Teacher leaders are often responsible for providing professional development to improve teacher effectiveness and student learning. Leading professional development for teachers can be highly effective when the focus is on student learning in on-going and relevant contexts. This article describes a school-based, teacher-led collaborative process…

This embedded case study examines the leadership practices of eleven teacher leaders in three urban schools to identify how these teacher leaders attempt to change the teaching practice of their colleagues while working as professional learning community leaders and as mentors for new teachers. Using a theoretical framework integrating complex…

Teacher leaders are positioned to help other teachers reflect on their practice, try new pedagogical approaches, and work through instruction-related struggles--ultimately, leading to a change in instructional practice. In order to be effective in their new leadership roles, however, teacher leaders need support in developing leadership skills and…

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…

Scholars in recent years have studied the professional development of teachers, identifying stages or phases that teachers characteristically experience during their careers. Little research, however, has focused specifically on the professional development of teachers during early and mid-career (years 1-10), which is the aim of the present…

This study investigated the collaboration of five science teacher leaders in a vertical group, supported by a grant-funded teacher leadership professional development program. It utilized video artifacts of teaching and transcriptions of collaborative meetings to answer the following research question: What happens when science teachers in a…

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 qualitative study investigated in-service teachers' perceptions of a cohort- mentoring program leading to certification in English as a Second Language (ESL). Interview data from 19 members of a single cohort at a large, urban university showed that participants valued both the support and augmented skills-development that they felt the…

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…

The process of change and its effect is documented in this dissertation research project through the eyes of classroom teachers and the effect that the changes had on them personally, practically, and professionally. The three areas of simultaneous systemic change were: reduction of class size, technology integration, and collaborative leadership…

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…

In recent years, teacher collaboration has emerged as an important strategy to drive improvement, informed by research showing how on-the-job interactions can boost teacher development and effectiveness. Schools across the United States are adjusting their professional cultures and workplace practices in response, creating formal opportunities for…

In this latest continuation of our multipart symposium on teacher leadership, we examine what happens when self-defined teacher leaders become school administrators. Do teacher leaders who become administrators maintain a teacher identity? Can they remain committed to their vision of teacher leadership when they take on the normative requirements…

"Transformative Teachers" offers an insightful look at the growing movement of civic-minded educators who are using twenty-first-century participatory practices and connected technologies to organize change from the ground up. Kira J. Baker-Doyle highlights the collaborative, grassroots tactics that activist teachers are implementing to…