 
• Instructional Walkthroughs
  (...and more)
   

Each theme is supported by curated protocols, resources, and facilitation that tie directly to your context and leadership goals.