About Us
Our History
Founded in 1998, LRCE opened its doors as a multi-media lending library that circulated over 132,000 items to teachers across Louisiana. In 2003, LRCE established an alternative certification teacher training program known as Teach! and summer enrichment programs for at-risk pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students. LRCE expanded their certification program offerings to include Special Education Add-On, Mentor Certification, and an Instructional Coach Fellowship. In the Summer of 2026, LRCE will launch its Educational Leadership Certification program. At our core, we believe that the single most important factor in a young person’s education is a Champion Teacher in the classroom. Our role is to develop those Champion Teachers.
Our Theory of Teacher Training
LRCE’s Why: Ensure all students in Louisiana have access to an equitable education through champion teachers.
As a teacher training organization, we focus on making sure teachers have the knowledge, skills, and mindsets necessary to drive toward creating a classroom community that we believe is best for all students and leads to educational equity. We believe that all students should experience a safe and supportive learning environment led by student-centered, reflective teachers who focus on grade-appropriate student outcomes using culturally competent and scientific pedagogy. Practitioners learn how to create such a community through our interdependent, core coursework and individualized feedback and coaching. We model the best practices of teaching to ensure that our practitioners, like their future students, commit their learning to long-term memory and have the skills to be independently successful.
Our Support
Becoming a Champion Teacher does not happen in isolation. At LRCE, we pride ourselves on the individual support, relationships, and sense of belonging fostered throughout your journey with us. Regardless of which program you enroll in, our team is committed to ensuring that you have experienced Champion Educators guiding you through the whole process. Whether you need help navigating enrollment, knowing which Praxis to take, finding a job, or challenges within your classroom, you always have someone to turn to for help and guidance.
LRCE Team
Our Staff & Board of Directors
LRCE’s full-time Champion Team, Champion Educator adjunct facilitators and coaches, and volunteers are committed to ensuring that students in Louisiana are led by highly-skilled and compassionate Champion Teachers and Leaders.
Our Culture Tenets
We are active learners
We actively pursue excellence. We ask skillful questions and engage in the present moment through dialogue and discussion. We are constant learners of our craft and work to put concepts into practice.
We are reflective
We are intentional about holding time and energy to reflect on our learning and using reflection to grow ourselves toward excellence. We make connections to other concepts and transfer knowledge from one situation to another.
We are joyful
We bring passion and joy to our work, helping students enjoy working toward meaningful outcomes that expand their opportunities. We work hard and have fun.
We are problem solvers
We think critically, make sound judgments, and generate multiple solutions to challenges. We clarify our questions, are patient with answers, and are responsible for finding answers that result in positive student outcomes.
We assume positive intent
We understand that all people almost always act with positive intent. They don’t intentionally make mistakes. We say, "They mean well, but it didn’t go well…how can I help this person or team succeed?”
We attend to equity
We work for ALL students. We care deeply about each individual’s experience and work to ensure that ALL students have access to excellent teaching. We actively challenge actions that lead to inequity and honor and celebrate differences.