TAMAM is led by a Steering Team consisting of action researchers, researchers, designers, consultants and coaches who are engaged in research and development processes to design, implement, evaluate and refine learning experiences and school-based improvement interventions to build the leadership capacity of schools for sustainable improvement. Members of the Steering Team also provide ongoing support and guidance for lead team members to become self-directed learners with leadership Competencies that foster their capacity and strengthen their commitment towards actively engaging in and leading school-based improvement. Empowerment and professionalization of the teacher’s role and restoring the role of the school in social amelioration are key outcomes for the TAMAM Steering Team to achieve a paradigm shift in how reform is conceived of and implemented in the Arab region.
When carrying out development activities, the Steering Team adopts a training approach that is based on examining the professional backgrounds of participating team members, as well as their organizational and social context, and designing learning experiences that honor their readiness and priorities. Through continuous coaching and mentoring, the Steering Team monitors and follows up on the team’s progress, offering a balance of support and challenge while guiding team members. Finally, they coordinate a growing network of TAMAM educators by holding periodic gatherings to promote the professional norms of the TAMAM Movement through exchanging expertise and enhancing solidarity to support the change agency at the school level.
While the TAMAM Steering Team builds capacity of lead teams, they concurrently engage in research to understand and generate actionable knowledge of the processes taking place to inform school-based improvement in the Arab context. They continue to develop and expand the design of the Capacity Building Program employing emancipatory action research as a tool for inquiring about challenges to practices, proposing tentative designs, implementing, monitoring and continuously refining these designs and evaluating their effectiveness in the unique context of the Arab schools. Following design-based thinking, the Steering Team research activities help produce theoretical understandings that enhance the knowledge base on effective school improvement practices and inform the development of effective educational policies in the Arab region.
The TAMAM Steering Team is supported by an Advisory Board, expert coaches, contributors, volunteers and interns.
