The landscape of teacher leadership in school improvement is a changing landscape that is getting more complex over time. As teachers are expected to take on more roles school improvement efforts, there is a particular need to know if and how they are prepared to meet the increasing demands of their jobs. This paper discusses the role of teacher…

Educational demands of the 21st century make it indispensable to reevaluate the traditional models of management and leadership in schools and focus on pedagogical aspects, distributed leadership, participative school development and teachers' professional growth. Pedagogical leadership includes these aspects and it is emerging, within the…

The Better Math Teaching Network (BMTN) is looking to transform high school math instruction in New England and beyond. Through this network, researchers and practitioners are working together to make high school Algebra I classes more student centered. This report outlines findings from the first year of this developmental evaluation of the…

The research presented in this study examined what happened when I, as a building administrator, created and supported opportunities for teachers to emerge as leaders with the capacity to support each other, how my engagement with teachers as a building administrator promoted collaborative leadership and learning, and how making the classroom a…

This article focuses on support for teacher leadership using a model adapted from the HertsCam teacher Led Development Work programme. It explores the question of the limitations of 'policy borrowing' but addresses this in a way which reveals a great deal about the potential links between teacher leadership and emancipation. Programmes to support…

This report presents key lessons from the third year of the Better Math Teaching Network (BMTN), a networked improvement community aimed at improving student-centered instructional practices. As a networked improvement community, BMTN educators use a collaborative work approach and quick-cycle testing to refine instructional routines, adjusting…

This memo, which is the sixth in the series, highlights the ongoing work of the Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD) to create an ecology of equity. Their efforts focus on developing a school system that fosters a belief in each person's capacity to learn (administrators, teachers, and students alike) and increases students' opportunities for…

This paper examines the role of teachers and organizational structures in implementing a growth mindset initiative in three urban high schools in the southwestern United States. Drawing from a larger study of a locally-designed initiative, we use a longitudinal, case study approach to study evidence of how understanding of growth mindset…

This case focuses on the complexity of change and improvement within schools with a particular emphasis on the role of the principal and a science teacher leader. Although current rhetoric suggests that school improvement should happen quickly and consistently, research indicates that it is difficult, context specific, and incremental. In fact,…

This report focuses on systems thinking and its place in education transformation. It reflects on key published literature and on specific outputs from the Education Development Trust's own programme of research. The report offers an overview of the evolution of systems thinking and the relevance for policymakers and practitioners as they tackle…

As the limitations of individual leadership have become evident, distributed leadership has attracted increased interest. Since the early 1980s, school principals in Sweden have distributed responsibility for improving pedagogical practices to teacher leaders, and the legal scope for such delegation has further expanded since 2010. Nevertheless,…

Over the past 20 years, federal and state reforms have drawn on heavy-handed attempts to close the achievement gap through top-down management of teachers. Such approaches have often included high-stakes accountability systems that mandate what to teach and how to teach it and that evaluate teachers on the basis of annual standardized test scores.…

"Pathways to Teacher Leadership" investigates emerging patterns in the development and effectiveness of teacher leadership.What roles do teachers pursue as they seek to lead change in their schools? What pressures and challenges do emerging leaders face? How can principals and peers support effective teacher leadership? Marya R. Levenson…

A recent survey found that while 86 percent of urban school districts have teacher leader roles, only 32 percent offered specialized training for teachers stepping into those roles. Developing strong and effective teacher leaders who can guide their colleagues to success should be central to any school improvement strategy, but it requires far…

Those closest to students have the greatest impact on their success. Given this belief, Louisiana has focused its efforts to support and empower principals in their role as school leaders. Successful principals reflect and plan, using data throughout the year to set goals and improve instruction. The Department helps principals develop their…