Conference Material

What Have We Learned? Local Systemic Change Initiatives Share Lessons From the Field

II. Professional Development Providers: Purveyors of vision, knowledge, and skills

LSCs rely on a diverse set of professional development providers: Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs) who are released from their classroom responsibilities, classroom teachers, district personnel, university faculty, scientists, museum staff, and others. In part, an LSC's success lies with these persons and their capacity to convey a vision of teaching that is a "novelty" for the majority of teachers. Professional development providers must help teachers feel comfortable using manipulatives and hands- on instructional materials, inquiry- based practices, and new assessment strategies - all in the service of helping students learn important mathematics and science concepts. Because of the central roles played by professional development providers, finding effective ways to select, prepare, deploy, and support them is critical to all LSCs. In fact, the majority of conference participants reported that they had underanticipated the level of effort required in their work with professional development providers.

While HRI sought lessons learned across a variety of types of professional development providers (e. g., teachers, scientists), conference participants' discussions remained firmly centered on teacher leaders - both TOSAs and classroom teachers. As a result, much of the discussion below focuses on these particular groups, although LSCs might apply a number of these lessons across all professional development providers.

A. Identifying Professional Development Providers

     Define the task, and select leaders accordingly.

Professional development providers can assume a myriad of responsibilities: workshop facilitation, materials review, one- on- one coaching and mentoring, materials management, parent and community outreach, and advocacy. Identifying providers requires that LSC staff first and foremost identify the tasks expected of them, differentiating responsibilities and expectations, and making these criteria as specific as possible. What tasks will be assigned to teacher leaders? What will district- level work involve as opposed to school- based work? What "nuts- and- bolts" activities are needed to support implementation? Who can best accomplish the various tasks? The process is tricky, though, and choices may not be obvious. For example, even with intensive professional development, exemplary classroom teachers may not be ready or willing to take on training or leadership roles.

The challenge of identifying teacher leaders "Some teachers I had worked with for 15 years. I thought if I opened the door and extended the opportunity and said 'How would you like to be a leader? You can go here, and learn about this and become an expert' that I'd get some takers. But hardly anyone would do it. I expected a lot more to emerge than did." - PI Interview

     Consider a range of skills and expertise in selecting teacher leaders.

LSCs noted that those selected to be teacher leaders must have prior experience with the instructional materials to have credibility with teachers. Some decisions were easy; the "nobrainer" decisions included the selection of high profile teachers with previous experience in reform- based activities. Other criteria should also play into the selection of leaders, however. For example, projects noted that, for the sake of credibility, LSCs also need to include teacher leaders who are less well- prepared - those who are not necessarily the most knowledgeable in content or the best at teaching, but who have the respect of their peers. Said one PI: "If you don't win those people over, you're dead in the water." While prior experience as professional development providers or with reform were "natural choices," some LSCs found less experienced teachers to be among their strongest teacher leaders; the key was to cultivate commitment and build their reform vision by involving them in professional development planning and design from the outset.

     Plan for multiple levels of leadership.

LSCs cited the need for multiple levels of teacher leadership. Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs) can play key roles in professional development, acting as facilitators, mentors, and coaches, while site- based lead teachers can provide more visibility for reform at the building level. LSCs noted that both levels of teacher leadership are critical to the success of reform, but they also described some of the pitfalls associated with using each group. Figure 1 summarizes some of the strengths and challenges LSCs will likely encounter in identifying and using TOSAs, and some strategies suggested by LSCs for dealing with these dilemmas.

As with TOSAs, conference participants extolled the use of school- based teacher leaders, but also discussed some of the liabilities that projects may encounter in selecting classroom teachers for leadership roles. Figure 2 summarizes some of these challenges, as well as some advice suggested by LSCs.

     Carefully consider the use of existing channels and administrators in selecting teacher leaders.

Given the barriers that prevent teachers from assuming leadership roles, some LSCs suggested identifying leaders through existing channels, such as district science or mathematics committees. Still others asked principals to recommend teachers who might qualify as potential leaders. But LSCs must consider both the advantages and the disadvantages of these strategies. For example, leaders chosen through existing channels may have competing agendas; school or district administrators may have different criteria for selecting teacher leaders. Said one PI who had initially asked principals to identify teacher leaders in each of their schools: "There was no consistency of what the expectations were for those teachers." If LSCs choose to use administrators in the recruitment process, they must ensure that they are "on the same page" as the project, providing principals with explicit criteria for identifying teacher leaders, based on a sound description of roles and expectations for those leaders.

     Look for emergent leaders who demonstrate talent and commitment, and nurture them for more demanding leadership roles.

Some of the suggestions described earlier presume a model based on the selection of teacher leaders in advance for specific roles. To be sure, this strategy gives projects visibility and a tangible set of individuals to work with; further, it allows LSCs to launch their professional development plans with some expediency. But LSCs also need to remain vigilant for leaders who may emerge through a grass- roots process of identification, and to provide deliberate opportunities for this to occur. School- based learning communities were a compelling choice among some LSCs. Nurtured and supported by project staff, these groups were "a tremendous asset" for letting "regular" teachers emerge as leaders. Leadership seminars and other formal professional development opportunities also provided avenues for cultivating emergent leaders. Said one conference participant: "Those leaders that emerge are more likely to be appropriate."

     Plan for turnover and have a deliberate process for bringing new leaders into the fold.

Teacher leaders are key to implementation and sustainability, and conference participants advised including them in planning and design from the outset. But LSCs were also pessimistically clear about what projects should anticipate in their efforts to identify teacher leaders: expect teacher reluctance to take on leadership roles; expect that there will not be as many teacher leaders as you need; and expect burn- out, mobility, and attrition. The lesson in these messages was implicit: build strategies into your model to address these "givens."