Teachers are encouraged to "Step into Leadership" because they have a lot to offer, but also a lot to learn. However, many teachers need a push to get started on the path to teacher leadership beyond their classroom walls; therefore, this article provides teachers 10 tips on how to get started and where to look to expand their effect on…

Beyond learning how to manage children in a classroom, new teachers also must learn how to manage relationships with the adults in their school. Every new employee must be socialized into membership of their new work organization. In the case of teachers, that's the school and the district. In a study of beginning teachers in Flanders, the…

Teacher networks are an important lever for helping schools make change. In order to take advantage of teacher networks, principals must map the existing networks in their schools, identifying teachers and others who serve as experts or advice givers, brokers, and advice seekers. Once these are known, principals can decide on a strategy for…

Teachers need to be taught how to collaborate. When the Stamford (Conn.) Public Schools introduced PLCs in the district's 20 schools, they learned of the four roles that districts play when implementing PLCs systemwide: 1) Districts must involve teachers and administrators in developing and leading the PLC process, 2) they must teach…

Through the process of initiating, implementing, and sustaining a schoolwide professional learning community (PLC), teachers and administrators at the pseudonymous Silver Valley Middle School provide a powerful example of distributed leadership in action. New leadership roles, coordination, and interdependency among staff have led to an increased…

A little over a year ago, Sheryl, one of the authors, became a principal for the first time. Her transformation from education professor to elementary principal represented a significant and unusual career progression. Gayle, one of the authors and an elementary school principal for 11 years and a curriculum specialist and classroom teacher for…

Principals have a strong role to play in forming school cultures that encourage change. Changing a school's culture requires shared or distributed leadership and instructional leadership. A multiyear study found that three elements are necessary for a school culture that stimulates teachers to improve their instruction: 1) Teachers and…

Attempts to promote collaboration among teachers conflict with a long tradition of teacher isolation. Defenders of this isolation often argue that such collaboration should be voluntary. However, because the preponderance of evidence suggests that collaboration is better than isolation, professionalism demands that all teachers be required to…

Developing systems and opportunities for effective dialogue is critical if schools wish to help teachers work collectively. One school used Socratic seminars, structured conversations about selected texts. These seminars helped teachers to build relationships, share practice, and change curriculum and policy. The seminars also were critical to…

Despite the norms of privacy that pervade teacher culture and the assumptions of behind-closed-doors independence, teachers actually "need" their colleagues, whether they like it--and them--or not. Teachers are inherently dependent on one another since no one of them alone constitutes their students' education. Students move from teacher to…

Beginning with two different scenarios depicting a face-to-face conference on the one hand and, on the other, a computer or electronic conference, the author argues the advantages of electronic conferencing and describes some of its uses. (JBM)

This article provides a summary of the five major recommendations from the nation's highly accomplished teachers on the problems in staffing high-needs schools. Insights from these teachers reveal that salary incentives alone will not suffice to attract and retain good teachers for high-needs schools. Working conditions matter--most notably,…

Proponents of new theories should not attempt to demolish one another's theories. Instead, they should try to bring about a blend of ideas that would be productive for both science and society. (JBM)

Proposes an exchange program in which professors of educational administration would change places with administrators in the field. Argues that such an exchange would improve each group's image of the other. (IRT)