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A high-quality curriculum is vital for students to meet academic standards, and educators need professional learning to implement the materials effectively and align their instructional practices accordingly (Chu et ah, 2022; Short & Hirsh, 2020). However, the growing movement for curriculum-based professional learning often overlooks an important resource for implementation: teacher leaders.
Unlike administrators, teacher leaders continue in the classroom while also demonstrating, facilitating, or building capacity among their peers. This positions them well to lead the implementation of new curricula. Unfortunately, many teachers do not see themselves as leaders, nor do their supervisors or the general public (Bybee, 2023).
Recognizing that teacher leaders play an essential role in curriculum adoption and implementation, the Chicago Public Schools Department of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) partnered with Loyola University Chicago's Center for Science and Math Education to create a system of professional learning designed to advance teachers' practice while also explicitly enhancing their leadership capacity.
A cornerstone of this effort was the science master teacher leader cohort, a group of science teachers in the district who worked collaboratively with the Center for Science and Math Education and with each other. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the group built a program that addressed common gaps in the field by defining teacher leadership, attending to issues of diversity and equity, and detailing leadership preparation components (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). That effort is paying off in improved instructional strategies and teachers' leadership development.
ESTABLISHING CRITERIA, NAVIGATING CONSTRAINTS
The district sought to recruit experienced science teachers to participate in 25 hours of professional learning yearly, with the plan that teachers would participate in the cohort for multiple years and new teachers could be recruited to account for attrition.
We invited teachers to apply to the master teacher leader cohort if they had demonstrated expertise in instruction aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), knowledge about Amplify Science (the K-8 science curriculum chosen by the district's science leaders and teachers), or leadership potential.
The targeted outcome goals for the cohort were:
1. Develop a community that shares and reflects on the key components of high-quality science instruction;
2. Engage in collaborative learning cycles of planning, implementing, and reflecting on instructional strategies; and
3. Reflect and...