Network Logic - Index of

Untangling the threads
districts, and they get paid for their work. Some get involved in
special interest groups on topics of particular concern, such as writing
in bilingual classrooms or improving advanced placement teaching.
Others lead or participate in teacher research groups that meet
throughout the year. Figures indicate that a substantial leadership
cadre develops in each site and that the experience is powerful. 5 As
one teacher consultant explained:
On one level TCs work a lot on their own teaching. The
continued discussions with teachers about teaching, whether
giving a presentation or at meetings regarding new NWP
projects…On another level, you learn a lot about teacher
learning through experience. It is not explicit…you have to
stretch your thinking as a presenter as to what texts and
structures you can use to give your audience a chance to
experience the presentation rather than to watch it.
Moreover, the NWP itself provides opportunities for leadership in the
organisation. At each local site an advisory board of TCs is created
ensuring that the local site stays rooted in teachers’ definitions of their
classroom needs. The UCLA site leadership consists of a director, codirector,
three associate directors (all teachers) and others in the
university who works with schools. Similarly at OSU, several teacher
consultants help create the policies for a year-long programme as they
gain experience and provide an important voice in the development
of the local network.
Summer and year-long programmes
Although all sites hold a summer invitational institute in common,
the types of formats they develop and the content of their
professional development differ in interesting ways. The particulars of
the context place demands on the networks as they respond to state
and local policies as well as to differences in urban, rural and
suburban environments. The social practices learned in the summer
invitational enact and flesh out core values in the sites, allowing
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