Transforming education through teacher leadership
Publications
Not only are the members of the HertsCam Network committed to education transformation, but also to scholarships which have led to the writing of all kinds and a wide range of publications including:
Not only are the members of the HertsCam Network committed to education transformation, but also to scholarships which have led to the writing of all kinds and a wide range of publications including:
- Teachers as Agents of Change – published in 2018 and documents the innovative HertsCam MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning.
- Empowering teachers as agents of change – also known as ‘the blue book’, this work includes chapters by teachers about their development projects. The blue book is also available in several other languages here.
Doctoral studies focusing on HertsCam
David Frost was a member of the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, for more than 20 years during which time he supervised many doctoral candidates. Among these were several whose studies focused on the non-positional teacher leadership work within HertsCam and the International Teacher Leadership initiative. The dissertations/theses resulting from these doctoral studies are now available electronically and are outlined below. |
Publications focusing on the MEd
Critical reflection and analysis of the HertsCam MEd programme have occurred through the writing and publication of several papers including journal articles, conference papers and book chapters. Such publications have involved systematic reflection and self-evaluation and, in some cases, external scrutiny from researchers. Exposure through publication and peer review has enabled the team to test out their ideas. Publications in which the MEd has featured can be accessed below. |
The Blue Book - Empowering teachers as agents of change
Published in 2017, 'Empowering teachers as agents of change: a non-positional approach to teacher leadership' was edited by David Frost and includes chapters by teachers about their development projects and accounts from teachers about their programmes of support for teacher leadership. The Blue Book is available in English and also: Thank you to the Open Society Foundation for funding this project and Dr Hanan Ramahi at the American School of Palestine in Ramallah for facilitating this. Thank you to the Open Society Foundation for funding this project, Gordana Miljevic for the translation and to the Centre of Education Policy in Belgrade for their administrative support. Thank you to the Soros Foundation in Almaty, Kazakhstan for initiating this project as well as translating the book and distributing copied to many countries across Central Asia.
Although there are some negative comments in the media about George Soros, we have been fortunate to work with him and the Soros Foundation through funding and practical support. A more balanced picture can be found in the three articles from the New York Post, the Washington Post and the Guardian, click here. |
Teachers as Agents of Change
A masters programme designed, led and taught by teachers This book, edited by David Frost, Sheila Ball, Val Hill and Sarah Lightfoot, was published in 2018. It documents the innovative HertsCam MEd in Leading Teaching and Learning and how the programme impacts leader leadership and the positive effects it has on student learning. To find out more about our MEd programme, click here.
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Education in Palestine: Current Challenges and Emancipatory Alternatives
A study by Hanan Ramahi
Introduction by David Frost
The title of an important book by Michal Apple poses the question: Can Education Change Society? The answer is ‘yes’ of course, but as Apple’s analysis reveals, the relationship between education and society is complex. Those involved in the Education for All campaign (www.unesco.org) argue that education is the key to prosperity and peace, but we know that the scale of the challenge is enormous. Many millions of children across the world are denied access to schooling, but there are even more who, while being enrolled in school, are not actually being educated. This can be explained by the fact that what many children are offered in school is entirely unsuited to their needs and circumstances (UNESCO, 2014).
The circumstances that are the starting point for Hanan Ramahi’s study are daunting. The challenges faced by Palestinian society seem, on the face of it at least, to be insurmountable, so it would be naïve to suggest that they can be overcome simply by improving the quality of education. However, this report, while looking the harsh reality in the eye, is nevertheless full of hope. It provides a sharp and uncompromising analysis of the problem, but it also presents a wealth of possibilities.
The case studies assembled here show that education has the power to emancipate on many levels, even in the face of massive repression and systemic injustice. Given what Hanan Ramahi tells us about the political situation in Palestine, it may be expecting too much to hope that coherent policies on education will emerge any time soon. However, one thing we know about educational change is that coherent policies, together with specific objectives that are single-mindedly pursued by those at the top, can do more harm than good. It might actually be more fruitful simply to enable the sort of passionate activists, advocates and educational innovators referred to in this report to continue to innovate and to share their ideas so that education for emancipation can grow organically.
The case for emancipatory education is well made in this report and the examples presented are inspiring. It seems clear to me that readers of this report will be persuaded that educational innovation, as it is exemplified here, has an essential role to play in the cause of Palestinian freedom.