A groundbreaking study examines the transformative role of middle-tier instructional leaders in improving teaching quality at scale.

The research, spanning five jurisdictions—Delhi (India), Jordan, Rwanda, Shanghai (China), and Wales—reveals that middle-tier instructional leaders fulfill four critical roles: providing accessible support for teachers, fostering collaboration within and across schools, utilizing international and local knowledge, and serving as intermediaries between education ministries and schools. These insights highlight the potential of middle-tier leaders to drive sustainable educational reforms and empower teachers in complex systems.

Middle-tier leaders provide on-the-ground support through coaching, feedback, and professional development, reducing teacher isolation. For instance, in Delhi, mentor teachers organize learning sessions and offer feedback based on observations. These leaders also act as knowledge brokers, fostering collaboration and sharing best practices. In Rwanda, they facilitate best practice sharing, while in Jordan, supervisors use evidence-based models to guide teachers. Additionally, they bridge policy and practice, translating policy changes into actionable steps and advocating for teachers’ needs. In Shanghai, they conduct action research to inform policies. Unlike one-off training, the middle-tier approach emphasizes relationship-based support, building trust and networks among teachers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and shared responsibility.

The study documents successful implementations across diverse contexts, from low- to high-income countries. In Wales, the National Academy for Educational Leadership empowers practicing headteachers to engage in system leadership activities. In Rwanda, leaders of learning have significantly improved headteacher competencies, with monitoring data showing a 60% increase in competency standards between 2018 and 2020. This article was made available online on March 19 2025 in ECNU Review of Education.

Despite their successes, middle-tier leaders face challenges such as time constraints and the need to shift from accountability frameworks to collaborative approaches. The study emphasizes the importance of empowering these leaders through professional development, clear role definitions, and long-term support. Conducted by researchers from the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and Education Development Trust, the study underscores how these leaders act as pivotal change agents across diverse educational systems, bridging the gap between policy and practice.

The research concludes that investing in middle-tier instructional leaders is a cost-effective and sustainable strategy for improving educational quality. It advocates for further exploration of how these roles can be adapted to different contexts and scaled effectively. As one researcher notes, “Middle-tier leaders are the oil in the machine of education systems, fostering feedback loops and building local knowledge ecosystems that drive continuous improvement.”

For policymakers, the study offers evidence-based strategies to enhance teacher performance and system coherence, emphasizing the transformative potential of middle-tier leaders in creating high-performing educational systems. The study calls for further exploration into sustaining motivation and balancing formal roles with intrinsic incentives.

***

Reference

Title of original paper: Improving the Quality of Teaching at Scale: Middle-Tier Instructional Leaders as Change Agents

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

DOI: 10.1177/20965311251329338