Welcome to Teach Learn Lead!
Teach Learn Lead is an educational consulting company dedicated to the transformative power of language education.
We partner with schools and districts to elevate teaching practice, deepen student learning, and foster instructional leadership. Through our high-quality, on-demand workshops, expert consulting, resources, and actionable insights, we provide educators with the innovative strategies and support they need to create dynamic, inclusive, and effective learning environments. Our mission is to empower every language educator to not only teach effectively but to become a leader who inspires lasting change in their classroom, department, and community.
This mission is led by Dr. Catherine Ritz, a nationally recognized leader in world language education with a career spanning over two decades as a classroom teacher, district director, professor, and author. Catherine's work is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice, providing educators with evidence-based strategies to elevate teaching, accelerate student proficiency, and build sustainable, high-quality language programs. She is the author of leading language education books, including Leading your world language program: Strategies for supervision & design, even if you don’t speak the language! (Routledge, 2021) and the best-selling Proficiency-Based Instruction series (ACTFL, 2022 & 2024). She founded Teach Learn Lead on the core belief that with empowered, strategically supported teachers and leaders, every student can achieve meaningful linguistic and intercultural proficiency.
Mission
Teach Learn Lead empowers world language educators and administrators with the expert coaching, transformative professional learning, and evidence-based resources they need to teach effectively, foster profound student learning, and lead high-quality, sustainable language programs.
Vision
We envision a future where every language learner achieves meaningful proficiency and intercultural competence, and every language educator is equipped and empowered to be a leader of change within their classroom, program, and community.
Where You Might Find Us!
A trusted partner to school districts and a featured voice at professional conferences, we are dedicated to bringing evidence-based strategies and leadership directly to your community. Let's connect and write the next chapter for your language program together.
Professional Conferences
District Collaborations
What people are saying
Testimonials from Our Community
-
Catherine has the unique ability to take the most complex concepts in proficiency-based instruction and explain them in clear, teacher-friendly language. Her impactful workshops and lesson demonstrations show teachers how to actually do proficiency-based instruction. Her books and professional learning offerings are a gift to the profession!
Jessica Haxhi
Supervisor of World Languages - New Haven Public Schools
-
Our group of vocational-technical educators in Massachusetts had the pleasure of working with Catherine to create a shared learning experience and kick off a collaborative curriculum writing project. She skillfully helped us organize our thoughts and build common language. Her ability to make complex instructional design concepts accessible and immediately applicable was exactly what we needed to launch our work with purpose and confidence.
Amy St. Arnaud
Spanish Teacher & Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator - Nashoba Valley Technical High School
-
Catherine Ritz worked with our district for three years to create new curriculum focused on the interests of our students. She and our teachers created thematic units for Novice, Intermediate and Advanced learners that were interesting, focused on our urban students, and rigorous as well as being standards-aligned. She was professional, smart, knowledgeable about the ACTFL Standards, and patient with us as we navigated this complex process. I highly recommend her to work in your district–you won't be disappointed!
Julie Caldarone
Retired Director of World Languages - Boston Public Schools
-
Catherine is a visionary educator and an incredible collaborator. She led the development of our thematic world language curriculum across all levels and languages in BPS with clarity and purpose. Her professional development sessions and book club inspired our teachers to grow in both their practice and mindset. Working with Catherine has elevated our entire program!
Katy Cen
World Languages Program Director - Boston Public Schools
-
In my role as a World Language Director, Catherine offered several workshops to my team and has also worked as a consultant on a curriculum development project. Through the curriculum writing process, Catherine not only demonstrated her leadership and strategic vision, but she was also dynamic and engaging. If you are lucky to work with her, you will be guided throughout the process, work collaboratively, and you will be able to excel.
Katia Marticorena
Medford Public Schools (MA)
