With over 20 years of experience in Chicago’s Catholic Schools, Megan Leider has dedicated her educational career to developing individuals and organizations to improve and transform instructional outcomes for students. Her understanding of the unique needs of today’s K-12 schools allows her to create meaningful professional experiences and to help partners identify and implement transformative solutions.
Megan has led numerous professional development workshops throughout the United States that have focused on facilitating change through self-study, using data, implementing inquiry based science curriculum, STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math) programming, increasing student engagement, and creating curriculum through backwards design. She also has several publications that explore approaches to cultivating strong science classrooms where student success is imminent.
Currently, Megan is an adjunct professor, instructional coach, and assistant program director at Loyola University Chicago. She has also worked in a variety of Chicagoland Catholic High Schools as a science curriculum coordinator, STREAM program developer and instructor, science instructor, curriculum developer, educational program director, and department chairperson.
Previous Partners
- Andrew M. Greeley Center for Catholic Education
- Archdiocese of Chicago – Office of Catholic Schools
- Beyond 100K
- Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
- Holy Trinity High School
- IC Catholic Prep
- Loyola Academy
- Loyola University Chicago
- National Science Foundation
- Resurrection College Prep
- St. Rita of Cascia High School
- The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
2023 | Smetana, L.K, Millsapp, K. & Megan Leider. (2023). Implementing a mentoring program for beginning secondary STEM teachers: Conceptualization and lessons learned. Innovations in Science Teacher Education. 8(1).
2020 | Coleman, E.R., & Leider, M. (2020). Science Youth Action Research: A curricular framework and instructional approach to promote democratic citizenship. Journal of Education, 200(3),
2016 | Leider, M.M. (2016). STEM Subjects Are Not Defined in School Settings. 100Kin10 Literature Review New
York, NY.
2015 | Leider, M. (2015). Science teaching and learning as transformation: Making meaning with my students. [Doctoral
dissertation, Loyola University Chicago]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
2014 | Coleman, E.R., & Megan Leider. (2014). Personal and professional growth realized: A self-study of curriculum
design and implementation in a secondary science classroom. Studying Teacher Education, 10(1), 53-70.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2013.835260
2012 | Leider, M.M. (2012). D I’m Leading a Double Life: Confessions of a Teacher-Researcher [Paper presentation]. Science
Education at the Crossroads 2019: Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
2022 | Leider, Megan. “Increasing girls’ interest in STEM at the high school level through school wide STREAM programming” Poster presented at the NARST Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, July 22-23, 2022.
2019 | Leider, Megan. “How to Make Accommodations on Assessments” A workshop facilitated for the Immaculate Conception College Prep Science Department, Elmhurst, Illinois, November 5, 2019
2018 | Leider, Megan. “Using Backward Design to Align Curriculum” A workshop facilitated for the Cristo Rey English Department, Chicago, Illinois, June 25-26, 2018.
2017 | Leider, Megan. “Do Not Send Me Another Spreadsheet: Easy and Effective Ways to Use Data You Already Have to Support Student Achievement” A workshop presented for the Greeley Center Department Mustard Seed Conference, Chicago, Illinois, October, 9, 2017.
2017 | Leider, Megan. “Essential Practices in Instruction: Student Engagement” A workshop presented for the Greeley Center Department Chair Conference, Chicago, Illinois, June, 5, 2017.
2016 | Leider, Megan. “Self – Study in Education Research.” A workshop presented for the Loyola University Education Leadership Doctorate Cohort, Chicago, Illinois, May, 31, 2016.
2015 | Leider, Megan. “Science teaching as transformation: How self-study encouraged me to examine my practice to facilitate change.” Paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 16 – 20, 2015.
2014 | Leider, Megan & Elizabeth Coleman. “Becoming teacher leaders through curriculum development: collaborating to design and implement the science youth action research curriculum” Presentation at the NSTA National Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, April 3, 2014.
2013 | Smetana, Lara & Megan Leider. “Teaching science as practice: Introduction to the K-12 framework for science education and NGSS.”A workshop presented for the Chicago Archdiocese Council C High School Science In-Service, Chicago, Illinois, January, 7, 2013.
2012 | Coleman, Elizabeth & Megan Leider. “Personal and professional growth realized: A self-study of curriculum design and implementation in a secondary science classroom.” Paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 13-17, 2012.
2012 | Leider, Megan & Elizabeth Coleman. “Pathways to science teaching and curriculum development: a self- study of two teachers’ experiences.” Paper presented to the Reflective Practice Strand 9 at the NARST Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 25-28, 2012.
2012 | Leider, Megan. “Open inquiry in the urban science classroom.” Poster presented at the NARST Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 25-28, 2012.
2014 – present | School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA)
2011 – present | National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and American Education Research Association (AERA)
2009 – present | Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA) and Illinois Science Education Leadership Association (ISELA)
2001 – present National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
| Midwest STEM Innovation Project National Science Foundation 40,000 awarded March 2024 – March 2025 Level Up: Taking Your Science Teaching to New Heights Implementation Grant Beyond 100K 15,000 awarded May 2024 – December 2024 Professional Learning Communities and Practitioner Inquiry to Increase Students’ Sense of Belonging in STEM Classrooms |
All educators and organizations deserve customized, collaborative, and consistent coaching.
Quality professional development and coaching empowers teachers to utilize a variety of strategies that meet the needs of diverse groups of learners.