Teacherpreneurs: Innovative Teachers Who Lead But Don't Leave - Softcover

We need a bold new brand of teacher leadership that will create opportunities for teachers to practice, share, and grow their knowledge and expertise. This book is about "teacherpreneurs" highly accomplished classroom teachers who blur the lines of distinction between those who teach in schools and those who lead them. These teacherpreneurs embody the concept that teachers can teach as well as lead the transformation of teaching and learning. It s about empowering expert teachers who can buoy the image of teaching and enforce standards among their ranks while all along making sure that their colleagues as well as education policymakers and the public know what works best for students. The book follows a small group of teacherpreneurs in their first year. We join their journey toward becoming teacher leaders whose work is not defined by administrative fiat, but by their knowledge of students and drive to influence policies that allow them and their colleagues to teach more effectively. The authors trace the teacherpreneurs' steps and their own in the effort to determine what it means to define and execute the concept of "teacherpreneurism" in the face of tough demands and resistant organizational structures.

Teacherpreneurs makes a simple, well-grounded claim: For the students of today and tomorrow to meet 21st-century learning standards, teachers must be transformative leaders. We need a bold new brand of teacher leadership that will create opportunities for teachers to cultivate and share their knowledge and expertise. Enter the teacherpreneur.

This book follows eight teacherpreneurs, observing their journeys toward becoming teacher leaders whose work is defined not by administrative procedures, but by their knowledge of students and drive to influence policies and practices. These personal narratives tell us much about innovative teachers who lead in bold ways but do not leave their classrooms. Teacherpreneurs shows how teachers can be connected, readied, and mobilized to drive the transformation of their profession.

Praise for Teacherpreneurs

"Filled with rich narratives and research, this book is a must-read for teachers, administrators, and researchers, as well as education policy leaders who must invest in teaching to build the profession-wide expertise that our students need and deserve."
—Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University, California

"Our best teachers want to remain teachers, but they also want to help develop colleagues, write curriculum, and have a voice in shaping educational policy at the local, state, and national level. Empowering our most effective teachers to take on broader roles should be a goal of every district seeking reform."
—MaryEllen Elia, superintendent, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida

"Teacherpreneurs envisions a new renaissance for the teaching profession, where the roles of practitioner and leader are synonymous. It is at times poignant, in realistically considering this sacred profession's past and present. But, it is also genuinely powerful, personal—and, most importantly, relentlessly hopeful."
—Jason E. Glass, superintendent, Eagle County Schools, Colorado