Creating Conditions for Teacher Leadership through a Chilean RPP in Mathematics Education

• In Event: Centering Teachers’ Equitable Participation in Professional Development: Partnership Approaches in Chile and the U.S.

Abstract

This study investigates how the structures and dynamics of an emerging Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) between university researchers and one educational district (SLEP) in Chile support the development of teacher agency and leadership in mathematics education. The study addresses three questions: (1) How do RPP activity structures and resources enable (or hinder) teacher agency and leadership? (2) How do RPP actors—teachers, district leaders, and researchers—negotiate contradictions and shared understandings around professional learning and instructional improvement? (3) How do contextual features of the Chilean territorial educational system shape affordances and constraints for teacher leadership in this RPP?

This study draws on RPP frameworks that emphasize equity-driven collaboration, shared agendas, and reciprocal knowledge production (Coburn & Penuel, 2016; Henrick et al., 2023), focusing on how these practices can either elevate or constrain teacher voice. Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, RPPs are conceptualized as intersecting activity systems seeking systemic transformation, where contradictions and expansive learning are central (Engeström, 2001, 2024). Teacher leadership is understood as a relational, situated form of influence developed through peer recognition and joint professional learning (Wenner & Campbell, 2017; York-Barr & Duke, 2004). The RPP fosters such leadership by developing teachers’ capacity to model, monitor, and provide feedback on noticing instructional practices (van Es, 2009). This form of leadership is grounded in trust, enabling teachers to support colleagues' development (Solar et al., 2023, 2025).

The study takes place in an SLEP in central Chile. The RPP emerged from an initial request by district leaders to extend a university-led teacher PD into a sustained collaboration. The RPP involves co-designing a mathematics PD network where teacher leaders (TLs), facilitate peer learning. Participants include: 9 TLs, 2 SLEP representatives (director and mathematical advisor), 3 university researchers, and 30–40 elementary teachers in the network.

This is a qualitative exploratory-descriptive case study using triangulated data sources: (1) non-participant observations of coordination meetings, TLs’ PD and network sessions; (2) semi-structured interviews with researchers and district leaders; (3) focus groups with TLs; and (4) analysis of planning documents and PD materials. Data was coded thematically using an abductive approach (Tavory & Timmermans, 2014), combining theory-informed categories with emergent themes. Member checking was used to validate interpretations.

Findings indicate that teacher leadership in RPPs requires not only relational work but also institutional "engineering" to create protected spaces for teacher voice. Although co-design language is present, the process is bounded by the structural and political dynamics of Chile’s public education system. A clear boundary limits participation—beyond it, decision-making remains centralized, agendas are predetermined, and institutional roles are rigid and historically entrenched. Teacher agency is negotiated within narrow corridors, and leadership takes root in selective spaces where conditions allow it to flourish.

This study contributes to the literature on RPPs, showing that in highly centralized systems, co-design has structural limits. By mapping the boundaries of participation and exploring how TLs operate within and around them, the study provides critical insight into the fragile but transformative potential of RPPs. These findings are relevant for scholars and practitioners seeking to advance equity and voice in policy-driven, bureaucratic education systems.

Authors

• Florencia Gomez Zaccarelli, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

• Bárbara Zoro, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso

• Horacio Solar, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile