Development of teacher leadership: a multi-faceted approach to bringing about improvements in rural elementary schools in Pakistan

Abstract

This article reports on a school improvement initiative undertaken by a private university in Pakistan. The Whole School Improvement Programme, designed with the purpose to improve the quality of education appropriate to children and teachers of poor communities, is being implemented in selected elementary schools. Central to the program is capacity-building of teachers as leaders. The program seeks to gain a better understanding into the ways in which teacher leadership can influence school change leading to improved student learning. The program focuses on institutional capacity-building through development of teacher leadership. Twenty teachers were developed as Lead Teachers. The Lead Teachers are responsible for leading the work of school improvement as internal change agents. The immediate impact of the training program on the Lead Teachers was assessed through comparison of pre-course and post-course test data supplemented by qualitative data. Comparison of the data indicated significant impact of the program on the confidence level of the participants in their competence as Lead Teachers. The qualitative data showed that a considerable shift has occurred in how they think about school improvement, how they perceive their role in school improvement and how they judge their abilities to work as Lead Teachers.