Issues in Teacher Leadership

First Article Title: The Many Faces of Leadership

Citation: Danielson, C. (2007). The Many Faces of Leadership. Educational Leadership, 65(1).

Charlotte Danielson in 2007 conducted a study about supporting teacher leadership through collaboration across
the school. The participants were/the setting was Jennifer, who was a high school history teacher, her students,
and Jennifer’s colleagues, who were other teachers at the school. The findings were that grading policies have a
profound effect on how students experience their learning activities, and as a result, the school piloted a different
grading system the following year that incorporated formative assessment and student self-assessment. The
school’s approach to grading considerably changed and teachers were convinced that the new system resulted in
greater student buy-in and a commitment to high quality work. The author suggested that some of the most
powerful opportunities for teacher leadership relate to areas that have tremendous influence on the daily lives of
students across the school, such as the master schedule, grading policy, or student programs. The author further
suggested that ensuring that students have full access to such opportunities involves a collective effort, requiring
the discussion and consideration of alternatives, and that although administrators have a facilitative role, teachers
put forward important ideas and can therefore assume a leadership role.

Second Article Title: Teacher Leaders and Student Achievement: Can the Dots be Connected?

Citation: Calderone,S, Kent, A, and Green, A. (2016). Teacher Leaders and Student Achievement: can the
dots be connected? Revista Eletrônica de Educação, 12.

Danielson in 2007 conducted a study to determine the effects of teacher leadership on student achievement in
middle school math and science classes. The participants were/the setting of 173 eighth grade students and
eighth grade teachers, in which four those teachers were identified as teacher leaders. The findings were that
teacher leaders had a positive effect on students in advanced science and in advanced math classes. The findings
also suggested that teacher leaders did not have a significant effect on students in regular math and science
classes. The authors suggested that by encouraging teacher leaders to be assertive, take risks, and assume greater
responsibility, student perceptions and performance could be positively impacted. Effective leadership supports
that teacher leaders who use a transformational leadership style yields higher student achievement. The author
also suggested that by examining the academic achievement of middle school student taught by teacher leaders
and students taught by teachers who are not identified by teacher leaders, students who are taught by teachers
who are identified as “leaders” tend to perform better because teacher leaders have deep content knowledge and
strong pedagogical skills. School administrators should consider leadership development for teachers that exhibit
the characteristics of leaders (i.e. have expertise in teaching in teaching and learning, monitor progress, facilitate
meetings, actively listen, decide on a course of action, translate ideas into a system of action, strive for
authenticity in their teaching, learning, and assessment practices, etc.), as it will have a major impact on
academic achievement.

Third Article Title: From Teacher to Teacher Leader: A Conceptual Model

Citation: Hunzicker, J. (2017). From Teacher to Teacher Leader: A Conceptual Model. International
Journal of Teacher Leadership, 8(2).

Helterbran in 2010 conducted a study about how teachers progress from teacher to teacher leader as well as the
factors and conditions that influence this progression. The participants were/the setting was eight teachers who
experienced a unique progression toward leadership. The findings were that based on the teachers in the study,
the progression from teacher to a teacher leader was influenced by conditions of school and district culture along
with personal circumstances. The factors that supported the teacher’s progression towards leadership included
their beliefs, attitudes, values, willingness to take professional risks, pursuit of goals, participation in
professional development, and collaboration. The author suggested that teacher self-perceptions are essential to
the progression from teacher to teacher leader, but they are also difficult to track and monitor. The author also
suggests that some teachers naturally identify themselves as teacher leaders whereas other do not and that some
are naturally comfortable embracing leadership responsibilities outside of the classroom while others are not.

How Articles Inform Teaching Practice: One of the ways in which the articles informed my teaching practice
is by helping me understanding the important role that teacher leaders have in both the classroom as well as in
the school, ways in which they influence student learning and performance, and how they contribute to the
school in order to make improvements. By learning about how teacher leadership is linked to higher test scores, I
will make an effort to continue to contribute to my school and to continue developing and improving my teacher
leadership skills through collaboration with my administration and colleagues, develop expertise in teaching and
learning, facilitate professional development meetings at my school more often to gain experience in being a
“teacher leader”, actively listening to others, and contribute towards taking ideas and translating them into
systems of action, as suggested in the second article.