From Teachers to Teacher-Leaders: A Case Study (original) (raw)
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Cjnse Rcjce, 2014
Over the past 20 years, a host of formalized teacher leadership programs have emerged in response to numerous calls for the re-culturing (Fullan, 2001) and re-professionalization (Hargreaves, 2000) of teaching. That being said, very little research has explored the manner in which such programs have facilitated real change in the leadership capacity of teachers. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the nature and sustainability of leadership roles experienced by three participants in the Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP), a one-year program in Ontario, Canada, where teachers 'take the lead' in developing context specific professional learning opportunities with the aim of impacting both student and teacher learning. Results indicate that the TLLP provided participants with an avenue for the development and enactment of various teacher leadership opportunities both in and beyond their own school. However, extending that leadership beyond the timeframe of their TLLP projects proved to be a difficult endeavour. Understanding the impact of cultural norms, top-down hierarchies, and historical views of the teacher as implementer on the sustainability of teacher leadership is of particular relevance to planning committees who organize and develop such programs as well as progressive school boards who are genuinely interested in promoting authentic change in school leadership development.
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Based on a study of the leadership approaches of highly successful teachers and paraprofessionals who work in socioeconomically disadvantaged school communities, presents a preliminary framework for teacher leadership, in which aspects of transformational and educative approaches to leadership are evident with strategic approaches less so. Concludes that the work of highly successful teachers is not sufficiently recognized in the development of most theories of educational leadership. This may be particularly the case with theories that originate in corporate and managerial systems, raising serious doubts about the potential of much existing theory to meet the needs of the education profession in emerging educational contexts.
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This case study describes the experience of three teacher leaders who attempt to lead from within their classroom. Interview and biographical data were collected and analyzed both within case and across cases. The cases individually describe the experiences of teacher leaders and the cases collectively help us define the components of teacher leadership along with the barriers and facilitators that teacher leaders face. The results of these analyses identify the following assertions: teacher leaders navigate the structures of schools, teacher leaders nurture relationships, teacher leaders model professional growth, teacher leaders help others with change, and teacher leaders challenge the status quo by raising children's voices. These assertions suggest the need for rethinking organizational structures that inhibit as well as facilitate teacher leadership from within the classroom.
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This study focused on the leadership perceptions of 6 department heads, the conditions for their leadership role and their strategies, and supports for navigating their role. Research participants engaged in 2 sets of semistructured interviews; this resulted in . a wealth of richly detailed data. It is clear that department heads do act as teacher leaders, even if they do not use this language to discuss their roles. Five elements of the role of the department head as teacher leader unfolded. The research participants perceived their leadership role to be rooted in teaching. They noted their management and leadership roles. They recognized the importance of support for their work and the support that they provide to others. In addition, they provided an overview of key strategies that they implement to lead in their individualized contexts. Department heads also noted the difficulties associated with their position and the effects that these challenges have on them as individuals. T...
Surveying the Field of Teacher Leadership: Looking Back
International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 2018
This special issue started as a conversation about what has occurred in teacher leadership since York-Barr and Duke’s (2004) seminal review. We aimed to explore what has been happening, and to identify promising avenues for “what’s next” for teacher leader research and practice. We knew we wanted the special issue to be both a reflection on where we have been and the work that we have done as a community of scholars, as well as a look forward to developing teacher leader roles and responsibilities, ways of being and acting, and potential models for future collaboration among researchers and practitioners. We believe that the articles in this special issue addressing the theme, "Re-visioning teacher leadership for the 21st Century: What's next?" provide engaging insights that will help move forward this question.
Teacher leadership: toward a new conceptual framework
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Purpose Conceptual ambiguity about the term “teacher leadership” has retarded development of useful research on this topic. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework that researchers might utilize to clarify key assumptions embedded in their use of the term “teacher leadership,” enabling members of this research community to better understand and build upon each other’s work and to develop a knowledge base on teacher leadership. Design/methodology/approach In 2016 a community of researchers convened in a conversation about their varied conceptions of teacher leadership. The authors analyzed documentation from this convening to identify key ways in which members’ conceptions of teacher leadership diverged. They then drew upon the teacher–leader research literature and their own experiences with teacher–leader initiatives to propose a conceptual framework that would support researchers to define teacher leadership in ways that meet established criteria for an empi...
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Educational Leadership in Alberta: A Study Conducted on Behalf of the Consortium
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This document reports on a study on educational leadership training opportunities and needs in Alberta, Canada. After an overview of study objectives and methodology, a detailed review of the literature on leadership is presented, including various leadership and educational leadership definitions and information on preservice preparation and inservice training for educational leaders. The responses from the 110 of the 116 superintendents who received a questionnaire describe existing courses and programs in educational leadership in Alberta and the needs for additional courses and programs. Results of interviews conducted with key individuals in the provision of educational leadership are presented, including information on the current status of educational leadership in Alberta; current and emergent problems; and the adequacy of current preparation programs. Next, the following issues derived from study data are explored: (1) the nature of educational leadership in Alberta; (2) the lack of consensus; (3) the absence of critical
The Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Teacher Leadership
Review of Educational Research, 2016
In the current review, we examined teacher leadership research completed since York-Barr and Duke published the seminal review on teacher leadership in 2004. The review was undertaken to examine how teacher leadership is defined, how teacher leaders are prepared, their impact, and those factors that facilitate or inhibit teacher leaders’ work. Beyond this, the review considered theories informing teacher leadership, teacher leadership within disciplinary contexts, and the roles of teacher leaders in social justice and equity issues. The most salient findings were (a) teacher leadership, although rarely defined, focused on roles beyond the classroom, supporting the professional learning of peers, influencing policy/decision making, and ultimately targeting student learning; (b) the research is not always theoretically grounded; (c) principals, school structures, and norms are important in empowering or marginalizing teacher leaders; and (d) very little teacher leadership research exa...