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Teacher Leadership

Hassel, E.A. & Hassel, B.C. (2009). 3X for all: Extending the reach of education’s best. Chapel Hill, NC: Public Impact. Available at http://www.publicimpact.com/images/stories/3x_for_all_2010-final.pdf

Building on research that suggests top-quintile teachers produce learning gains three times that of bottom-quintile teachers, this report explores how to expand the reach of these great teachers. The authors outline three modes of extending these teachers’ reach: 1) “in-person reach extension” by altering the organization of schools and instructional roles to leverage limited talent; 2) “remote reach extension” through technology that enables direct interaction between the best teachers and students, and 3) “boundless reach extension” by using video technology to reach unlimited numbers of students without teacher interaction. The report then addresses approaches to pursuing these efforts without a large amount of additional resources and at scale.

What you need to know about: Differentiated school roles and responsibilities. (2012, March). Watertown, MA: Education Resource Strategies & The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Available at http://www.ourvoiceourschools.org/sites/346/uploaded/files/Differentiated_School_Roles__032812.pdf

This document advocates for the development of specialized teacher roles—including instructional leaders and mentors—as well as increased opportunities to work with high-priority students in order to retain effective teachers who can reach the greatest amount of students. The article identifies some of the challenges of creating these specialized roles and indicates additional compensation may be needed to attract these teachers, but also provides evidence that supports these models of expanded teacher responsibility. The piece concludes with implications for districts looking to build and expand opportunities for teachers to fill specialized roles.