Ee Ling Low

Developing teacher leadership in Singapore: Multiple pathways for differentiated journeys

In this article, we examine quality teachers through teacher leadership development. Using Singapore as an illustrative case, we describe the redefinition of the teaching profession to include deliberate structures and multiple pathways designed to nurture teacher leaders, and the role of teacher leaders in supporting education reform. We go on to outline possible lessons or principles that could be educative to other systems regardless of local context or particulars. We end with reflections about the priorities that should be focal in the continuing quest for educational excellence—and equity—whether in Singapore or elsewhere in the world.

Educating All Children in Multicultural, Multilingual Singapore: The Quest for Equity Amidst Diversity

In the span of a few short decades in its post-independent era, Singapore has moved from a relative unknown, to being “one of Asia’s great success stories” (OECD: PISA 2009 results: overcoming social background—equity in learning opportunities and outcomes, vol. 2. Author, Paris. doi:10.1787/9789264091504-en, pp 159, 2010). Singapore’s achievements seem remarkable given the absence of natural resources other than her people—who represent a diverse mix of racial groups, cultures, languages, and origins. As a city-state, Singapore constitutes an urban nation, or urban city-state—and an urban school system—that is employing educational policy to successfully enhance social cohesion and advance social mobility among its multicultural citizenry. In this chapter, we look at the universal goal to “educate all children” or to “educate other people’s children,” using Singapore as an illustrative case. We begin with a brief history of Singapore to establish a baseline, and then go on to outline the journey Singapore has taken to ensure quality education for all children, regardless of race, language, religion, culture or economic background. We offer two illustrations that allow us to ground our narrative in concrete contexts as we examine specific policies and practices that have had an impact on Singapore’s aim to achieve equity amidst diversity. We then move from the specific illustrations to a look across the two in order to surface possible lessons or principles that could be educative to other systems regardless of local particulars. We end with reflections about the priorities that should be focal in the continuing quest for educational equity and social justice—whether in Singapore or elsewhere in our world.

Teacher Learning and Development Across the Continuum: Pre-service to In-Service

Educational reform movements around the world are setting ambitious goals for student learning, and major developments in classroom practices largely rely on teachers who need support and guidance (Ball and Cohen in Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, pp. 3–32, 1999; Fullan and Miles in Phi Delta Kappan 73:745–752, 1992). If schools are to produce more powerful learning for students, more powerful learning opportunities must be offered to teachers (Feiman-Nemser in Teachers College Record 103(6), 1013–1055, 2001). Unless teachers have access to serious and sustained learning opportunities at every stage of their career, they will be unlikely to teach in ways that meet the demanding new standards for student learning or participate in the solution of educational problems.