The Teachers First initiative is a grass-roots cluster-model approach for bringing together primary and secondary teachers and school principals: to analyse student performance data; design and practice activities and assessment tools; and promote teaching practices that address students' learning difficulties in mathematics. The balance of both…

Special education teachers have a unique set of skills and opportunities to become leaders in the field of education. Some rural special education teachers, however, may not see themselves as potential leaders or believe they have opportunities to be leaders. This article provides guidelines for rural special education teachers to consider in…

Lead writers and co-chairs of the International Literacy Association's "Standards 2017" provide a hands on guide to using updated standards for the preparation of reading/literacy specialists. Authors share key changes in content, supporting explanations with updated references, and implications for program faculty, state policymakers,…

The purpose of this article is to identify the various reasons that teacher mentoring within schools is beneficial for schools, teachers, and students. Mentoring within schools promotes teacher retention and consistency among educators. Mentoring programs not only increase job satisfaction and help teachers to emerge as leaders within their…

One consequence of globalisation is the demand on academics to better prepare students for work and life in an interconnected world through curriculum internationalisation. Many academics are hesitant, resistant, or ill-prepared to engage with curriculum internationalisation. This paper explores how this can be addressed by reconfiguring the way…

Samford University's Initial Teacher Education program subscribes to the philosophy of developing teacher leaders to become a part of a K-12 faculty rather than a peripheral support system. The goal of the program is to acknowledge and develop desirable teacher leader abilities. Expertise, professionalism, enthusiasm, passion, and commitment are…

Research can be a powerful tool in education, but it's an even more powerful tool when that research is created, implemented, and reflected upon by the education experts themselves--classroom teachers. This research mobilized a cadre of STEM teacher leaders to help unpack the overarching research question: How does the collective leadership of…

Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies assert colorblindness flourishes when most urban teachers who are White feel emotionally uncomfortable to engage in dynamics of race in the classroom. Colorblind ideology distorts urban teaching because it presumes (a) many White teachers are missionaries trained to save and (b) urban schools are…

Given the newly refined ability to distinguish between teachers and their effectiveness, and the imperative brought on by the Common Core standards (CCSS) to deliver instruction at a more sophisticated level, it is no longer reasonable or tenable to keep treating teachers the same. Instead, school systems should provide their highest-performing…

Teachers are encouraged to "Step into Leadership" because they have a lot to offer, but also a lot to learn. However, many teachers need a push to get started on the path to teacher leadership beyond their classroom walls; therefore, this article provides teachers 10 tips on how to get started and where to look to expand their effect on…

The University of South Florida has designed and initiated a two-year teacher residency program that intends to meld classroom preservice teacher instruction with work in classrooms with children from low-income and urban backgrounds. The Urban Teacher Residency Partnership Program is a joint effort between the University of South Florida and…

NGSS Early Implementers is a four-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Designed for professional developers and administrators, this report describes 10 tools and processes that are…

Using the Teacher Leader Model Standards as a guide may help teachers and administrators put a collaborative, forward-thinking mind-set into action.

Across the education field, there is unusual consensus that strong teacher leaders are key to improving our nation's schools. Unfortunately, clear expectations for what teacher leaders should do, and strategies to prepare them to do it, are few and far between. A recent survey found that while 86 percent of urban school districts have teacher…

Across the education field, there is unusual consensus that strong teacher leaders are key to improving our nation's schools. Unfortunately, clear expectations for what teacher leaders should do, and strategies to prepare them to do it, are few and far between. A recent survey found that while 86 percent of urban school districts have teacher…