DEVELOPING CAPACITY WITHIN A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BRING ABOUTCHANGE THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teacher professional development is important for supporting teachers to change their teaching practices. However, the effectiveness of the professional development depends upon teachers actually making changes in how they teach. Teachers need support within their school settings to create these changes. Therefore, cultivating capacity within the institutional setting of the school district is an important component of professional development. This article examines how boundary encounters between district leaders, teachers and professional developers/researchers can develop capacity for change within an institutional setting. The role of district leaders as brokers within a professional teaching community and the district leadership community is highlighted. This analysis contributes to the discussion on how institutionally established boundaries of communication can be broken to increase the speed, flexibility, and integration of new and innovative ideas. This paper documents how district leaders, researchers/professional developers and teachers working together can generate knowledge and resources to create an environment for changing math instruction within the institutional context of the school district.