This paper reports the findings of three integrated studies initiated by principal/researchers in an elementary, middle, and high school. The purpose of integrating the studies was to compare and contrast teacher leadership in the following areas: characteristics of teacher leadership, motivation for teachers to assume leadership roles, supports…

Volunteers play an integral role in supporting the mission of 4-H programs in the southern region. For this reason their proficiency in volunteer administration competence and perceived leadership style is important. The researchers sought to examine both the perceived proficiency of 4-H faculty in the southern region in seven competencies…

This report presents the results of a study that examined the role and activities of reform coaches. Positions for reform coaches have been developed in a number of schools and districts in the San Francisco Bay Area through the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC). The study examined the reform coach role, the functions it provides to the…

This study looked at teachers in their 2nd-4th years of teaching to compare their professional activities with what current studies indicate are teacher leadership behaviors and characteristics. The study sought to determine whether the University of Southern California's teacher preparation program taught the professional skills that elementary…

Describes one principal's success at helping teachers guide reform in a Wisconsin elementary school by creating, with the help of his teachers, a school that abolished age-based grade levels and traditional grades for some students. The paper describes what it takes to create a successful program that encourages teacher collaboration. A sidebar…

A true leader is not grounded in control, but believes in shared decision making and power. Today's principals should develop leadership skills in others and let them help lead school reform. A Carrollton, Texas high school formed a leadership team comprising staff, students, parents, and the community. (MLH)

New DEEL does not refer to a specific policy or reform, but rather to an ideology, unencumbered by international borders and domestic politics. In this paper, we first endeavor to identify the rhetoric of New DEEL and social justice, and the reality of its implementation in schools today; spending time on the NCLB Act which we postulate is a major…

Teacher leadership is increasingly being seen as a key vehicle for school improvement and renewal. However, research on this phenomenon is limited, especially outside of the US. This article presents findings from an empirical study of teacher leadership in the UK, aimed at exploring both the ways in which teacher leadership can influence school…

Purpose: The authors adapted distributed cognition theory to provide a detailed account of how school leaders use knowledge of the new programs, existing initiatives, and school contexts to guide policy implementation. Research Design: The study used distributed cognition theory to show how policy implementation studies provide an occasion to…

This report pays tribute to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSIs), an investment of more than $140 million to improve mathematics and science education in some of rural America's most impoverished communities. The report illustrates the impact of NSF's RSI program on a national scale. Each RSI planned a project…

This book examines the emerging roles of teachers whose classrooms reflect a rapidly changing society. Teachers are seen as needing to: be expert in both content and pedagogy; be committed to professional behavior; facilitate conditions for student learning; challenge students' thinking through appropriate questioning strategies; extend the…

Beginning in September, 2001 when the Portland Public Schools received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Urban Systemic Program (USP) initiative, the district focused, accelerated and strengthened its efforts to improve mathematics and science education K-12. Since its inception the authors at Inverness Research…

This collection of papers reports on the emerging thinking in staff development and organizational learning in schools and districts, framing issues which have critical implications for staff development. There are 10 papers in four sections. Section 1, "Context," features: (1) "School Reform Requires a New Form of Staff…

This paper examines what it would take to expand the number of teacher leaders in mathematics, noting that one of the major obstacles facing reform in mathematics education is the lack of adequate preparation among teachers currently teaching mathematics. The paper highlights experiences that have promoted the development of three middle school…

This study examined 10 urban middle school teacher leaders who played significant roles in their districts' and states' large-scale standards reform efforts. Interviews, observations, and shadowing were conducted during the first year to examine the teachers' scope of work. Observations focused on teachers working with a range of students and with…