Teacher Leadership in the Aftermath of a Pandemic: The Now, The Dance, The Transformation
Independent Report written to inform the work of Education International
Across the globe the COVID-19 pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside-down. This includes anyone involved in public schooling — students, parents, or educators. The pandemic has exposed gross inequities in public education systems, and the power of teacher networks and leadership from, by, and for teachers.
Teachers, as they physically distance from their students and each other, have double-down on their social networks to spread innovations in teaching and learning as well as family engagement. It is time for school systems, worldwide, to capitalize on and serve the kind of teacher leadership needed to place students at the center of their learning.
Our recommendations are grounded in science of learning, the research on how teachers spread their expertise and lead, and evidence of how classroom experts are collaborating as well as how the world’s medical expertise is foreshadowing the future. We call for three waves of action – The Now, The Dance (part past/part future) and The Transformation.