Teacher leadership is key in enhancing teacher professionalism and in fostering a culture of transformation in schools. It involves not only teachers leading learning in their classrooms, but also leadership of innovation and the building of professional knowledge within and beyond their classrooms and schools. Such a view also includes the analysis of the political and cultural contexts of the development of teacher leadership and the ways in which cultural factors shape the strategies that can support it. In other words, it is important to look at existing conditions for teacher leadership considering the following principles, amongst others: i) teachers are key elements in the change process; ii) schools are learning communities in which (distributed) leadership may be enhanced; iii) schools as learning communities are most likely to enable children to become educated, capable and active citizens; iv) the reform of education systems is most likely to be successful when teachers’ professionalism includes the leadership of processes of innovation and improvement in practice. In this paper, findings from a nationwide research project will be presented and discussed. It reports on findings from a 3-year research project aimed at investigating the impact of school leadership on teachers’ work and on pupils’ outcomes. Data are drawn from a survey to teachers (n=841) and focus group with teachers (n=17). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 29, focusing on means and standard deviations to identify trends in leadership practices and school conditions. Content analysis was used to make sense of qualitative data. Findings point to the key role of leadership for learning by improving school and classroom conditions for an effective culture of innovation. The role of the headteacher in creating opportunities for teachers to exercise leadership and to share practice is key to enhance teacher leadership in schools and classrooms. Such a view implies the reinforcement of the pedagogical dimension of leadership and of teachers’ work rather than the bureaucratic and administrative one. Added to this is the importance of teachers in making a difference in their schools by exercising leadership through developmental work and projects closely linked to their practice.

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