On October 21, 2006, more than 200 Washington National Board Certified Teachers[R] (NBCTs) assembled in Seattle to address the vexing problem of recruiting and retaining accomplished teachers for high-needs schools. Before the Summit, NBCT participants read a number of background papers and research summaries. At the Summit, they listened to the…

A recent study shows that effective middle-level principals identify key teacher leaders and involve them in the decision-making process. Informal teacher leaders are key in developing programs, climate, and curriculum within a school. Without teachers' acceptance, a program is doomed. To initiate change, principals must first sell their concept…

Challenged to increase leadership opportunities for teachers, an El Paso elementary school principal appointed two master teachers to a vice-principal vacancy, increased teacher collaboration time, and experimented with vertical-team representation, teacher input for hiring decisions, and creative scheduling. Only the principal can actually…

As part of a comprehensive qualitative study of 6 schools noted for teacher leadership 28 respondents were interviewed. It was noted that teacher leadership often involved the mutual influence between teacher leaders and principals. These influences are discussed from the perspectives of each of the 6 schools and respondent status as teacher…

We analyse two narratives of teacher-facilitator teams producing elementary science curricula and disseminating them to their peers. We draw on these stories to interpret how teacher-facilitators position themselves with respect to other educators (e.g. peer teachers and development-team members), to real and imagined students and parents, to…

This inquiry examines the personal attribute and environmental factors that contribute to and impede science teacher-leader development. Using a narrative approach, the inquiry focuses on the experiences of three teachers in three different New Zealand primary schools (years 1-6) as they develop in their capabilities as science teacher-leaders…

This newsletter defines teacher leadership and offers concrete ways teachers can step forward, sometimes out of their comfort zones, into leadership roles. In most schools, traditional structures are in place that define certain teachers as leaders such as department heads and grade-level team leaders. Many schools also have a leadership team,…

Presents findings of a study exploring the development of new working relationships between teacher leaders and their principals. Uses a micropolitical perspective to document the interests and prerogatives brought by both parties to the new relationships. Raises important issues concerning the principal's role in teacher leadership development…

In 2004, the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) provided The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) with an initial look at the performance of Leadership and Urban Network for Chicago (LAUNCH) and principals and teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), two leadership programs that were just…

The purpose of this study is to describe how 24 elementary and middle school teacher leaders analyzed standardized achievement test scores, utilizing four different approaches: comparing to the norm, analyzing trends, correlating data, and disaggregating data. The analyses were conducted in order to effect positive change in student learning and…

Borrowing from theories of adult organizations, investigates how teacher leadership style is related to use of power, social climate, and student-affective performance in a sample of 678 classrooms in 190 Hong Kong primary schools. A teacher's leadership and use of power are interrelated in leading a class of students. Also, leadership style is…

Summarizes a case study revealing divergent judgments of a teacher career ladder in two junior high schools. Educators in the two sites strongly disagreed over how "reformed" tasks and responsibilities influenced instruction and student learning. A deductive case analysis disclosed individual/group dynamics embedded in group role perceptions.…

One criticism of school-based management is that teachers are being asked to make disjointed decisions rather than decisions tied together by a common vision of change. This article discusses SBM's influences in changing school culture and presents a model embodying teacher-leader cooperation to change school policies and practices and adopt a…

For 22 years, at 166 sites around the world, over 1 million teachers have been teaching each other in nearly identical National Writing Project summer institutes. This article discusses the lessons learned about teacher leadership, the qualities of worthwhile staff development, writing instruction, and educational reform's bumpy landscape. (MLH)

The increasing complexity of the principal's job makes distributing leadership (among teachers, coaches, and literacy specialists) a survival tactic and a sound organizational strategy. Distributive leadership benefits principals who generally lack time to commit to particular initiatives and the content/instructional expertise to implement…