scholarly journals Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Raymond J. Ankrum
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Community ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Maximum Output ◽  
School Building ◽  
Leadership Potential ◽  
Community Responsibility

<p>School leaders are constantly trying to find alternative ways to leverage and explore teacher leadership potential in their school building(s). Teachers leaders that are willing to go above and beyond their general duties. Teacher leaders are the type of educators that fall under the motif of potentially taking on additive responsibilities that will help to improve the school community. This paper looks at ways to leverage relationships between teacher leaders and school leaders in order to get maximum output from school staff. By infusing shared leadership in the school community, responsibility and accountability becomes a shared belief, that can be utilized as a catalyst for change in the school community.</p>

The Semiformality of Teacher Leadership on the Edge of Chaos

2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
JASON MARGOLIS
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Systems ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Edge Of Chaos ◽  
Systemic Learning

In this article, Jason Margolis draws from complexity theory to explore the twenty-year negotiation between formal and informal teacher leadership in research and practice, making the case that there has been a drift toward a conception of semiformal teacher leadership in the field. Through both theory and examples, he illustrates how semiformal teacher leadership has the potential to afford school systems and educators both information and processors of information they likely would not otherwise have. Teacher leaders, in roles that are neither inflexible or ill-defined, can carve out intentional spaces on the edge of chaos to promote professional learning and communication in ways that solely school teachers or solely school leaders may not. In these spaces, productive complexity, agency, and systemic learning can coevolve.

“Tearing Down the Wall”: Making Sense of Teacher Leaders as Instructional Coaches and Evaluators

2020 ◽  
pp. 105268462096993
Author(s):  
Meghan Comstock ◽  
Jason Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Level ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
School Norms ◽  
Leadership Policy

Some recent district-level teacher leadership programs have incorporated both instructional coaching and formal evaluations into teacher leaders’ (TLs) responsibilities, which research suggests could challenge the relational dynamics necessary for effective coaching. Using a sensemaking lens, we conducted a qualitative case study of one district’s effort to integrate coaching and formal evaluation in their teacher leadership policy. We conducted a total of 26 semistructured interviews with district administrators and school leaders, TLs, and teachers in two schools, and seven observations of teacher leadership activities. We coded interview transcripts and field notes deductively and inductively. We found that when granted autonomy, principals drew on varied sources for making sense of and enacting this policy, and the messages they conveyed through school leadership norms deeply influenced how teachers and TLs enacted and experienced the integration. The integrated district policy in and of itself did not hinder relationships between teachers and TLs; rather, what mattered most for teachers was the extent to which they perceived their TLs as part of a larger system of support or accountability. This study suggests that the school norms that school leaders put into place when enacting teacher leadership policies deeply influence teachers’ perceived relational dynamics with TLs. Teacher leaders have a unique role in implementation that is shaped by school-level norms and conceptions of effective leadership and coaching.

Teacher leadership and collective efficacy: teacher perceptions in three US school districts

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 738-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Angelle ◽  
Ginger M. Teague
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Teacher Perceptions ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Southeastern Us

Purpose – Collective efficacy and teacher leadership, two constructs central to school reform, were examined in this quantitative study of three school districts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between teacher perceptions of the extent of teacher leadership and the extent of collective efficacy. Research was guided by the following questions: Do teachers who perceive a strong sense of collective efficacy also perceive a greater extent of teacher leadership in their schools? Are there differences in perceptions of collective efficacy and the factors of teacher leadership, specifically, sharing expertise, shared leadership, supra-practitioner, and principal selection? Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected utilizing two instruments, the Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) (Angelle and DeHart, 2010) and the Teacher Efficacy Belief Scale – Collective Form (Olivier, 2001). Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were run to examine mean differences by district in teacher collective efficacy and the extent of teacher leadership in the school (n=363). In addition, ANOVA were run to examine district differences in the four factors on the TLI. A one-way ANOVA contrasted the overall collective efficacy mean scores of Districts A, B, and C. Demographic data were also collected from participants. Findings – Findings indicate a clear and strong relationship between collective efficacy and teacher leadership. District B was markedly stronger in teacher leadership and collective efficacy than the other two districts. The highest percentage of participants indicating they have a leadership role were from District B. Findings from this study also indicate that teachers perceive the informal aspects of teacher leadership as a greater indicator of collective efficacy. District B, which reported significantly higher collective efficacy than did District A or C, also reported a significantly lower extent of principal selected teacher leadership. Formal roles such as department heads and grade level chairs were not perceived as extensive indicators of teacher leadership as were teacher roles in collaboration or extra role behaviours. Research limitations/implications – This study took place in three small districts in a southeastern US state. Generalizability to larger school districts should be approached with caution. This study may be limited in that teacher leaders may have a greater tendency to complete a survey on teacher leadership than teachers who do not take on leadership roles. Practical implications – This study provides support for developing shared leadership which can impact the collective beliefs of the faculty in a positive manner. Results from this study affirms those leaders who believe in the power of professional learning communities, shared decision making, and other indicators of teacher leadership. Success of teacher leaders depends, in large part, on the principal's philosophy of power sharing in the context in which they work. Teachers can be given the power to lead but they must also be willing to accept the roles this power brings. Originality/value – While several studies have been conducted on collective efficacy in schools, most of these studies have been quantitative. Studies of teacher leadership have tended to focus on the formal roles of teacher leaders with a qualitative. Using quantitative methodology for collective efficacy and teacher leadership, this study approaches teacher leadership from an organizational perspective, examining the extent to which both informal and formal, or principal selected, teacher leadership exists across the school. The authors also argue that teacher leadership is a construct greater than administrative roles assigned to teachers but also includes informal leadership, primarily through their influence on organizational effectiveness.

scholarly journals Developing the Leadership Capacity of Teachers: Theory to Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
M. Adam Carswell
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
School Administrator ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Leadership Potential ◽  
Theory To Practice ◽  
Formal Leadership

Today’s school leaders need to prioritize the development of leadership capacity in classroom teachers. Leadership development commonly involves either teachers expressing an interest in leadership or school leaders finding talent in those teachers whom they believe have the capacity to grow into formal leadership roles. School leaders must be able to recognize teachers who overflow with terrific ideas and leadership potential and those who are less likely to self-identify as leadership candidates. However, as a school administrator desires to cultivate leadership capacity in teachers, he or she must devise a plan. To accomplish this task effectively, best practices and theory must be utilized. Therefore, this essay addresses the use of best practices as identified in the literature to promote a positive school climate, collaboration, motivation, reflective practice, and teacher leadership development.

Unspoken Grammar of Place: Anti-Blackness as a Spatial Imaginary in Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 105268462199276
Author(s):  
DeMarcus A. Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
School Leaders ◽  
School Community ◽  
Holistic Healing ◽  
Music Preferences ◽  
Spatial Logic ◽  
Black Bodies ◽  
Cultural Forms ◽  
Black Populations ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Black Language

This article builds from scholarship on anti-Blackness in education and spatial imaginaries in geography to theorize an anti-Black spatial imaginary as the prevailing spatial logic that has shaped the configuration and character of American social intuitions, including K-12 schools. As a spatial imaginary, anti-Blackness is circulated through discourses, images, and texts that tell a story of Blackness as a problem, non-human, and placeless. Anchored by the assumption that Black populations are spatially illegitimate, the anti-Black spatial imaginary marks Black bodies as undesirable and therefore extractable from spaces and places that have been envisioned for their exclusion. I consider schools as sites spatialized terror where the exhibitions of terror consist of forcing students to observe other Black bodies being forcibly removed from the classroom and school community; constant rejection of Black language, traditions, music preferences, and other cultural forms of expression; the obliteration of Black names and identities. I offer ways that school leaders can unsettle the anti-Black spatial imaginary to transform schools as sites of holistic healing and possibilities.

scholarly journals Scaling standards-aligned instruction through teacher leadership: methods, supports, and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Cassata ◽  
Elaine Allensworth
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Level ◽  
Instructional Change ◽  
Teacher Leader

Abstract Background The Common Core Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards were adopted by states with the goal of preparing students with knowledge and skills needed for college, careers, and citizenry. Adopting these standards necessitated considerable changes in instructional practice. While teacher leadership is known to be important for instructional change, there is little research that articulates the processes through which that influence occurs, and how contextual factors constrain or support those processes. This paper provides a case study of efforts in the Chicago Public Schools to promote widespread instructional change around standards reform through a teacher leader model using retrospective from 2013 to 2017 interviews with 16 math and science teacher leaders serving grades 6–12, along with quantitative analysis of district-wide data showing patterns of change and professional learning. It builds off prior research to articulate a framework of how teacher leaders promote instructional change. Findings There were five patterns of teacher leader action: inspiring others, sharing with colleagues, working in collaboration, advocating for change, and providing individual support, and an interplay between teacher actions and school-level contextual factors, with some contextual factors more important than others for different types of actions. In particular, sharing and collaborative work were facilitated in schools with designated collaboration time, trusting relationships, and colleagues who were also trained and knowledgeable about the new standards. The degree of collective efficacy the teacher leaders felt seemed to be driven mostly by the presence of other knowledgeable change agents in the school. Conclusions and implications The study adds to the existing literature on teacher leadership by articulating the mechanisms through which teachers exert influence around instructional improvement of their school peers and providing examples of each. Further, the study illustrates how these mechanisms are facilitated or constrained by the larger school context. Together, the articulation of mechanisms and contexts, along with illustrative examples, provides a guide for supporting instructional change through teacher leadership in schools and districts.

Do I Trust Sending My Kid Back to School?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-29
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Visone
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
School Community ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Emergency Event ◽  
Trust In Schools

A suburban elementary school experiences an emergency evacuation. This evacuation event reveals trust and safety concerns. Some parents, staff members, and children express safety concerns, and a key school staff member questions the judgment of another staff member during the emergency event, exacerbating existing tensions between the two. The principal must move the school community forward, while re-establishing trust and addressing safety concerns. Frameworks for repairing trust and trust in schools are considered.

scholarly journals Empowerment through a teacher leadership academy

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Visone
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Leadership Academy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Suburban School District

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a teacher leadership academy (TLA) organized through a school district/university partnership in a small, US Suburban School District in increasing teachers’ participation in leadership activities. Design/methodology/approach TLA participants (n=11) were surveyed using the Teacher Leadership Activities Scale, and their results were compared to a control group of teachers in the district who were not participating in the TLA (n=12). Interviews and open-ended response items provided qualitative data to examine how the TLA contributed to teachers’ growth as leaders. Findings Results indicated that teachers in the TLA did increase participation in teacher leadership activities. Qualitative data revealed themes of many espoused benefits from TLA participation, including increased interactions with administrators, improved understanding of the obstacles associated with implementing changes, and expanded leadership capacity. Research limitations/implications Conditions that both enhanced and detracted from teacher leaders’ growth were identified and outlined, including formal leaders’ participation in TLA activities, material support for projects, and a supportive atmosphere (enhancers) and administrative roadblocks and the inability to remediate capacity issues for teacher leaders (detractors). Originality/value The conditions outlined above will assist those interested in creating TLAs in doing so with purpose and increased chance for buy in and success.

scholarly journals Teacher Leadership in Special Education: Exploring Skills, Roles, and Perceptions

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-63
Author(s):  
Sylvia Bagley ◽  
Kimmie Tang
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Leader ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Diverse Field

Special Education teachers frequently assume formal or informal leadership roles and responsibilities across disciplines (Council for Exceptional Children, 2015a, 2015b). However, despite the increasing attention paid to teacher leadership on an international scale (Wenner & Campbell, 2016), little research exists on the experiences and needs of teacher leaders within the diverse field of Special Education. In this descriptive phenomenological study, we addressed the following questions: 1) What does teacher leadership within the landscape of Special Education look like? 2) How does this work relate to the roles and dispositions laid out in both the Teacher Leader Model Standards (2011) and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Specialist Preparation Standards (2015a, 2015b)? We found that Special Education teacher leaders primarily demonstrate leadership via support, specifically through the skills of advocacy, facilitating, innovating, and ‘administrating’.

scholarly journals Improved Professional Development Through Teacher Leadership

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley D. Hickey ◽  
Sandra Harris
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Teacher Leadership ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Exemplary Teachers ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Faculty Effectiveness ◽  
Professional Development Model ◽  
Teaching Faculty ◽  
The Impact

Research suggests the need to provide leadership opportunities for teachers within school settings in order to increase professional collaboration and community. This research explored one rural district’s professional development model, which was evaluated to determine its potential in developing teacher leaders. This district’s professional development model utilized their exemplary teachers to develop other teachers through formal presentations that were traditionally taught by non-district experts. This study utilized a practitioner research methodology to determine effectiveness of using teachers as leaders. Data were collected to determine the impact on the teacher leaders and the effectiveness of the presentations as perceived by the overall teaching faculty. The results suggest an overall positive experience for teachers, as well as an increase in collaboration. In addition, teacher presenters believed their participation in staff development increased faculty effectiveness and increased the perception of the teacher presenters as leaders within the district.  

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