The lead author of this article is a young teacher, new to the profession, who has been enabled to exercise leadership with the support he derived from his participation in the HertsCam Teacher Led Development Work programme facilitated at his school by the co-author. The article is an interesting exploration of a particular aspect of pedagogy --…

Teaming--when done well--can make all the difference. Yet where can teachers and leaders learn how to be effective team members? What common challenges do teams face? And how can a developmental approach help teams thrive? In this article, the authors address the painful challenges many adults encounter when working in teams. They discuss how…

Throughout the five-year Teacher Practice Networks initiative, teacher leaders have developed and demonstrated new leadership skills to help their peers engage in reflective professional learning focused on improving instruction. A common sentiment among teacher leaders is the realization that facilitating adult learning requires a different set…

Today's school principals face unprecedented challenges that can overwhelm even the most dedicated among them. What can they do when their initial enthusiasm for the job begins to deflate, when the demands of the job seem to outnumber the rewards? How can they regain the energy that propelled them early in their career? "The Principal…

Grounded in a close partnership between a university, school district, and non-profit organization, this 5-year mathematics professional development project involves 27 elementary teachers prepared and supported as Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs). The project aims to develop EMSs who deliver ambitious mathematics instruction in their…

More than a decade of research suggests that improving the quality of instruction and student learning requires leaders to set a vision for instruction, promote teacher learning around that vision, and foster organizational conditions for teacher collaboration and growth (Louis, Dretzke, & Wahlstrom, 2010). Yet designing professional learning…

Effective coaches make time for their own learning. As they systematically engage in professional learning, they develop and deepen their knowledge in areas including the Standards for Professional Learning (Learning Forward, 2011), adult learning principles, and research-based instructional practices. This ongoing learning process doesn't happen…

This is an executive summary of a full report that helps stakeholders of Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) understand and refine the methods used to measure program implementation and outcomes. The full report also contains summative data on the progress of PPfT, having just completed its third year. PPfT first launched district-wide in…

Linking theory and research on positive psychology and positive organisational scholarship, with a focus on positive leadership, this article provides a conceptualisation of teacher leadership as an intentional reflective process of learning to grow wellbeing for self and others. Aligned with increasing international research on the importance of…

"Coming from complexity science, the term emergence describes the dynamic and unpredictable ways through which change unfolds in organizations," writes Shane Safir in this article about how teacher leaders can transform a school's climate and culture. Using Berkeley High School in California as an example, Safir explains how successful…

Teacher leadership is widely thought to be critical to the success of local school improvement efforts. But it is often unclear what teacher leadership entails, precisely. Supported by district-level staff, and with assistance from a university-based research team (the authors of this article), a group of science teacher leaders created a…

The scholarly learning environment that characterizes the Mildred Avenue K-8 School, today seemed impossible five years ago, when the school was among the lowest performing in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Between 2004 and 2013, the average tenure for a principal at the school was just 18 months, with five new principals arriving during those…

In this article, the author describes their experience coaching teacher leaders as part of the NYC Continuous Learning Multilingual Learner Network, which is composed of 33 New York City middle schools working together to strengthen support and outcomes for Black and Latinx multilingual learners who experience the impact of poverty. Network…

Considering the constructs of teacher leadership, the author provides a practical starting point for systematically encouraging and developing teacher leaders using Danielson's framework for teaching.

For many decades, most of the decision-making authority in public schools has been vested in individual principals and other administrators. However, new models of collaborative teacher leadership are beginning to emerge, thanks to four trends: 1) evidence on the positive effects of teacher leadership continues to mount, 2) districts and state…