Instructional leaders at the middle tier of education systems
Learning is one of the biggest drivers of change in our world. At IIEP, we look within the system to see how to scale up best practices and maximize the potential of middle-tier professionals.
By doing this, middle-tier professionals provide invaluable support and leadership to teachers. Acting as mentors, coaches, or network facilitators, they help link policies to classroom realities, enhance the professional culture within and across schools, and improve teaching and learning outcomes.
Why research instructional leaders?
A growing concern for education policy-makers is how to improve teaching and learning quality at scale. Introducing or strengthening instructional leader roles at the middle tier of education systems may be part of the solution.
In a research collaboration with Education Development Trust, IIEP investigated the potential of middle-tier professionals to act as catalysts for change in local school reforms. The exact title of a middle-tier position may vary from country to country, but their mission is generally the same: to support the development of teachers' pedagogical and professional skills, by providing formative feedback.
Until now, teacher-related research has mainly focused on teachers themselves or school principals, and much less on the upper strata of education systems, at the middle tier. However, we know that support at all levels is necessary for an education system to be effective.
Launched in 2019, this research continues work carried out over the past 20 years on the theme of teacher careers and management.
It is also based on knowledge acquired in the field of decentralization of education systems.
In response to teachers being isolated in their classrooms, the roles of instructional leaders seem to encourage cross-cutting collaborative practices in countries or cities that have adopted or experimented with these functions. Our research shows their impact not only on teachers' practices but also on student performance.
Publications
Country notes
- Mentoring teachers from the middle tier in Delhi
- Evidence-based supervision at the middle tier in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
- Leading a collaborative learning culture through middle tier reforms in Rwanda
- A middle tier space to support a high-performing school system in Shanghai
- Transforming head teachers into middle tier system leaders in Wales
Related content
Our experts
Barbara Tournier coordinates research and technical cooperation projects on teacher issues and the broader education workforce. She focuses specifically on how improved organisation of education systems can help better support teachers in their daily activities and enhance their motivation.
Barbara has led multi-country research programmes, notably on teacher careers and instructional leadership at the middle tier of education systems. She now directs the institute's work on middle-tier capacity analyses, exploring how staff and structures at this level can be leveraged to better support schools and frontline practitioners. Additionally, she supports the institute in domains such as integrated Human Resources Management Systems, leadership strengthening, and coordinating online or face-to-face training on teacher management.
With over a decade of experience in educational planning, Barbara's expertise also includes school mapping, education sector diagnosis, education sector plan preparation, Education Management Information Systems, and HIV & AIDS education.
Education
- MSc in Research and Evaluation Methods in Education, Sussex University
- MSc in Population and Development, London School of Economics and Political Science
Publications
- Leading Teaching and Learning Together: The Role of the Middle Tier. 2023.
- Leading Teaching and Learning Together: The Role of the Middle Tier. How do Education Systems Enable Instructional Leaders to Be Effective? 2023.
- Leading Teaching and Learning Together: The Role of the Middle Tier. What do effective Instructional Leaders at the Middle Tier Do? 2023.
- Leading Teaching and Learning Together: The Role of the Middle Tier. What is the Middle Tier and Why is it Important for Improved Learning? 2023.
- A Middle Tier Space to Support a High-performing School System in Shanghai. 2023.
- An assessment of the professional development of teachers and school leaders, and curriculum and learning resources in Moldova. 2023.
- Structurer les carrières enseignantes pour promouvoir la collaboration : l’expérience de New York City. 2023.
- Chapter 13: On re-professionalisation, collaboration, teacher voice, and balancing accountability and support. 2022.
Chloé Chimier is an Associate Programme Specialist in IIEP’s Technical Cooperation Team. She coordinates capacity development initiatives in educational planning and management, with a focus on strengthening sub-national levels of education systems. Chloé leads tailored training programmes for education planners and contributes to strategic projects aimed at enhancing planning and leadership at the middle tier of education systems.
With expertise in teacher career reforms, instructional leadership, and decentralization, Chloé has been actively involved in IIEP’s multi-country research programmes and training efforts. She has co-authored numerous research reports and co-designed both online and hybrid courses to support school and system improvement.
Chloé joined IIEP in 2013, where she first contributed to technical cooperation and training activities related to crisis-sensitive educational planning, including the development of vulnerability analyses, training materials, and planning tools.
Education
- MA in Development and International Cooperation, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Lille
Publications
- Structurer les carrières enseignantes pour promouvoir la collaboration : l’expérience de New York City. 2023.
- Leading teaching and learning together: the potential of the middle tier. 2023.
- Change agents: emerging evidence on instructional leadership at the middle tier. 2020.
- Teacher career reforms: Learningfrom experience. 2019.
- Teacher career pathways in New York City. 2019.