As qualified teachers are central to children receiving a high-quality preschool education, many policy initiatives aimed at improving program quality are thwarted when insufficient attention is paid to the professional development of the workforce. One response to this issue has been to create teacher leadership roles so that teachers mentor…

Profound change in school begins with profound change in leaders that radiates to others and into the system. Profound change requires more than structural change--it requires changing the brains of teachers and administrators. Creating such change requires that leaders think, speak, and act differently on a daily basis, clarifying their ideas and…

The study reported in this paper inquired about the extent to which perceptions of teacher leadership were influenced by factors similar to those that influence perceptions of transformational principal leadership. The study consisted of a survey of all staff members in one large school district and interviews with teachers in six secondary…

This book explores how teacher leadership is an intrinsic and important part of school and classroom improvement. It investigates teacher leadership in action and considers the roles, responsibilities and influence of teachers who lead. It considers the implications of teacher leadership for teachers' professional development and focuses on ways…

This book addresses the contemporary realities of schools and teaching, focusing on both the constraints and possibilities embedded in practice. It uses the words and experiences of teachers and principals to show what growth and change look like from the inside, focusing on what change requires, how differences in context and personnel are…

This qualitative case study examines the use of teacher leaders to support fellow teachers in the implementation of a standards-based mathematics curriculum. Empirical and theoretical research advocate that teacher leaders need to internalize and embody seven interdependent leadership roles in order to create real and sustained change. Data were…

A study of two new middle schools demonstrates that reform is difficult to achieve unless teachers are expert in their work, share their expertise, and seek and create new knowledge to support their work. Leading from the center, school leaders figure significantly in expanding learning and developing community even in "teacher-run"…

In this paper, the author discusses the history and mission of the Networked Learning Communities programme of the National College of School Leadership (NCSL). The programme was launched in Autumn 2001. By March the following year 150 Networked Learning Communities made submissions to the NCSL and 41 networks (from Berwick upon Tweed to Penzance)…

I describe a major research program on primary mathematics in the UK, the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Program, and give a sample of some of the preliminary results. The program combines large-scale longitudinal survey and case studies, quantitative and qualitative data, and observation and intervention studies in order to try to ascertain how and…

"Learning to Lead Together: The Promise and Challenge of Sharing Leadership" examines the dilemmas for school leaders and administrators, and the benefits for schools and students, when principals work with teachers (and their communities) to share leadership. Most schools function within existing hierarchical structures that contradict…

This paper examines the demands on teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and practice associated with reforms commonly attempted in high schools and the corresponding opportunities for teacher development. Data come from a study of comprehensive school reform to illuminate the degree of fit between high school reform agendas and teachers' professional…

Some promising educational reforms are aimed at the classroom (strengthening the interaction between students and teachers and enhancing the curriculum). Change models most likely to succeed are those that give teachers, students, and other stakeholders a clear, common vision of their school's direction. When teachers translate visions into…

Describes how one high school implemented schoolwide action research teams as a comprehensive change management strategy to develop teacher leaders, teachers as change agents, and a collaborative reflective culture. The three-year case study showed that work on action research teams did not come naturally or easily, but teachers improved over time…

In this resource, educational coach Karla Reiss helps superintendents, principals, and teachers understand the fundamentals of effective leadership coaching programs that result in long-lasting educational change. Using a balance of theory and practice, Reiss offers 11 core competencies adopted by the rapidly growing coaching profession including…

In 2001, Illinois was one of 15 states across America selected and funded by the Wallace Foundation, in cooperation with the National Council for State Legislatures, National Governors' Association, Education Commission of the States, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Boards of Education, to plan,…