Introduction 9 1 1.1.2. Collaboration in and around innovation A well-known international example of an educational innovation that gives more professional space to school principals and teachers is Ontario’s approach (Boyd, 2021; Mourshed et al., 2010). This approach has positive results and is based on a theoretical framework derived from Fullan (e.g., 2010). One essential element of this approach is that responsibility and professional space are given to teachers to improve education collaboratively (Boyd, 2021). Teachers are regarded as professionals who are critical partners in leading innovations. They share responsibilities in achieving educational goals and intentionally collaborate with colleagues to improve education (Boyd, 2021; Hargreaves et al., 2018). The number of such collaborative forms of jointly led innovations is increasing in the Netherlands and elsewhere (Inspectie van het Onderwijs, 2018; Leithwood et al., 2020; Onderwijsraad, 2018). These collaborative forms are in line with the advice of the OECD (2016) for Dutch schools to further improve their educational quality by strengthening staff collaboration. Improving education through more collaboration requires a change in professionalism. Teachers must change from being isolated in classrooms towards collaboratively innovating education (e.g., Koeslag-Kreunen et al., 2018; Ros, 2022; Vangrieken et al., 2015). Moreover, school principals must change from being leaders (with many if not all responsibilities) to sharing responsibilities and leadership with teachers, providing teachers with professional space. In the Netherlands, this interest in their professionalism is reflected in the “Knowledge agenda”,1 focusing on the school as a professional organization (e.g., Ros, 2022; Van Tartwijk, 2022) and a new initiative called “Developmental force”2 that connects educational practice and research to innovate education (Rijksoverheid, 2022). Recently, additional financial resources have been invested in the professional development of school principals and teachers (Rijksoverheid, 2022; VO-raad, 2022). Moreover, this interest in professionals and changing professionalism fits a wider development in many other public and nonprofit domains (e.g., Martin, 2021; Noordegraaf, 2020; Stone & Travis, 2011). In the medical domain, for example, the classic image of professionalism, with the doctor as the professional with autonomy, changes into modern images of organizing medical action aimed at treating complex cases, prioritizing patients, and accounting for actions. Patient treatments become more complex, and multiple patients and critical environments exert strong pressures (Noordegraaf, 2020). 1 Kennisagenda [Knowledge agenda] of the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO). 2 Ontwikkelkracht [Developmental force] of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Nationaal Groeifonds [National Growthfund].
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