Teacher Leadership

Joseph MurphyFrank W. Mayborn Chair &

Associate Dean for Special ProjectsVanderbilt University's Peabody College

210B Payne Hall, Box 414230 Appleton Place

Nashville, TN 37023-5721615-322-8038

Joseph.f.murphy@Vanderbilt.edu

What are the forces supporting teacher leadership?

What is the “theory in action” (engine)?What are the pathways to bring teacher

leadership to life?What are the barriers to present teacher

leadership from taking root?What are the key ingredients to make it work?What is the view of leadership for the principal in

this reform idea?How do you prepare teachers to assume the

role of teacher leader?

Supporting Forces

1. Changing Views of Schooling for Highly

Productive Schools Critique of Existing Forms New Understandings of Productive School

2. Changing Views of Leadership in New

School Organizations Changing Role of Formal Leaders

Supporting Forces

2. Changing Views of Leadership in New

School Organizations (Cont.) Distributed Views of Leadership

3. School Improvement Designs that

Privilege Professionalism

Pathways to Teacher LeadershipRole-Based Strategies Community-Based Strategies

Teacher Career Broadening Administrative

Domains Strategies Structures and Roles

Shared Communities

Leadership of Practice

Architecture structural/hierarchical/institutional

View of individually based

Leadership

Focus management/administrative

Foundation administrative prerogative

Influence legitimacy/control

Base

Scope targeted work/limited

Nature of activities performed by those in formal roles

Work

organic/communal/cultural

organizational property/

professional phenomenon

instruction and learning

community product

expertise/social capital

distributed/generalized

work as ingrained in teacher

role of all

Pathways to Teacher Leadership

Role-Based Strategies Community-Based Strategies

Teacher Career Broadening Administrative

Domains Strategies Structures and Roles

Shared Communities

Leadership of Practice

Accountability to administrators (bureaucratic)

Nature formal/competitive

Dynamic planned

Expression from the point, organizational

Duration limited

Relationships thin/separation from peers

Impact minimal

to colleagues (professional)

informal/ingrained/cooperative

emergent

from a web of relationships

on-going

deep/collaborative

unknown

Organizational & Cultural Barriers

Organizational Structure introduction dynamics of hierarchy

Culture introduction norms about teaching & learning norms about the nature of work

Organizational & Cultural Barriers

Culture (cont.) norm of autonomy norms of privacy & non-interference norm of egalitarianism norm of civility norm of conservatism & aversion to risk taking

Organizational & Cultural Barriers

Culture (cont.) norm of legitimacy norm of the divide between teaching &

administration norm of managerial prerogative norm of followership norm of compliance

Supporting Elements

Values and Expectations

Structures

Professional Development

Resources

Incentives and Recognition

Role Clarity

Promoting Teacher Leadership from the Principal’s Office

Developing Relationships in Support of Teacher Leadership

Recasting Leadership

Building Strong Relationships with Teachers

Rethinking Conceptions of Power

Fashioning Supportive Organizational Structures

Working to Promote Teacher Leadership

Promoting Professional Development

Teacher Leadership Curriculum

A. Developing an understanding of the whole school

1. Understanding how schools work2. Understanding professional responsibilities of leaders3. Developing a deeper understanding of leadership

B. Working productively with others4. Developing more effective interpersonal skills5. Learning to coach/mentor others6. Facilitating productive collaboration

Teacher Leadership Curriculum

C. Deepening the instructional capacity of colleagues 7. Designing and implementing high-quality professional

development8. Recognizing, assessing, and supporting quality instructional

practices with colleagues9. Program evaluation on teacher leaders

D. Leading school improvement10. Developing and sustaining professional learning communities11. Leading change12. Teacher leader research13. Teacher leadership research14. Promoting equitable schools for youngsters and families