ABSTRACT
Teacher leadership is essential to the task of restructuring American schools for the twenty-first century. Barth envisions the school of tomorrow as a community of leaders, a place in which students, teachers, parents, and administrators all become school leaders in various ways. Many educators are already engaged in serious initiatives to restructure education, as states and districts across the United States are seeking to invent schools for the twenty-first century. The mission of schools for the twenty-first century is not merely to "offer education," but to connect with all learners. Genuinely accountable schools will be engaged in continual inquiry about practice and in ongoing teacher assessment of students regarding how they are growing, learning, and performing. The National Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools at the University of Wisconsin lists six of these major goals. Teachers assumed more professional responsibilities, and schools took on new shapes conducive to professional teaching.
