This paper arises from an investigation of teacher leadership in secondary schools in Kazakhstan. The research is conducted in the context of a rapidly changing policy environment and a climate of reform (Bridges, 2014). Although teaching has long been recognised as an important profession in Kazakhstan, the idea of teachers exercising leadership does not feature in public discussion the teaching profession. The growth of interest and discussions about teacher leadership in the international literature suggests that it should be brought into the debate in Kazakhstan. Consequently this paper explores the potential for developing non-positional teacher leadership (Frost, 2014) in schools in Kazakhstan. The discussion draws on an analysis of the experience of a range of stakeholders including teachers, students and school administrators in two Kazakhstan schools. The analysis focuses on respondents’ perceptions of the potential for teacher leadership and the conditions on which it might flourish. The paper seeks to identify the factors could facilitate and enhance teacher leadership in the country.

Bridges, D. (Ed.) (2014) Education Reform and Internationalisation: the case of Kazakhstan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Frost, D. (2014) Transforming Education Through Teacher Leadership. Cambridge: LfL the Cambridge Network.