Teacher leader- A Success Mantra of schools

Dr.S. RADHIKA, M.Com., M.A [Eco].,MBA(Hr)., B.Ed., M. Phil [Eco], P.G.D.C.A. Ph.D,

Principal-VSKD Nadar Matriculation School, Sivakasi.

Email: radhikashenbagaraj@gmail.com

Today we are living in a time of “accelerating change” — with exponentially faster

technological, cultural, social and environmental change than any other period in the known

history of our planet. We’re feeling this firsthand in our schools, and in our profession.

Teaching today requires a masterful blend of content knowledge and innovative teaching

methods, mixed with the ability to function in a system that requires us to be highly

collaborative, technologically savvy, and outspoken about the needs of our students and

profession.

That’s a lot to deal with all at once — especially for those teaching at-promise students,

who often face the additional challenges of living in communities where low-income, low-

literacy, and high rates of dropout are the norm. Teaching our students today is more complex

than ever, and this requires us to step up to a new way of doing our work.

What teaching today really requires is leadership. Leadership that transforms the way we

interact with our students, our colleagues and the communities we serve. Leadership that

puts us in control of what we do, and how we do it, and allows us to step out of the “my hands

are tied” culture that has permeated our profession for the past decade under No Child Left

Behind.

Instead of old-guard, top-down leadership, today we need a school cultures in which

teacher leaders and administrators have reciprocal relationships, supporting one another’s work

and sharing responsibility for outcomes.” A new era has come to education, and teacher leaders

will be key players in it.

The notion of teacher leadership is not new, but recently it has been transformed. In the

past, teacher leadership roles have been limited in scope and established at the prerogative of

school administrators. Teachers have long served as team leaders, department chairs, association

leaders and curriculum developers. In these roles teachers have often served as "representatives"

rather than "leaders" who enact change (Livingston, 1992). In addition, leadership roles for

teachers have traditionally lacked flexibility and required a lengthy, ongoing commitment of

time and energy. Often the decision to take on leadership tasks has been accompanied by a

decision to get out of teaching and into administration.

Advocacy for teacher professionalism and expanded leadership roles is based on the

understanding that teachers, because they have daily contacts with learners, are in the best

position to make critical decisions about curriculum and instruction. Moreover, they are better

able to implement changes in a comprehensive and continuous manner (Howey, 1988;

Livingston, 1992). The movement to expand teacher roles is also motivated by an ongoing need

to attract and retain qualified teachers

Who are today’s Teacher Leaders?

The term teacher-leader is commonly applied to teachers who have taken on leadership

roles and additional professional responsibilities. The teacher-leader concept is closely related

to voice and shared leadership i.e. the distribution of leadership roles and decision-making

responsibilities beyond the administrative team in a district or school.

Today’s teacher leaders are collaborators, connectors, communicators, and forward-

thinkers. Time and time again, research has shown that an effective teacher is the strongest in-

school predictor of student achievement. However, to keep an effective teacher effective requires

a school culture that is collaborative, and where teachers’ work is valued more broadly than just

by their students .Research also shows us that collective leadership has a stronger influence on

student achievement than individual leadership.

Teacher leadership is not so much a checklist of tasks as it is a mindset that is

fundamental for successfully handling the challenges we face in our classrooms, across our

campuses and throughout our communities.

What Do Teachers Bring to Leadership?

Teacher leaders do not necessarily fit the leader-as-hero stereotype. Instead, they offer

unique assets that come from the power of relationships.

Relational Leadership

An alternative to the hierarchical model of school leadership is the relational model,

which views leadership as residing not in individuals, but in the spaces among individuals.

Relational leadership runs through the daily life of every school as educators attend to the quality

of relationships, insist on commitment to the school's purposes and goals, and examine and

improve instruction (Donaldson, 2006). Leadership is about how individuals together influence

these three streams of school life to make learning better for all students. Although school

administrators play a vital role in these efforts, teachers are uniquely positioned to contribute

special assets to the school leadership mix in each of the three areas.

Teacher Asset: Building Relationships

Teacher leaders will earn the trust and respect of other teachers (Bryk & Schneider,

2002). They are in the trenches with colleagues. They struggle with the same instructional issues,

and they have demonstrated their success in the eyes of their peers. They are motivated by a

desire to help students and support their fellow teachers, not to enforce a new policy or to

evaluate others' competencies. Other teachers can go to teacher leaders without fear of judgment

or dismissal. Their conversations can be frank, authentic, and caring.

Teacher leaders also have the benefit of working with others in small, intimate, adaptable

groups or in one-on-one relationships. They aren't burdened, as administrators are, with setting

policy for the whole school. Some of these small units are formal work groups, such as grade-

level teams or departments. But many are naturally occurring and informal—clusters of teachers

who get into the habit of dropping by one another's rooms, sharing materials, ideas, and

challenges or generating a proposal to the principal for a new science initiative. In these less

formal clusters, it's often difficult to say who's leading whom. But few would say that leadership

doesn't exist among these energetic and closely connected professionals.

Teacher culture based on relationships is hugely influential in schools, often trumping

administrative and legislative influence (Spillane, 2006). Although some administrators and

policymakers might see this as a problem, strong relationships are teachers' most powerful

leadership asset (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).

Teacher Asset: Maintaining a Sense of Purpose

To build on their sense of purpose, teacher leaders need to listen astutely to their

colleagues and help them sort through many issues, keeping basic goals as the top priority. They

need to know how to facilitate professional dialogue, learning, and group process—the keys to

mobilizing others to action.

These teacher leaders use their relational base to help their colleagues keep their eyes on

the prize. Because they are teaching every day, facing the same challenges and reaping the same

rewards as their peers, their singular focus on their own instructional work and their commitment

to reaching every student act as beacons to those around them. When the going gets tough and

colleagues lose sight of their purpose or begin to question their commitment, teacher leaders'

clarity, optimism, and dedication are a powerful antidote.

Teacher Asset: Improving Instructional Practice

Traditionally, we have viewed school improvement and reform as a matter of wholesale

replacement of dysfunctional practices with new, “proven” practices. The current reform era,

however, has taught us that permanent improvements happen in a much more piecemeal manner

(Darling-Hammond, 2001; Elmore, 2004). Teachers have an extraordinary opportunity to

exercise leadership because they are the most powerful influence, next to students, on other

teachers' practice (Darling-Hammond, 2003). Whereas principals can shape teachers' beliefs,

attitudes, and behaviors, other teachers do shape them. Teacher leaders understand this and are

deliberate about shaping their environment in a positive, responsible way. They draw on their

relationships and their strong sense of purpose to help colleagues explore, share, and improve the

practices they use daily with students.

Teacher leaders both model and cultivate professional improvement. They take pains to

share what they do with others and to be accessible to colleagues concerning their own issues of

improved practice. The power of their leadership stems from the fact that colleagues find these

teacher leaders helpful. They are leaders because their own capacity to teach and to improve is

infectious and helps others learn more effective ways of working with their own students.

A Complementary Mix of Leaders

The relational model of leadership obligates us to look first at leadership relationships

and second at the individuals who are leaders. The leadership litmus test is, Are the relationships

in this school mobilizing people to improve the learning of all students? If that test comes up

positive, then we can ask, Who's contributing to that leadership—to strong working

relationships, to a robust commitment to good purposes, and to relentless improvement of

practice?

We must start by disposing of our old assumptions about leadership and about who can

lead. We have placed too much responsibility and too much power with the few individuals

whom we label “leaders” in our school systems. Superintendents, curriculum directors, and

principals cannot on their own generate leadership that improves education.

Principals need teacher leaders of all kinds. Although principals are better positioned than

teacher leaders are to influence the goal-directed areas of school life, they often have more

difficulty leading through positive relationships. Their position and authority give them a

platform for promoting vision and mission and focusing on improvement. But their power over

reappointments, assignments, resources, and policies can undercut their working relationships;

and their management responsibilities, can distance them from teaching and learning. In this

respect, the assets that teacher leaders bring to schools are an essential complement to principal

leadership.

We can strengthen school leadership and performance by acknowledging and supporting

the vital roles of teacher leaders. Administrators, school boards, and state and federal

policymakers should

Identify and support those clusters of teachers in which professional relationships

and commitments are fostering instructional innovation.

Respect the judgment of these professional clusters and be willing to adjust their

own strategies and initiatives to complement such teacher-led innovations.

Put resources behind the efforts of teacher leaders by supporting shared practice,

planning, and professional learning focused on their purposeful improvement of practice.

Acknowledge that their own goals and initiatives can best be addressed by

treating teacher leaders as vital and powerful partners.

Great schools grow when educators understand that the power of their leadership lies in

the strength of their relationships. Strong leadership in schools results from the participation of

many people, each leading in his or her own way. Whether we call it distributed leadership,

collaborative leadership, or shared leadership, the ideal arrangement encourages every adult in

the school to be a leader. Administrators, formal teacher leaders, and informal teacher leaders all

contribute to the leadership mix. They hold the power to improve student learning in the hands

they extend to one another.

What Do Teacher Leaders Do?

In one of the most extensive studies on the work of teacher leaders, Lieberman, Saxl, and

Miles (1988) focused on what teachers actually did when they assumed leadership positions

designed to provide assistance to other teachers. Victoria Boyd-Dimock and Kathleen M.

McGree found that the work of lead teachers was varied and largely specific to the individual

context of the school. In order to be effective with their colleagues, lead teachers found it

necessary to learn a variety of leadership skills while on the job. Those skills included:

Building trust and developing rapport

Diagnosing organizational conditions

Dealing with processes

Managing the work

Building skills and confidence in others

Victoria Boyd-Dimock and Kathleen M. McGree have concluded that restructuring

school communities to incorporate leadership positions for teachers will require teacher leaders

to take certain actions. These include: placing a nonjudgmental value on providing assistance,

modeling collegiality as a mode of work, enhancing teachers' self-esteem, using different

approaches to assistance, making provisions for continuous learning and support for teachers at

the school site and encouraging others to provide leadership to their peers.

Personal Gains:

Studies have shown that leadership positions can yield significant personal benefits to

those involved. Intellectual and professional growth and decreased isolation are personal gains

teachers reported in their new leadership roles.

Intellectual and professional growth:

Teachers report that their knowledge and skills in teaching increased dramatically as a

result of their involvement in leadership positions (Porter, 1987; Lieberman et al., 1988; Troen &

Boles, 1992). New skills and knowledge also lead to increased confidence among lead teachers

and a stronger commitment to teaching. Professional growth was more often the result of

collaboration with peers than activities separated from the normal school routine. Growth

occurred as lead teachers observed and assisted other teachers, worked with administrators, and

were exposed to new concepts and ideas.

Decreased isolation:

Teacher leaders report a significant decrease in isolation as a result of opportunities to

work with others outside of the classroom. Studies have found, however, that in most instances

isolation only decreased for those involved in leadership positions and had little bearing on the

isolation felt by the larger teaching force (Porter, 1987; Wasley, 1989). Other studies have shown

that under certain conditions lead teachers are successful in facilitating cooperation and

collegiality more broadly among faculty members, thereby decreasing the isolation many

teachers experience (Lieberman, et. al., 1988; Hart, 1990).

Confronting Obstacles:

While leadership roles can provide important benefits they have also proven to be highly

problematic. Studies have shown that lead teachers confront a number of constraints as they

learn to negotiate new roles and relationships.

Role Definitions:

Studies suggest that problems often result when teacher leadership roles are not well

defined (Hart, 1990; Hatfield, et al., 1987; Wasley, 1989). When responsibilities involved with

leadership are not well delineated confusion results and tensions mount, not only for lead

teachers but also for those who work with them (i.e., administrators, classroom teachers). At the

same time, however, researchers point to the need for lead teachers to participate in the definition

and creation of their new roles. Teacher leaders who are given the opportunity to create and

shape their own roles receive more support and experience greater success than those who are

less willing and able to take initiative (Hart, 1990).

Time:

Teacher leader’s report that time constraints significantly limit their ability to succeed in

the dual roles of both teacher and leader (Dierks, et al., 1988; Fay, 1992; Lieberman, et al., 1988;

Porter, 1987; Wasley, 1989). With additional responsibilities and little extra time, teachers are

often forced to make sacrifices that compromise their ability to be effective in both roles.

School culture:

A lack of support and encouragement from school administrators and teaching colleagues

often poses the biggest obstacles for teacher leaders. Lead teachers found that school norms of

privacy and isolation made it difficult to foster collegiality and promote the sharing of ideas.

Teacher leaders were repeatedly confronted by the "egalitarian nature of teaching" and had to

work hard to gain acceptance and respect (Hart, 1990; Lieberman, et al., 1988; Wasley, 1989).

The selection of lead teachers by the administration, which violated the "equal status" of

teachers, often exacerbated the problems and bred resentment and hostility toward teachers in

leadership positions (Devaney, 1987; Hart, 1990; Wasley, 1989). Lead teachers often blamed the

administration for failing to support leadership roles and engendering a hostile environment

(Hart, 1990; Troen & Boles, 1992).

The basics of successful leadership

Three sets of practices make up this basic core of successful leadership practices: setting

directions, developing people and redesigning the organization.

1. Setting Directions:

This set of practices is aimed at helping one’s colleagues develop shared understandings

about the organization and its activities and goals that can under gird a sense of purpose or

vision. People are motivated by goals which they find personally compelling, as well as

challenging but achievable. Having such goals helps people make sense of their work and

enables them to find a sense of identity for themselves within their work context. Often cited as

helping are; set directions are such specific leadership practices as identifying and articulating a

vision, fostering the acceptance of group goals and creating high performance expectations.

Monitoring organizational performance and promoting effective communication throughout the

organization also assist in the development of shared organizational purposes.

2. Developing People

While clear and compelling organizational directions contribute significantly to members’

work-related motivations, they are not the only conditions to do so. Nor do such directions

contribute to the capacities members often need in order to productively move in those

directions. Such capacities and motivations are influenced by the direct experiences

organizational members have with those in leadership roles, as well as the organizational

context within which people work.

More-specific sets of leadership practices significantly and positively influencing these

direct experiences include, for example: offering intellectual stimulation, providing

individualized support and providing appropriate models of best practice and beliefs considered

fundamental to the organization.

3. Redesigning the Organization:

The contribution of schools to student learning most certainly depends on the motivations

and capacities of teachers and administrators, acting both individually and collectively. But

organizational conditions sometimes blunt or wear down educators’ good intentions and actually

prevent the use of effective practices. In some contexts, for example, high-stakes testing has

encouraged a drill-and-practice form of instruction among teachers who are perfectly capable of

developing deep understanding on the part of their students. And extrinsic financial incentives

for achieving school performance targets, under some conditions, can erode teachers’ intrinsic

commitments to the welfare of their students. Successful educational leaders develop their

districts and schools as effective organizations that support and sustain the performance of

administrators and teachers, as well as students. Specific practices typically associated with this

set of basics include strengthening district and school cultures, modifying organizational

structures and building collaborative processes. Such practices assume that the purpose behind

the redesign of organizational cultures and structures is to facilitate the work of organizational

members and that the malleability of structures should match the changing nature of the school’s

improvement agenda.

Conditions Necessary for Leadership

A variety of conditions are necessary to support and sustain teachers in leadership

positions. According to Lieberman (1992), vision, structure, time and skills are all essential to

the success of new teacher roles and responsibilities.

Vision

It is important that teacher leadership roles be part of an overall vision and set of values

that accepts and expects teachers to participate in leadership. When new roles are unrelated to a

broad vision of teacher participation, leadership positions do not receive the systemic support

necessary for success and change. Administrators at all levels should encourage, even expecte,

teachers to provide leadership.

Structure

Teachers need structure for their work. Although the structure will vary according to the

school and community context, it must bring legitimacy to the new role and facilitate the

understanding that knowledgeable and well-respected teachers can provide leadership.

Committees of teachers should be regularly formed and provide a structure to elect leaders and

should investigate options for school improvement.

Time

Time to experiment, reflect and create is essential for teachers. They need time to talk to

other teachers, develop materials, deal with conflicts and build collegial relationships. An extra

conference or planning period can be added to provide time for reflection and communication.

Skills

There are skills and abilities, which can be labeled and learned, that make leadership

more effective. Teachers need access to information and training. A principal can utilize the

following set of leadership skills in her role as teacher leader:

Promoting a clear vision

Taking initiative

Persevering in the face of obstacles

Analyzing and making program adjustments/improvements

Building support with parents and community

Building a team spirit among the faculty

Providing support and encouragement for other teachers

Facilitating communication and reflection among the faculty

Celebrating and recognizing program successes

Using alternative strategies such as a summer program to build skills

Exercising patience

Encouraging teachers to assume leadership roles appears to be working in many schools

across the globe. Teachers are teaching differently. They are demonstrating a greater respect for

each other and for students. They are working across the curriculum and coordinating their

efforts.

Role for Teacher Leaders:

The ways teachers can lead are as varied as teachers themselves.Teacher leaders

assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Whether these roles are

assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school's capacity to improve.

Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their

peers

1. Resource Provider

Teachers help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources. These might include

Web sites, instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. They might

also share such professional resources as articles, books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment

tools.

2. Instructional Specialist

An instructional specialist helps colleagues implement effective teaching strategies. This

help might include ideas for differentiating instruction or planning lessons in partnership with

fellow teachers. Instructional specialists might study research-based classroom strategies

(Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001); explore which instructional methodologies are

appropriate for the school; and share findings with colleagues.

3. Curriculum Specialist

Understanding content standards, how various components of the curriculum link

together, and how to use the curriculum in planning instruction and assessment is essential to

ensuring consistent curriculum implementation throughout a school. Curriculum specialists lead

teachers to agree on standards, follow the adopted curriculum, use common pacing charts, and

develop shared assessments.

4. Classroom Supporter

Classroom supporters work inside classrooms to help teachers implement new ideas,

often by demonstrating a lesson, coteaching, or observing and giving feedback. Blase and Blase

(2006) found that consultation with peers enhanced teachers' self-efficacy (teachers' belief in

their own abilities and capacity to successfully solve teaching and learning problems) as they

reflected on practice and grew together, and it also encouraged a bias for action (improvement

through collaboration) on the part of teachers.

5. Learning Facilitator

Facilitating professional learning opportunities among staff members is another role for

teacher leaders. When teachers learn with and from one another, they can focus on what most

directly improves student learning. Their professional learning becomes more relevant, focused

on teachers' classroom work, and aligned to fill gaps in student learning. Such communities of

learning can break the norms of isolation present in many schools.

6. Mentor

Serving as a mentor for novice teachers is a common role for teacher leaders. Mentors

serve as role models; acclimate new teachers to a new school; and advise new teachers about

instruction, curriculum, procedure, practices, and politics. Being a mentor takes a great deal of

time and expertise and makes a significant contribution to the development of a new

professional.

7. School Leader

Being a school leader means serving on a committee, such as a school improvement

team; acting as a grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing

the school on community or district task forces or committees. A school leader shares the vision

of the school, aligns his or her professional goals with those of the school and district, and shares

responsibility for the success of the school as a whole.

8. Data Coach

Although teachers have access to a great deal of data, they do not often use that data to

drive classroom instruction. Teacher leaders can lead conversations that engage their peers in

analyzing and using this information to strengthen instruction.

9. Catalyst for Change

Teacher leaders can also be catalysts for change, visionaries who are “never content with

the status quo but rather always looking for a better way” (Larner, 2004, p. 32). Teachers who

take on the catalyst role feel secure in their own work and have a strong commitment to

continual improvement. They pose questions to generate analysis of student learning.

10. Learner

Among the most important roles teacher leaders assume is that of learner. Learners model

continual improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help all

students achieve.

Roles for All

Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, sometimes overlapping, ways. Some leadership

roles are formal with designated responsibilities. Other more informal roles emerge as teachers

interact with their peers. The variety of roles ensures that teachers can find ways to lead that fit

their talents and interests. Regardless of the roles they assume, teacher leaders shape the culture

of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers.

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