ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to explore teacher unions from the fringe to the centre of discourse on the importance of teacher unions in influencing the future direction of education systems. It examines whether governments and teachers, through the unions which represent them, can work together effectively to create sustained and positive education reform. Particular foci on leadership, including system leadership, collaborative leadership at system level and, teacher leadership have preoccupied more than one summit. Incentives would be offered for teachers working in tough schools together with a moratorium on forms of school evaluation, which threatened punitive consequences for staff. The proposal for system level guidance on teacher leadership was a direct response to Education International’s proposal for a teacher leadership policy framework. The majority of respondents also took what might appear to be a counter-intuitive position to those who believe that unions are solely interested in teachers’ pay, conditions of service or school funding.
