The concept and practice of teacher leadership have gained momentum in the past two decades. Teachers are assuming more leadership functions at both instructional and organizational levels of practice. Empirical literature reveals numerous small-scale, qualitative studies that describe dimensions of teacher leadership practice, teacher leader characteristics, and conditions that promote and challenge teacher leadership. Less is known about how teacher leadership develops and about its effects. In addition, the construct of teacher leadership is not well defined, conceptually or operationally. Future research focused on the differentiated paths by which teachers influence organizational capacity, professionalism, instructional improvement, and student learning has the potential to advance the practice of teacher leadership. A conceptual framework is offered to guide such inquiry.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3516026.pdf

What Do We Know About Teacher Leadership? Findings From Two Decades of Scholarship

This article examines the nature of organisational learning and the leadership practices and processes that foster organisational learning and, more importantly, the impact of these variables on teacher leadership. A path model is used to test these school variables as well as school characteristics such as availability of resources and community focus against the impact of SES and school size on students' views of teachers' work in the classroom and student outcomes such as attendance, and participation in and engagement with school. The importance of reconceptualising schools as learning organisations to promote successful school change is discussed.

Schools as Learning Organisations - Effects on Teacher Leadership and Student Outcomes

In this article, the role that formal leaders play in helping distributed leadership take root and flourish in schools is explored. The focus of the study is an urban middle school, one of six cases in a larger three-year investigation of distributed leadership in two mid-Atlantic states. Using interview and document-based data, the authors illustrate ways in which the principal of Glencoe Middle School worked to overcome cultural, structural and professional barriers to create a leadership dense organisation.

The role of the principal in fostering the development of distributed leadership

Effective leadership is widely accepted as being a key constituent in achieving school improvement. The evidence from the international literature demonstrates that effective leaders exercise an indirect but powerful influence on the effectiveness of the school and on the achievement of students (Leithwood et al, 1999). Whilst the quality of teaching strongly influences levels of pupil motivation and achievement, it has been consistently argued that the quality of leadership matters in determining the motivation of teachers and the quality of teaching in the classroom (Fullan, 2001; Segiovanni, 2001). A preliminary glance at the leadership research literature however reveals that it is largely premised upon individual impetus rather than collective action and offers a singular view of leadership predominantly bound up with headship. As Murphy (2000) notes that the ‘great man’ theory of leadership prevails in spite of a groundswell towards leadership as empowerment, transformation and community building. Possibly, this is because schools as organisational structures remain largely unchanged equating leadership with status, authority and position. One of the most congruent findings from recent studies of effective leadership is that authority to lead need not be located in the person of the leader but can be dispersed within the school in between and among people (MacBeath,

/pdf/teacher-leadership-principles-and-practice-2g6ncb7vvq.pdf

Teacher Leadership: principles and practice

Researchers for this multisite quantitative study examined the relationships between teacher perceptions of the extent of teacher leadership in a school and the grade level, degree level, and leadership status of the respondents. Data for this study were collected in two administrations in 43 schools in seven U.S. states. To test for differences among the variables and the four factors of the Teacher Leadership Inventory, a one-way ANOVA was conducted for each variable. Findings indicated significant differences between elementary school teachers and middle/high school teachers, teachers with a bachelor’s degree and teachers with graduate degrees, and formal teacher leaders and teachers in no leadership position. Attention to these results will allow school districts to better align leadership training with the needs of specific teachers and support principals in school improvement.

Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Leadership: Examining Differences by Experience, Degree, and Position

This article reports the findings of three integrated studies initiated by principals/researchers in an elementary, middle, and high school. Using case study methodology with multiple sources of evidence, six identified teacher leaders from each site are examined. Both similarities and differences in teacher leadership within the three levels are discussed. In the article, similarities in findings indicate that (a) teacher leaders have more years of teaching experience; (b) teacher leaders assume leadership roles for personal and professional reasons and increased involvment in decision making; (c) teacher leaders are supported by encouraging individuals, time, decision making, teacher empowerment, and professional opportunities; (d) teacher leaders are constrained by time, power, and politics; (e) teacher leadership improves professional practice by encouraging collaboration and decision making; and (f) teacher leadership assists in school improvement efforts by recognizing and utilizing teacher...

/pdf/commonalities-and-differences-in-teacher-leadership-at-the-1rfutc0co3.pdf

Ana Lomas

Papers

Commonalities and Differences in Teacher Leadership at the Elementary, Middle, and High School Levels.