The Tiered Model of Leadership Development is based on a multi-stage process where district-level leaders, teacher leaders, classroom teachers, and an outside expert consultant learn from and with each other by sharing knowledge and by engaging in inquiry through new experiences in workshops and in classrooms. The stages evolve as the outside expert fades from the ongoing work and district-level and teacher leaders increasingly take on leadership within and across schools.

In this model, the professional development is structured around very real issues in the district and is grounded in classroom practice. A key feature has teachers trying workshop activities in classrooms and using those experiences as substance for reflective discussion in subsequent workshops.

This strategy involves considerable professional development over several years, particularly for teacher leaders. This typically means that guest teachers need to provide release time for teacher leaders from their classrooms. In addition, there may be after school and weekend workshops, for leaders and for teachers.

This strategy has been used successfully in the Clark County Schools, Las Vegas. For a further description of their development and use of this strategy, see Building Leadership Capacity: The Las Vegas Model