Teacher Leadership

By: Tim Crosby, Steve Karandy, and Kate Williams

 What is Teacher Leadership?

● All teachers act as leaders from the minute they step foot into their
classrooms.
● There have always been teacher leaders but now with a new focus.
● Great complexity of work
More rigorous standards.
Federal and State Achievement Mandates.
Increasingly diverse student populations
Greater number of student-aged children living in poverty.
Technology Changes.
● Shift from Principals taking care of all these challenges to Teacher Leaders.
● Formal leaders (selected department chair, instructional coach, etc.) vs.
informal leaders (teachers who take their own initiative to get behind a
program or idea)- both are key to a school’s success!
 Why is Teacher Leadership Important?

“Teacher leadership is no longer optional. Its importance

in student learning, teacher retention, school culture,
school improvement, the crafting of sound education
policy, and productive and innovative teachers’
associations has been demonstrated by both research
and practice.”
 Why is Teacher Leadership Important?

- Teachers may want more responsibility and influence but not

want to go into administration
- Teachers often stay in a school/district for a long time so they
understand the culture and can manage long-term projects
- Huge demands on principals’ time mean school improvement may
fall to the wayside at times
- Principals may have the greatest expertise in whatever they
specialized in as a teacher and are not experts in every aspect of
education
 Suggestions to Implement Teacher Leadership
in Our District

- Incorporating a Reading Program to have students in the 6th grade

read to kindergarten students during their lunch period.
- Providing constructive feedback to other colleagues through
observations.
- Grading Policy- incorporating formative
assessment/Self-assessment.
- Explicit instruction curriculum teaching.
- Teacher Mentor Program for new hired employees
 Advantages for Students, School Personnel, and
Learning Environment

Within the Department Team

- Established Trust and credibility is a must.
- Teacher observations/Feedback
- Embracing risk takers in the classrooms
- Teacher support for incorporating new techniques/strategies into
curriculum/class environment
- Example: William’s class- female participation in class. (Education
Leadership Article)
 Advantages for Students, School Personnel, and
Learning Environment

Across the School Benefits for Students

- Ensuring Students have full access to opportunities such as
participating in a school play, being apart of a club or taking an
advanced class that enables them to engage deeply with academic
content.
- Grading policy
- Student feedback/self assessment
- Students get to see leadership at work and work to exhibit
leadership themselves
 Advantages for Students, School Personnel, and
Learning Environment
Teacher leaders can also effect change beyond their school!
Some examples:
-Participating on a district-wide teacher evaluation committee or curriculum
team
-Making presentations at a state or national conference
-Serving on a state standards board
-Speaking at a school board meeting as the voice of the teachers in the
community
 Obstacles to Implementation

- Establishing trust within the team

- Creating buy-in for the administration, teachers and students
- Establishing a culture of growth
- Others may have different views or may try to stay complacent
- Fostering a safe environment for risk-taking
- Administrators will need to encourage teacher leaders
- Cost of leadership trainings
 Projection of Costs/Costs-Savings

Costs:
-On-going leadership training for teacher leaders

Costs-Savings:
-Improved teacher retention
-Improved test score means more improved funding
-As teacher leadership supports overall school improvement, fewer
resources may be needed to aid struggling students and teachers
-More in house PD
 Next Steps

“In order for Teacher Leaders to flourish, certain

characteristics and conditions must be present. Teacher
leaders must possess the knowledge and skills needed to
lead. In order to be seen as a leader, they must also have
a set of positive dispositions and attitudes. Finally, there
must be opportunities for leadership in the school,
district or larger context.”
 Next Steps

“Principal’s Checklist”—Key actions great principals take to cultivate

teacher leadership for school improvement:

-Identify teachers ready to lead

-Distribute leadership schoolwide
-Provide high-quality leadership training
-Set teacher leader goals for growth and results
-Allocate school resources for teacher leadership
 Teacher Leadership- The Future of Education?

“Teachers’ spheres of influence can tend to start out small: the

classroom, some colleagues, and occasionally their administration.
Through teacher leadership, these spheres can expand hugely, allowing
teachers to power the profession and shape the landscape.”
 References

Teacher Leadership Skills Framework (Center for Strengthening the

Teaching Profession)

The Many Faces of Leadership (ASCD)

The Teacher Leadership Competencies (Center for Teacher Quality)

Leading from Every Seat EMPOWERING PRINCIPALS TO CULTIVATE

TEACHER LEADERSHIP FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT (New Leaders)