Schools Where Teachers Lead

"Develop teacher leadership in your school with the real-world, on-the-job ideas in this book. Principals and other leaders will embrace the practical Lead Now and Do Now sections as they promote shared leadership and improve their own skills. Strategies will help you to motivate teachers to work together, dramatically raising student achievement."--Publisher's description

It is now widely accepted that improving schools invest in teacher leadership and build the capacity for improvement by distributing leadership responsibilities to teachers. In primary, secondary and special schools, teachers are uniquely placed to influence the quality of teaching and learning and they are important gatekeepers to development and change. 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 in which this important form of leadership can be fostered and enhanced. The central message in this book is that teachers play a critical role in leading improvement in the classroom and school level and that this form of leadership contributes directly to raising achievement among learners. This book is crucial reading for all those who are concerned with teacher and school development, school leadership and school improvement.

A road map for teachers who strive to be highly effective leaders in our nation's classrooms Teach For America has fought the daunting battle of educational equity for the last twenty years. Based on evidence from classrooms across the country, they've discovered much about effective teaching practice, and distilled these findings into the six principles presented in this book. The Teaching As Leadership framework inspires teachers to: Set Big Goals; Invest Students and Their Families; Plan Purposefully; Execute Effectively; Continuously Increase Effectiveness; Work Relentlessly. The results are better educational outcomes for our nation's children, particularly those who live in low-income communities. Inspires educators to be leaders in their classrooms and schools Demystifies what it means to be an effective teacher, describes key elements of practice and provides a clear vision of success Addresses the challenges every teacher, in every classroom, faces on a daily basis An accompanying website includes a wealth of tools, videos, sample lessons, discussion boards, and case studies.

Re-envisioning the role, impact, and goals of teacher education programs, this volume immerses readers in the inner workings of an innovative, field-based teacher preparation program in Chicago. Grounded in sociocultural theory, the book documents how teacher educators, school and community partners, and teacher candidates in the program confront challenges and facilitate their students’ learning, development, and achievement. By successfully and collaboratively developing instructional partnerships and embedding programs in urban schools and communities, the contributors demonstrate that it is possible to break the conventional mold of teacher education and better prepare the next generation of teachers.

The introduction of outcomes-based education has necessitated a change in the leadership structures within schools. New education policies have been introduced that are intended to delegate far more authority and responsibility for leadership and management to school leaders than has been the case before. This book draws on the Teacher In-service Project’s experience of working with school leaders who have been engaged in the process of making the adjustment. It challenges school leaders to reflect critically on their own approaches to leadership. The book offers a learning process, rather than merely providing tips or describing facts. It is a companion text to The Learning School, as it offers a practical application of the theory and principles espoused in that text.

Leading Schools Successfully: Stories from the field considers international research focussing on leadership in schools. Based on the ISSPP (International Successful School Principalship Project) which has conducted over one hundred multiple perspective case studies of successful school principals from more than a dozen countries, the book captures the exhilaration of being a principal who grows and sustains success from those practitioners who are acknowledged as exhibiting outstanding leadership. Whilst much is known about successful school leaders, the book reinforces the argument that it is neither possible, nor appropriate, to generalise specific strategies that should be adopted to ensure success for all schools at all times in all settings. Instead, success calls for a high level of judgement, wisdom, artistry and sheer hard work on the part of principals, adapting for their particular context the knowledge about leading schools successfully. Reflection sections in each chapter ask the reader to consider further issues which each chapter raises. Topics considered include: - the importance of school principals to school success - turning around under-performing schools - values-led leadership -sustaining successful leadership - leading in multi-cultural settings - issues and implications for the future. With international contributions from experts in the field, the book offers a new perspective on leadership in schools and will be of interest to school principals and researchers.

The essential guidelines for leading effective change in your school From an education expert comes a much-needed resource that gives teacher leaders the strategies and tools they need to improve their practice and assume new leadership roles in their schools. The author outlines the everyday acts of teacher leadership and shows how to lead effectively through collaboration. The book also contains suggestions for leading change beyond the classroom. Discusses what works when taking on the role of teacher leader in a school Contains proven strategies and tools for implementing school change Includes activities in each chapter that are teacher-tested and can be used by individuals, teams, or larger groups This important resource offers school leaders a much-needed guide for learning how to lead and implement school change.

TEACHING LEADERS TO LEAD TEACHERS: EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION IN THE ERA OF CONSTANT CRISIS In the 21st century, the perceived crisis in how schools educate students significantly influences the decision of teachers to move into administrative positions as well as their ability to succeed once they take on these positions. Influenced by the media, the community and the teacher’s lounge, many good educators are increasingly unwilling or simply unprepared to make the jump into school leadership and management. This book addresses some of the issues that affect school leadership by providing insights into the current state of educational administration in the hope of demystifying or dismissing some of the popular assumptions regarding what really takes place in the administration office. In doing so, this text examines topics related to the preparation and training of prospective administrators, factors that affect the process of leading in learning environments and perspectives on the state and structure of school leadership research and development.