Metacognition, in the sense of knowingthemselves and their preferences for styles of teaching and school governance, willenable teacher candidates to interview prospective principals, rather than the otherway around. A poor match between teacher candidate and school environment, asthis study did show, encourages high efficacy teachers to transfer to other schoolsrather than leave the profession

On the other hand, the findings also suggest that positive school environmentsare not enough in themselves to support struggling teachers.

Teacher induction programs that organized much of the contentinto sessions prior to the school year had unfavorable reviews by several teachersbecause it was too much information to take in at one time, and it detracted fromthe teachersí desire to get their classrooms ready.

Mentoring components in teacher induction programs have apowerful impact on beginning teachers. Conversely, traditional induction pro-grams that focus on transmitting knowledge in a short period of time have limitedutility in enhancing the learning of novice teachers.

Other singular themes emerging from an analysis ofthis data were their ability to collaborate with other teachers and parents, take onleadership positions and volunteer to help out at school functions. The leadershippositions taken on by this group of teachers were characterized for the most part ascreating new programs and directing new initiatives. Several of the candidates weredepicted as passionate about teaching, knowledgeable and able to ìsee the bigpicture.

When schools partner with universities in theinduction process and teacher reflection is a primary focus, increased teacher retentionrates have been demonstrated

Thus,teachers need knowledge of how to reflect as well as time to think about their practice,both of which are essential to oneís ability to problem-solve and cope with challenges.

An important aspect of this research on self-efficacy is its relationship to a noviceteacherís ability to effectively think about, cope with, and solve problems that arisein the classroom setting.

Thus, it seems logical to conclude that if a teacherísphilosophy is not in line with a schoolís shared vision then a teacher must make achoice to join the collective group stance, align him or herself to minority opposingviews, or leave either the school or teaching profession entirely

administrative and parental support); (2) career competence and skills; (3) personalownership of careers (ability to solve problems, set goals, and help students); (4)sense of accomplishment (experiencing success); and (5) sense of humor

Growing evidence also suggests that teachers who lackadequate preparation to become teachers are more likely to leave the profession

Time for collaboration is also essential, particularly regulargrade-level and departmental team meetings that designcurriculum within and across grade levels and caucus aboutstudents’ needs.

it simply means that, like adults, studentsthrive in environments where their work has intrinsic value,meaning, and applicability beyond the classroom.An intellectually engaging curriculum that is challengingand connected to real-world issues supports in-depthreflection and engagement while providing better supportfor postsecondary education and the work world

ssessments such as Socraticseminars, exhibitions, and projects result in tangibleproducts and encourage learners to draw on multiple kindsof knowledge in order to demonstrate higher order andintegrated learning.

Students learn more effectively if they understand howthey learn and how to manage their own learning

urthermore, research has shown thatwhen students learn about the malleability of the brain—and the fact that intelligence is not static but is constantlydeveloped—it can actually improve their performance inschool (Trzesniewski and Dweck 2007; Boykin and Noguera2011)

The problem is often exacerbated by theprevalence of unskilled teachers who frequently departwithin the first few years of teaching. To compensate forhigh teacher turnover and a lack of highly skilled teachers,many districts have adopted highly scripted “teacher proof”curricula. Such approaches cannot reach deeper learninggoals, and they generally fail to develop the capacityof teachers to teach the more sophisticated curriculumneeded to develop higher-order thinking skills in students.

To the degree that deeper learning remains unavailableto students of color and children of low-income families,America will never be able to solve its equity dilemma. Theevidence is clear: students will only acquire the skills tobe truly college and career ready if they have access to ahigher-level curriculum.

As an alternative, Sizer and others called foreducators to choose “depth over breadth” by emphasizinginstruction in critical thinking, problem solving, and other“habits of mind” that would foster lifelong learning as wellas the ability to acquire and use knowledge to tackle newproblems and develop new ideas, products, and possibilities

In this paper, we define equity as the policies and practices that ensure that every student hasaccess to an education focused on meaningful learning (i.e., that teaches the deeper learning skillscontemporary society requires in ways that empower students to learn independently), taughtby competent and caring educators who are able to attend to the student’s social and academicneeds, and supported by adequate resources that provide the materials and conditions for effectivelearning (Darling-Hammond et al. 2014)

In short, successful implementation of these major newpolicy initiatives will need to overcome inequities in funding,learning opportunities, and learning conditions that arepervasive in the American educational system and thatcontribute to the persistence of the so-called “achievementgap.

Among the mostprominent are two initiatives that call for fundamental changes in the areas of curriculum andassessment

Principals can shift their efforts from serving as instructional leaders to developingteacher leaders and ensuring schools are organized to maximize the spread of effectivepractices.Teachers can take responsibility for their own and their colleagues’ learning andeffectiveness, as is the case at SJHA and other teacher-powered schools—and theirunions can forge collective bargaining agreements to identify and recognize those whoare best at doing so.Next stepsNext stepsEvery education stakeholdercan help to advance teacherleadership for the kinds ofschools that all studentsdeserve.

The seven domainswere identified by MarkSmylie and Jon Eckert asconsultants to the Centerfor Teaching Quality.For a more detailedreview of the literatureundergirding theseconditions, see theirpaper, “A frameworkfor teacher leadershipdevelopment and aclose look at schoolorganizational conditionsthat may support orimpede it,” presented atthe 2014 Annual UCEAConvention.Conditions needed for teacher leadershipTEACHER LEADERSHIPSeven conditions for

A recent survey of100,000 teachers from 34 nations found that U.S. teachers are far less likely tosee one another teach, and far more likely to have an administrator, not a peer,offer them feedback on their teaching. 47 In the U.S., 50 percent of teachers havenever observed a colleague and offered feedback. In Japan, a mere 6 percent cansay the same

She shares five transformative takeawaysthat now inform her daily work:An effective teacher leader community isabout the “do,” not the “be.” I’ve learned tofocus on solutions, and how to take the “sowhat?” to the “now what?” phase.Teacher leaders push each other to bebetter through support and feedback ratherthan competition. I’ve learned to seek, trust,care about, then elevate, the potential inothers.Teacher leaders take their work andexpertise outside their classroom. I’velearned it’s no longer enough to just dowhat we do and that sharing is advocacy.Teacher leaders need to be authenticbecause people and the human elementmatter deeply.We as teacher leaders have a responsibilityto support and encourage others using ourhands, hearts, and voices. I’ve learned thatwe must always, always, lift as we rise.

Finally, fueled by the nontraditional leadership ofthe principal and teachers, SJHA partners witha number of organizations. For example, the LosAngeles Education Partnership (LAEP) supportsthe school’s professional development effortsby helping its busy teachers lead subject-focusedretreats, action research, and visits to other schoolsites that utilize the Humanitas interdisciplinarystrategy. In addition, the school partners with theEduCare Foundation, which supports teachersin building close relationships with students (andwhich currently employs three SJHA alumni to workwith students at their alma mater), and Youth SpeakCollective, which helps ensure all students haveopportunities to improve their communities anddevelop leadership skills

Forexample, faculty members teach in teams and drawon Japanese Lesson Study to assess one another’spractice.

Teachers set the school’s vision,determine the curriculum and assessments, approvethe annual budget, select and evaluate the principal,and hold one another accountable for studentlearning through peer review. SJHA teacherscollectively and annually write an Election-to-Work Agreement (EWA) that outlines the school’steaching and learning conditions, which arevery different from those found in the district’scollective bargaining agreement with its unions.

If any single factor is central to deeper learning,it is not the integration of technology but theinvolvement of teachers who have both pedagogicalexpertise and a thorough understanding ofstudents, families, and communities.

That said, deeper learning is not “about”technology—although digital tools can provideteachers and students with powerful “assists.”

Atthe end of World War II, knowledge was doubling every 25 years—now it is doing soevery 12 months. 23 In addition, today’s students must prepare for a future in which theyare likely to hold a dozen or more jobs. And more and more of those jobs will requireworking through complex problems rather than applying simple formulas to routinetasks.The promiseof deeper learningSocial Justice Humanitas Academy,a teacher-powered school Los Angeles, CAThe promise of deeper learning

hey see teaching as their life’s calling, theGallup survey showed that teachers “scored deadlast” among 12 occupational groups in agreeing withthe statement that their opinions count at work.11 Anincreasingly discontented teacher workforce—whofeel disconnected from decisions relevant to theirjobs—is unlikely to be able to exercise the energyand enthusiasm to engage students in deeperlearning

And shortcut training programshave created pathways for new recruits to enterteaching, but they have not improved quality orretention. 6

schooling in America mustdo much, much more than mass-produce a workforce conversant in basicskills. Deeper learning offers students opportunities to master importantconcepts and facts—and also to think critically, tackle sophisticated problems,and effectively communicate what they know and can do. It is about gettingready for the complex global economy—and also for responsible adulthoodand citizenship in our democracy. It is about being ready for a world ofaccelerating and unparalleled change.

It’s time for America’s young people—all of them, not just a privileged few—to takepart in deeper learning.1 And it is time for policymakers and practitioners to createthe system of teacher leadership necessary for them to do so.