Call to Teacher Leadership

Sally J. Zepeda, R. Stewart Mayers, Brad Benson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781317919452
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Bildung
• Subtopic: Bildung Allgemein

The Call to Teacher Leadership demonstrates the many ways teachers can be leaders without having to opt out of the classroom full-time. It examines formal leadership positions – instructional coordinators, lead teachers, department chairs, etc. – as well as informal leadership roles – nurturing colleagues, supporting the instructional program, participating in decision making, etc. With practical examples and case studies, this book provides details about how teachers have participated in the leadership of their schools and districts. Examples come from elementary, middle, and high schools across the country.

1

Answering the Call to Teacher Leadership

In this Chapter

♦ The “Why” of Teacher Leadership

♦ The “When” of Teacher Leadership

♦ The “How” of Teacher Leadership

♦ Teacher Leadership, Empowerment, and Voice

♦ The Formal and Informal Authority of Teacher Leaders

♦ New Work, New Responsibilities for Teacher Leaders

Introducing Teacher Leadership

Teachers are leaders, and common sense tells us that they are the most valuable resource in any school system. In their classrooms, teachers lead students—guiding instruction, managing the classroom environment, and juggling daily the responsibilities of working with other teachers, parents, and administrators. Formal leadership positions often take teachers out of the classroom and into an administrative office. Teachers face a dilemma because, for many, the only way to become a leader is to either opt out of the classroom for a full-time administrative position or to teach part-time while assuming the responsibility of instructional coordinator, lead teacher, or department chair. While fulfilling these part-time positions, teacher leaders are often caught with “one foot in and one foot out” of teaching.

This book presents the premise that teachers can be leaders in their schools and school systems without necessarily having to opt out of the classroom full-time. The construct of teacher leadership is not a new one, but one that is becoming increasingly important across all levels—elementary, middle, and high school. All teachers have the capacity to be leaders, but the development of leadership needs to be promoted from within the rank and file of teachers. Leadership needs to be supported by the systems in which teachers work, and teachers who assume leadership roles—both formal and informal ones—need to be nurtured. The work that Teacher Leaders do can have a profound effect on student learning, school improvement, and the overall ability of the school to build capacity for ongoing learning and development.

This chapter explores the “why,” “when,” and “how” of teacher leadership. The formal and informal roles that teacher leaders assume are examined, leading logically to the work that teacher leaders do. From such an exploration, teachers may be in a better position to understand the complexities of the work of teacher leaders—nurturing colleagues, supporting the instructional program, and making decisions that affect both students and adults—as they assume leadership roles and positions across K–12 schools.

The “Why” of Teacher Leadership

Why do teachers enter the profession? Teachers have an altruistic calling to the profession, and they want to make a difference in the lives of the children they teach. Why become a teacher leader? Teachers become leaders because they can make a difference. Teacher leaders answer the call because they want to make a difference—with other teachers, the school, the district, and, ultimately, with students. Teacher leadership is a calling to a higher level of service. Teacher leaders have the courage to “step up to the plate,” and they assume incredible responsibilities that often:

♦ Go beyond the contract day.

♦ Fall outside the sphere of monetary compensation.

♦ Place them at odds with bargaining units.

♦ Create tensions among fellow faculty and administrators because they take a stand, they involve themselves whole heartedly in their work as teacher leaders, and they seek change.

Yet, teacher leaders still press on to take a lead in the work that goes beyond the classroom. Teacher leaders are interested in change, and Méndez-Morse (1992) cites Nickse (1977), who found that teachers as change agents emerge because:

♦ teachers have a vested interest, “they care about what they do and how they do it and feel a sense of responsibility for their efforts;”

♦ teachers have a sense of history, they are “aware of the norms of their colleagues;”

♦ teachers know the community, and “have information concerning the values and attitudes of the community” and

♦ teachers can implement change, they “are where the action is ... in the position to initiate planned change on the basis of need.” (p. 19)

And although there is more than compelling research and perspective on the positive effects of teacher leadership (Lambert, 1998), leadership from within the rank and file of teachers has been slow to evolve in our schools for a variety of reasons—lack of time, overbooked schedules, outside commitments, and administrators who do not wish to have teachers leading. Often, teacher leadership rests in coveted positions—lead teachers, department chairs, and instructional coordinators. These formal positions are important but so are the informal leadership roles, duties, and responsibilities that teacher leaders without formal title assume. Although this book examines teacher leadership from the perspectives of the teachers who assume more formal leadership roles, we believe that teacher leaders emerge through the work they do as:

♦ Presenters at workshops (at the site, district, and beyond).

♦ Members of curriculum committees that make instructional decisions.

♦ Mentors and peer coaches.

♦ Team leaders for grade and subject areas.

♦ Speakers at parent, board, and community meetings.

♦ Cooperating teachers.

♦ Faculty representatives on visiting accreditation teams.

♦ Members on school improvement teams.

♦ Members of faculty and administrative search committees.

Whereas one teacher leader can have an impact, a cadre of teacher leaders within schools and districts can effect change and improvement not only in the systems in which they serve but also in the lives of the people who live and breathe life into schools. Teacher leaders can influence the environment—student and adult learning and morale—in powerful, positive, and pervasive ways. Teacher leaders provide the impetus for change and innovation. This is the why of teacher leadership.

The Need for Teacher Leaders

The development of teacher leadership in schools and districts is a priority for a variety of important reasons, and there is a pressing need for teacher leaders to assume leadership responsibilities both at the site as well as at the district levels. The success of school systems depends on strong teacher leadership. Faced with increasing pressures and time demands through state and federal regulations, testing programs, and frequent policy changes, administrators rely on teachers from within their buildings to assume some of the leadership roles and tasks ordinarily carried out by administrative leaders.

Teacher leaders have expertise, and they often want to further develop this expertise through expanding their involvement in the work of schools beyond the classroom. Central-office administrators also find themselves increasingly mired in translating federal programs and aligning curriculum to meet the needs for state and national assessments, and, as a result of this focus, they rely on teacher leaders to assist, coordinate, and deliver programs at the site level.

Teacher leaders are able to provide the “big picture” view of the educational system in which they work. Without leadership from teachers, an important part of processes, policies, and practices is missing. Another “big picture” issue that teacher leaders address is the “shared vision” of the site and district. Well-informed administrators are aware that to spread the organization’s vision, teacher leaders are the carriers of the message. Teachers not only carry the message, but they also infuse the energy to bring the vision to fruition. Just as students often communicate with more clarity and meaning to other students, teacher leaders can do the same with other teachers.

Teacher leaders are a source of valid information within a school or district. Teacher leaders understand the communication networks, and they know how to get the word out to the troops. Teacher leaders understand the patterns of communication, the culture of the school, and they know how to effectively communicate within the context of the school. With regard to the most practical matters and to plan for the future, realistic and grounded information provided through a teacher leader will be invaluable for progress in schools interested in school improvement.

A teacher leader is one who informs, who actively gathers information from colleagues and, more to the point of leadership, will deliver that information in a manner suitable to the person and situation regardless of the risks. Teacher leaders are, by virtue of the position they occupy in school systems, willing to assume an element of risk. Teacher leaders are risk takers.

Schools need teacher leaders, and teacher leaders are present in our schools—from the novice to the most seasoned veteran. Further, the opportunity to lead is a fundamental right and responsibility of everyone who enters the teaching profession. Without avenues for teacher leadership, we risk losing the backbone of our schools—teachers who are the schools’ most valuable resource. Involvement in leadership activities and positions may be an excellent remedy for the burnout some of our best and brightest teachers suffer because they lack opportunities to learn, grow, and share with others. Teacher leadership can offer those creative and highly motivated teachers a path of expression and action that will not only make a difference with others, but also will help to renew and reinvigorate them.

Why Become a Teacher Leader?

Why should a teacher become a leader? The answer, in general, is probably twofold—for others and for yourself. When you carry out effective leadership as a teacher, you are contributing not only to the educational organization, but also, even more importantly, to the people who are a part of the system. Through leadership, you have a chance to give of yourself to your profession and to make full use of the talents, abilities, and training that the process of education most likely helped you develop, both as a student and as a professional. You will be able to see some results almost immediately, whereas other dividends will be longer in coming and may even go unrecognized. Regardless of the immediacy of the outcomes, a teacher leader has a chance to help others grow—students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community. The opportunity to foster growth will yield the same, if not a greater, sense of fulfillment that teachers derive from the classroom.

A part of the reason to become a teacher leader involves rewards. Some teacher leaders may at first be hard put to express the rewards that leadership brings them, but on reflection, they find their work to be highly rewarding both intrinsically and extrinsically. Imagine the good feeling you will have when, as a leader, you begin to think in terms of the...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Series Page
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Case Study Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Answering the Call to Teacher Leadership
• 2 The Thorny Issues of Teacher Leadership
• 3 Teacher Leadership in the Elementary School
• 4 Teacher Leadership in the Middle Grades
• 5 Teacher Leadership in the High School
• 6 Casting a Wide Net for Teacher Leadership
• Subject and Author Index