This article explores the social and professional dynamics "when teachers face teachers" seeking to impact colleagues' instructional practices to improve student learning. Specifically, it examines a group of 40 teachers leading staff development sessions at their schools in an effort to bring more literacy strategies into the pedagogies of…

The Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) was developed in the late 1990s by the Milken Family Foundation as a schoolwide policy to improve schools by raising teacher quality. Under the TAP model, teachers can earn extra pay and responsibilities through promotion to Mentor or Master Teacher and can earn annual performance bonuses based on a…

The authors conducted a quasi-experimental investigation of effects on achievement by grade-level teams focused on improving learning. For 2 years (Phase 1), principals-only training was provided. During the final 3 years (Phase 2), school-based training was provided for principals and teacher leaders on stabilizing team settings and using…

Eighteen highly accomplished and diverse teachers from across America have spent the last year studying various efforts in creating alternatives in the way that teachers have been traditionally compensated. In this report, these educators offer unique solutions based on their understanding of the professional work of teachers, the best current…

The Mission of the National Writing Project (NWP) is to improve writing and learning in the nation's schools. Through its professional development model, the National Writing Project recognizes the primary importance of teacher knowledge, expertise, and leadership. This annual report features seven educators from urban, rural, and suburban…

Board certified teachers Wade and Ferriter each describe how established teacher leaders helped them break through hesitancy about accepting leadership roles early in their careers. Ferriter was interested in working on education advocacy and school reform, but found only traditional leadership roles like mentoring and running school committees in…

Teacher leaders do not fulfill their potential without the right kinds of support. Using the stories of two teacher leaders, Lattimer describes how school and district administrators succeed and fail at encouraging teachers to take on or withdraw from leadership roles. The two teachers profiled were more likely to assume leadership roles when…

The Executive Director of ASCD joins a group of U.S. educators traveling to Israel on an education mission sponsored by the America-Israel Friendship League. The educators visit the Gesher al Hawadi school, which was established by the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel. Located in an Arab town, the school has equal numbers of…

In 2004, the authors began an evaluation of England's Networked Learning Communities Program--137 self-selected networks, involving over 1500 schools. The focus of their evaluation has been on identifying promising features and processes as they are being implemented in networked learning communities, and ascertaining the importance of these…

Most discussions about special education leadership address the work of principals and district administrators, without reference to the collective and distributed forms of leadership that have taken center stage in contemporary discussions about improving schools. To explore the contributions of and roles for teacher leadership in special…

This essay reviews the powerful influence of professional identity in shaping how school leaders perceive their work. I review factors that mold teacher professional identity, implications for educational leadership pedagogy, and supports and barriers for teacher leaders to consider in their quest to more fully enact bold, socially responsible…

The National Board Certification movement is growing in size and influence, while helping to improve the performance of more students, teachers, and schools. This report reflects presentations, discussions, and follow-up interviews involving participants in the conference, "20/20: Clarifying a Vision for Quality Teaching," held October 22-24,…

Using a qualitative case study approach, the authors explore social justice implications of inservice principals' practices that affect attitudes and empower teachers. If a primary educational goal of progressive schooling is to create and sustain more democratic schools by enabling the growth of teachers as leaders who are responsible for their…

Since the introduction of the Coleman Report (1966), the focus on closing the achievement gap has been a critical component of educational policy for political leaders and field research by educators. The economic crisis which California and the nation at large currently face creates a challenging situation in attempting to narrow the gap.…

Students' literacy achievement tends to lessen as they progress from elementary to middle level to high school as measured by state and national assessments. To ensure that secondary school students retain their literacy skills, many states and districts have created the position of literacy coach for middle and high schools. Literacy coaches are…