This paper draws upon data from ongoing research drawn from a 3-year project funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (National Foundation for Science and Technology)   (Reference number PTDC/CPE-CED/112164/2009). It relates to existing international literature that has focused upon a vision of teacher leadership as a key element in improvement efforts in Education. Within the view of schools as learning communities, teachers are encouraged to exercise leadership and to engage themselves in improvement and change in the settings in which they work. Rather than focusing only on given roles, responsibilities and structures, teacher leadership is about the ways in which teachers make a difference in their contexts through agency and participation in innovative initiatives at school. It is within this framework that this project was set up. Within this research project, teacher leadership 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. This also includes the analysis of the political and cultural contexts of the development of teacher leadership and teacher professionalism. Drawing upon existing empirical work carried out internationally, the project aims to enhance conditions for teacher leadership based upon 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 teacher professionalism includes the leadership of processes of innovation and improvement in practice. The extent to which teachers are able to engage in strategic action for change depends on the way their professionalism is perceived by themselves and their colleagues and on the conditions for them to exercise leadership, to lead innovations in schools and to transform their educational practice (Lieberman & Miler, 2004; Frost & Durrant, 2002; Frost & Durrant, 2003; Durrant, 2004).

Thus, the goals of the project are: i) to understand the wider social, cultural and political setting and the policy environment in which teachers’ work is framed, especially in terms of challenges and opportunities; ii) to analyse the professional and organisational culture and structures of the schools in which teachers work; iii) to understand the ways in which teachers construct their professionalism; iv) to develop strategies in order to enhance teacher leadership in schools.

Durrant, J. (2004) Teachers leading change: frameworks and key ingredients for school improvement, Leading and Managing 10 (2) pp.10-29 Frost, D. & Durrant, J. (2002) Teachers as Leaders: exploring the impact of teacher-led development work, School Leadership and Management, 22(2), pp. 143-161. Frost, D. & Durrant, J. (2003) Teacher Leadership: rationale, strategy and impact, School Leadership and Management, 23(2), pp. 173-186. Lieberman, A. & Miller, L. (2004) Teacher Leadership, San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass