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Teacher Leaders = Teaching ProfessionalsKatherine Bassett, Executive Director and CEO

Joseph Fatheree, IL STOY 2007, Teaching ProfessionalOctober 30, 2013

…TRANSFORM THE PROFESSIONTeacher Leadership to…

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Where we are now…

Fewer professionals choosing teaching as a career Those who enter the field…leave

Huge financial costs to districts High teacher turnover as a primary cause of poor school performance

(No Dream Denied, NCTAF, 2003) Inability to develop cadre of experts (The Irreplaceables, The New Teacher Project, 2012; 

(Ericsson, 2006, p. 691) Lack of respect – morale issues

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Where we need to be…

Professsion – competitive field where professionals want to be Profession – we grow and develop through career continuums Profession – we work in teams for the greater good Profession – we build and rely upon a rich cadre of experts with the system Profession – teachers have a role in decision making Profession – teachers play a role in policy making Profession – teachers are recognized as advocates for the profession Profession – we adhere to professional principles developed by and for teachers Profession – highly respected and valued

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Teacher Leadership

Transforming for Change

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York‐Barr & Duke, 2004, p. 287

What is teacher leadership?“Teacher leadership is the process 

by which teachers, individually or collectively,influence their colleagues, principals, and 

other members of the school community to improve teaching and learning practices with

the aim of increased student learning and achievement”

A paradox

• Though teachers often self‐report performing leadership‐like duties within their schools, the term leader has been reserved for administrative personnel only (Cherubini, 2008)

• Acknowledging the leadership roles of teachers also defies the egalitarian norm of school cultures that all teachers should be equal (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2001). 

• Our best teachers are often frustrated by the systems in which they serve• Recognized teachers are often not seen as leaders in their own schools or districts• These teachers often feel ‘all dressed up with no place to grow’

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Why teacher leadership?Continuums of professional practice

Teaching is a “flat” profession

Retention data awful

Susan Moore Johnson (Harvard) 

new teachers want Teamwork and support

Professional opportunities that include leadership opportunities

Richard Ingersoll (Penn)

Experienced teachers 

Generation Y teachers Jane Coggshall and Ellen Sherratt (AIR)

Gen Y teachers want leadership experiences from day one – without them, they leave

Wong and Wong 

Gen Ys like to share what they’ve learned (Wong and Wong, 07)

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Why teacher leadership?Distributed leadership models

The role of the principal is impossible (Charlotte Danielson) School improvement reform requires harnessing talent for common goals Shared accountability for student achievement Role of principal has become more complex and challenging – distributed 

leadership models Spillane (2001) describes distributed leadership as a means to incorporate the activities of many individuals in a 

school who work at mobilizing and guiding other teachers in the process of instructional change. Spillane, J., Javerson, R., Diamond, J. (2001) “Towards a theory of leadership practice:  a distributed perspective,” Northwestern University:  Institute for Policy Research Working Paper, 2001 .

In Sergiovanni’s (2001) conception of distributed leadership, a large number of individuals in a school are involved in the work of their colleagues, trusted with information, participate in decision‐making, and have a stake in the success of a school.  Sergiovanni T. (2001), “Leadership:  What’s in it for Schools?”

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Why teacher leadership?System‐wide change

Builds capacity within systems Promotes shared accountability Provides for career continuum structures• Cultivates a largely untapped resource for change and improvement in schools• Keeps good teachers in the classroom• Provides supports for beginning teachers• Provides principals with much‐needed assistance

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Challenges to teacher leadership Selection – need to move away from the ‘annoint and appoint’ model (Mark 

Smylie, 2010) Good teacher = good teacher leader myth Lack of acknowledgement of skills needed to fulfill leadership role with peers Failure to consider the ‘fit’ of the job with the abilities Absence of training for the role

Credibility Experience of those selected Training and respect

Differentiating roles between TLs and administrators Defining of TL roles – what will we do?

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Differentiators

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See Big PictureTeaching extends beyond classroom– Focus on advancing T&L

– Lead change through work w/policy makers, practitioners, public– Understand audience – specific approach and delivery

Always forging new ways to enhance education & learning

Boundary spannerRead environment Opportunistic

Build trust/communityChange agents negotiators Allow all voices to be heard

Lead instructional change Know how to LISTEN

Expert knowledge and confidence to impart to colleages

Build capacity in colleagues and systems CredibilityFacilitate and support others’ learning

Advance the professionUnderstand adult learning theory

Just as Eff.w/Adults as with SsThink ‘we’ vs. ‘I’

Acknowledge mistakes and learn from themEngage in and share action research strategies

Teacher leader roles

What do teacher leaders do?

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Teacher leader roles

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A conversation with Joe FathereeTeacher Leader

TeacherDocumentary Filmmaker

AuthorProfessional Development Provider

Web site designer

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Your Turn

What roles do you see teachers leaders playing in our schools and systems?

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Other types of teacher leader roles Leading from the classroom – full‐time teacher who leads in classroom, team, school, district, etc. Hybrid roles – part‐time in the classroom and part‐time placement elsewhere in advocacy, policy, or 

leadership capacity including the teacherpreneur model that Ariel will cover Mentor, coach

For new teachers For struggling teachers For specific content, e.g. data, subject area, curriculum

Service on leadership team Union or association leadership Administrative position Advocacy role – blogging, engagement in policy, social media Peer observer Evaluator 

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NNSTOY next steps

Research into continuum models Championing roles for teacher leaders Working with other organizations to implement the five missing structures Putting our members into teacher leadership positions

Advocating for students, schools, systems, profession Building policy at the local, state, national levels Professional learning experiences developed by practitioners for practitioners

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