Teresa A. Winters-Strong spotlights relationship-driven school leadership

Teresa A. Winters-Strong, Executive Director of Elementary Schools for School District U-46 in Elgin, is being featured for a leadership approach built on trust, coaching and equity. Her work across seven elementary schools centers on principal support, data-driven instruction and a philosophy she calls No Relationship, No Impact.

Why it matters: - Teresa A. Winters-Strong's work sits at the intersection of school leadership, equity and student outcomes across seven elementary schools in School District U-46. - Her approach links data-driven instruction with trust-based relationships, a combination that can shape how principals support teachers and students. - The profile highlights how leadership development can influence school culture beyond any one campus.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Teresa A. Winters-Strong, Executive Director of Elementary Schools for School District U-46 in Elgin, Illinois. - Winters-Strong oversees instructional leadership and coaching support for principals. - Her responsibilities cover seven elementary schools in the district. - The feature centers on her philosophy, No Relationship, No Impact, which she uses to frame school improvement and leadership. - Winters-Strong is also developing the idea into an upcoming book with the same title.

The details: - Winters-Strong has nearly 28 years of education experience. - Her focus areas include principal coaching, professional learning communities, reflective coaching cycles, staff development and equity-focused school improvement. - She started her career in surgical nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago before moving into early childhood education at Loyola University. - Her earlier roles included teacher, differentiated instruction specialist, assistant principal, principal and career services advisor at Northern Illinois University. - She learned Spanish while working in School District U-46 and attended the La Cosecha Conference in Albuquerque to better serve a predominantly Hispanic and Latino district. - She now speaks both Spanish and English. - Winters-Strong earned a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Loyola University Chicago. - She completed additional early childhood training at the Erikson Institute. - Her recognitions include the YWCA Leadership in Education Award in 2022 and Top Principal in Plainfield in 2020. - She has been invited to deliver a keynote address in Atlanta for the third time. - Her service includes work with the Obama Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club North Central Board and as vice president of the United Negro Scholarship Fund. - She is a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and NAEYC-related networks. - She has also served as an Equity Committee member and PBIS lead. - Winters-Strong supports St. Jude, World Vision and Feeding Starving Children. - She has helped lead district efforts to prepare and send food to communities around the world. - She says her core values are relationships, integrity, service and impact. - She describes influential womanhood as confidence rooted in preparation and purpose. - She advises younger women to stay true to themselves, take risks, know where they come from and keep lifting others up. - She recommends writing a vision board and revisiting it daily.

Between the lines: - Winters-Strong's career path suggests her leadership style is shaped by hands-on experience rather than a top-down view of schools. - Her background in nursing, early childhood education and university career services gives her a wider lens on student and family needs than a single-school career might provide. - Her emphasis on authenticity and relationships reflects a belief that school change depends as much on trust as on metrics. - The feature also positions her as both a district leader and a public-facing voice on women in education.

What's next: - Winters-Strong is expanding her No Relationship, No Impact message through keynote speaking and a forthcoming book. - She plans to keep coaching principals and building leadership capacity across School District U-46. - Her continued speaking engagements, including repeated invitations in Atlanta, suggest her message is reaching a broader audience. - She says schools will need to keep hearing every voice as education changes and demands more collaboration, empathy and innovation.

The bottom line: - Winters-Strong's profile makes a simple case: lasting school improvement starts with trust, then uses data and coaching to turn that trust into action.

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