Teachers are increasingly asked to implement new practices and make changes to current practices. These demands have come from many places—new policies, reform efforts, research––and across various levels, from federal and state to district and school sites. Together, these initiatives have created expectations for school leaders and teachers to juggle multiple changes quickly, often leading to change fatigue or apathy.

In addition to the sheer number of demands for change, these initiatives not always accounted for the specific contexts of school communities. They have also not considered the unique qualities of individual teachers. Teachers come to their classrooms with beliefs, experiences, knowledge, questions, and areas for continued growth. These differences and nuances matter, because they shape how change is implemented and, at times, whether it is implemented at all. Therefore, teachers must be seen as more than implementers. 

Beyond Implementation

If educators are more than implementers of change initiatives, then what role do they play in transforming schools? In schools that value teacher leadership and collective decision-making, teachers are empowered to take on various roles and professional identities. Here, we identify four empowered professional identities: 

• Learners: In a landscape of constant change, empowered teachers are called to be learners, staying current with new curriculum, pedagogy, and practices. They also stay informed on educational policies, movements, and research that are shaping the school’s priorities. Additionally, teachers are listening to and learning about the changing strengths, needs, and dreams of students and families.
• Designers: Empowered teachers take what they learn and consider what it means within their context. Teachers may adapt a research finding into an instructional strategy; they may redesign new curriculum to strengthen their interdisciplinary project-based units; they may adjust their instructional schedule to respond to new technology guidelines. This requires teachers to be designers who shape changes considering their context and schoolwide goals. 
• Researchers: In many instances, research is done on schools, and schools are not active participants in the research. However, empowered teachers use a research–based approach to study how their practices impact student learning and outcomes. They ask questions, collect and analyze data, and examine the implications of their work. As researching teachers, they not only study their own practice but also generate knowledge that can help transform their school and contribute to broader educational knowledge and policy. 
• Decision-Makers: In schools committed to making decisions together, teachers can bring the expertise they have gained through learning, designing, and researching to collaborative spaces to make broader schoolwide change. Teachers are empowered to make student-centered decisions beyond their classrooms, influencing the direction and effectiveness of their school programs. 

What Does It Take to Empower Teachers?

These professional identities do not develop on their own; they require intentional commitment and resources to develop teachers’ ability to learn, design, research, and make decisions together. Teacher credential programs and teacher leadership programs outside of the school are not enough, because they can often feel disconnected from the teachers’ actual work and school context. Empowering teachers to authentically implement changes that advance the school’s vision and mission and improve the learning conditions and outcomes requires ongoing professional development, commitment, and resources at the school site. Here are some recommendations: 

• Time and Resources for Learning: Provide teachers with dedicated time and resources to learn. This might include stipends for book clubs, release days to study new curricula, and time during professional development to engage with new research. 
• Common Language for Implementation and Improvement: Adopt a common language and approach to implementing change. There are many continuous improvement approaches such as Improvement Science, Implementation Science,  or Lesson Studies that can be a good place to start. Teacher Powered Schools have also developed a Design Approach to school improvement that can be a resource to schools. 
• Coaching and Mentorship: Develop opportunities for coaching and mentorship that build teachers’ capacity to design and implement change. Coaching should not be used to monitor implementation and compliance. Rather, these opportunities should prepare and empower teachers to design and implement changes that really make a meaningful difference for students and families.  

Empowering teachers and developing their capacity to make meaningful change for students and families is not easy. It might be easier to mandate practices and check for compliance. However, if we want meaningful change, we must invest in the conditions that allow teachers to learn, design, research, and make decisions together. We must see teachers as more than implementers and empower them to make student-centered decisions that benefit students and families.