Instructional middle leadership: International Approaches for professional development in Chilean schools

Abstract

Although principals leadership has been acknowledged as a relevant factor in achieving satisfactory school development during the last decades (Leithwood, 2009; Supovitz, Sirinides & Henry, 2010), this influence can be also carried out by other agents in schools. Recently, several efforts have been made to understand how certain teachers influence their peers (Bennet, Woods, Wise & Newton, 2007; Blandford, 2006; Busher, Hammersley-Fletcher & Turner, 2007) highlighting their instructional role in assuring the curriculum and the processes of improvement in schools (Busher, 2005a; Heng & Marsh, 2009). The present article, under the Fondecyt regular project n° 1161605, explores the influence expectations of teachers in middle positions in Chilean schools, from a literature review and some international experiences. An analysis of approaches and organizational conditions is made, remarking the opportunities of the teachers mentor role in order to achieve better school performance.