Not only does there not appear to be a shared agenda among the university and the school faculty, there is also a significant difference between the university and the schools who own the vision. Within the schools, there is shared ownership and commitment to the schools' visions. In the beginning of the project, there was substantial excitement and participation in the redesign effort, but enthusiasm has diminished. Most faculty were unable to define a clearly articulated vision of the college or its teacher education program. It is appropriate for the issue of leadership to follow directly the discussion of the partnerships' visions of learning, as vision is a critical aspect of leadership.
Designers are responsible for making sure something works in practice.
Leaders must also be teachers to help others understand the systemic forces that shape change, and to foster learning in others. Across the sites, the importance of multiple leaders among the various organizations and shared leadership within the partnership organization were prominent themes. In Toronto and Southern Maine, leadership has spread within the partnership organization, the member districts, and partner schools. Dispersed leadership has strengthened shared ownership of the partnership's mission, enhanced commitment to the goals, and expanded the network of expertise from which all partners benefit. In Southern Maine, the emergence of a broad base of leaders has enabled the partnership to thrive even in the face of substantial turnover of leaders.