Many school leaders see teacher buy-in as a prerequisite for implementing meaningful change. But professor of educational leadership, Robert Feirsen, argues that the emphasis on buy-in overshadows a deeper and more community-driven form of participation among teachers--psychological ownership--that facilitates more effective school improvement…

O'Shell offers simple tips and tricks on how to start filming great teacher lessons at your school today. He discusses the best ways to get good video, the language and approach you should use to persuade teachers to participate, and the tools needed to create a gallery of great teaching to use in professional development and other learning…

Jones, an instructional coach, shares ideas for how to make changes in how PD sessions are offered to teachers. PD that empowers rather than bores teachers puts flexibility first, encourages teachers to be active within each session, and provides both sessions tied to specific school priorities and space for teachers to pursue many learning…

Schools who hope to implement a schoolwide behavior management policy should make sure to involve teachers in the process. Sprick and Knight discuss ways that school leaders can get started on developing and executing an overall behavior strategy that gets buy-in from all staff. Forming a leadership team, giving teachers voice and choice, and…

While collective teacher efficacy has potential to improve teacher practice and student learning, there's a risk this concept will be used to further burden teachers through assuming a positive, confident attitude can overcome all barriers to learning--even without good conditions for teaching in place. France argues that collective efficacy must…

Teachers are starting to rebel against passive, one-size-fits-all forms of professional development and form their own learning networks through online platforms, edcamps, and so on. But free-choice learning experiences don't foster a community of shared professional inquiry or learning in a school or district. Rodman describes how any school…

On an unseasonably cool morning in May 2010, scores of educators arrived in a room in Philadelphia. As the group mingled and chatted over coffee, individuals jotted down ideas for learning sessions and pinned them up on a big sheet of paper. The first EdCamp had begun. EdCamps are free, participatory events organized by educators for educators.…

Teacher collaboration and engagement in policy offer hope for improving teacher recruitment, retention, and morale-and for reenergizing the profession. Unfortunately, teacher engagement in education policy is woefully lacking. Research has shown that 70 percent of teachers feel out of the loop in district decision making. "Everyone at the…

As they attempt to make the transition to standards-based grading, many schools go off track or get swamped by side issues, writes Brookhart. They waste energy having hard discussions about grading practice details that, by themselves, cannot accomplish real reform. Instead, schools should focus discussion on major questions: What meaning do we…

Teachers and administrators need opportunities to share perceptions, consider possibilities, and forge solutions. Faculty book groups are a powerful tool to create organic solutions with wide ownership. They are great for spurring true professional development. In this article, the author shares how the teachers at New City School have met…

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…

Studies indicate that students who use materials chosen by their teachers score better than students using materials not chosen by their teachers even when the same materials are used. In one case 45 percent of the teachers studied had no direct involvement in the choosing of materials. (Author/IRT)

A two-year study of professional development recommended that schools build professional development into school life via flexible scheduling and extended time blocks; help teachers assume responsibility for their own professional development; find common ground with the community via resource sharing; and find revenues to support professional…

Welcomes the statements made in another article in this journal as evidence that committed, visionary teachers are present in the schools and are willing to be heard. (PGD)