Trusting Teachers with School Success What Happens When Teachers Call the Shots

Lately, our nation's strategy for improving our schools is mostly limited to getting tough with teachers. Blaming teachers for poor outcomes, we spend almost all of our energy trying to control teachers' behavior and school operations. But what if all of this is exactly the opposite of what is needed? What if teachers are the answer and not the problem? What if liberating teachers, and not controlling them, is the key to school success? Examining the experiences of teachers who have already been liberated, this book answers: What would teachers do if they had the autonomy not just to make classroom decisions, but to collectively-with their colleagues-make the decisions influencing whole school success? Decisions such as school curriculum, how to allocate the school budget, and who to hire and fire.Autonomous teachers create the schools that many of us profess to want. They individualize learning. Their students are active (not passive) learners who gain academic and life skills. The teachers make decisions associated with high performance. They accept accountability and innovate, and make efficient use of resources. These promising results suggest: it's time to liberate teachers.