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The Power of Professional Capital

With an investment in collaboration, teachers become nation builders

By Learning Forward
June 2013
Professional capital has a fundamental connection to transforming teaching every day, and we’ve seen many examples of this at work in schools and school systems around the world. Here, we explore the powerful idea of capital and articulate its importance for professional work, professional capacity, and professional effectiveness. Systems that invest in professional capital recognize that education spending is an investment in developing human capital from early childhood to adulthood, leading to rewards of economic productivity and social cohesion in the next generation (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012). Professional capital requires attention not only to political and societal investments in education but also to leadership actions and educator needs, contributions, and career stages. The Concept of Capital Many teachers find the concept of capital a difficult

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Authors

Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan

Andrew Hargreaves (andrew.hargreaves@bc.edu) is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College and cofounder of the International Centre for Educational Change at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His website is www.andyhargreaves.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at@hargreavesbc.

Michael Fullan(mfullan@me.com) is professor emeritus and the former dean at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He is the special advisor to the premier and minister of education in Ontario, Canada. His website is https://michaelfullan.ca.

the-power-of-professional-capitalThis article is adapted from a keynote address by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan at Learning Forward’s Annual Conference in Boston, Mass., in December 2012. The concept of professional capital and how it can affect the future of teaching and public education is also the subject of their book, Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School (Teachers College Press, 2012). Professional Capital shows how to demand more of the teaching profession and from the systems that support it. The book includes action guidelines for groups, individual teachers, administrators, schools and districts, and state and federal leaders. Available at https://store.learningforward.org.

References

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. New York, NY: Back Bay Books.

 

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Leana, C.R. (2011, Fall). The missing link in school reform. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(4), 34.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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