Research Roundup 14, 3 (Spring 1998)
Teacher Leadership
by Larry Lashway
In the 1980s, when educational reformers turned their spotlight
from the legislature to the classroom, they envisioned teacher
leadership as a key to reform. One high-level national commission
went so far as to advocate schools run by committees of teachers,
without an administrator in sight.
There is little evidence that anyone-least of all teachers-took
this particular proposal very seriously, but teacher leadership has
emerged as a prominent theme in the educational restructuring
literature. Some of the interest comes from schools using site-based
management, where teacher leadership is defined as participation in
collective decision-making. Other researchers have begun to explore
bolder visions, seeing teachers as assertive leaders in their own
right.
In both cases, principals face an intriguing but troublesome
puzzle. On the one hand, schools are designed as top-down
bureaucratic institutions with teachers at the bottom of the
policy-making chain. Notwithstanding the rhetoric of teacher
leadership, the system still puts accountability squarely on the
shoulders of administrators. On the other hand, early reform efforts
have shown that significant change does not occur without the full
involvement of teachers; mandates from the top do not automatically
lead to effective reform when they trickle down to the classroom.
Reconciling these contradictions is not easy. Principals must
first sort through the ambiguities of the new roles. If teachers are
leaders, what is the role of the principal? What decisions can be
made by teachers? What decisions should be shared?
In addition, teacher leadership raises a host of practical
questions. How can principals encourage and help prepare teachers for
these new roles? What kind of governance structures work best? Where
will the time come from?
The works described below explore these questions from a number of
perspectives, showing how teachers and principals respond to new
roles and suggesting practical steps that principals can take to
support teacher leadership.
Ann Weaver Hart examines the ways that teacher leadership
changes the principal's role.
Marilyn Katzenmeyer and Gayle Moller tell how
principals can help develop classroom-based teacher leadership.
Lynn F. Zinn discusses the factors that support or hinder
the practice of teacher leadership.
Martha N. Ovando explores the ways that new leadership
roles affect teachers' performance of their old roles.
Mark Smylie and Jean Brownlee-Conyers examine the
working relationships that develop between teacher leaders and their
principals.
Hart, Ann Weaver. "When Is Now: A Plan of Action." In
When Teachers Lead, edited by Terry A. Astuto, 73-86.
University Park, Pennsylvania: University Council for Educational
Administration, 1993. 83 pages. ED366 082. Available from:
ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Rd., Suite
110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852. (800) 443-3742. $16.32.
This paper, part of an edited volume exploring many dimensions of
teacher leadership, argues that increased teacher leadership will
require a major rethinking of the administrator's role. When teachers
lead, they gain power and influence, threatening traditional lines of
control; their professional lives change as they collaborate and
differentiate their roles; and the school's micropolitical arena
changes in unpredictable ways.
As teachers move from isolation to participation, they become part
of the power structure, working alongside administrators rather than
under them. Principals must now function as "one among equals," and
the skills of team building, group process, and collaboration become
more important than control and coordination. In addition, teachers
increasingly expect administrative rules to have a clear link to
classroom productivity.
Because leadership takes many forms, teacher roles become more
differentiated, and not all teachers are concerned with all issues.
Thus, principals can never be sure which issues will catalyze
teachers and which will be regarded with indifference; effective
strategies will depend on careful listening rather than viewing
teachers as interchangeable units.
As the work lives of teachers change, principals will need to
develop their own repertoire of knowledge and skills. Teacher
leadership thrives on professional consensus rather than hierarchy,
and principals who fail to keep pace with teachers' expanding
professional capacity will find their own influence waning.
Hart points out that the school's micropolitical arena will become
harder to manage as leadership roles bring teachers into conflict
with each other. The old "ritualized conflict" between unions and
school management channeled disagreements into predictable paths, but
with teacher leadership controversy springs up in unexpected areas.
Principals must develop highly refined conflict management skills to
keep the school functioning smoothly. They must also be able to help
teachers rethink traditional definitions of collegiality, equality,
and privacy.
As teacher leadership challenges the traditional power structure,
principals will be called on to exercise transitional and
transformational leadership rather than maintenance skills. Hart
observes that many administrators have not been trained in these
skills, and that administrator training programs must change to
reflect the new realities.
Katzenmeyer, Marilyn, and Gayle Moller. Awakening the Sleeping
Giant: Leadership Development for Teachers. Thousand Oaks,
California: Corwin, 1996. Available from: Corwin Press, Inc.,
2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, California 91320-2218. (805)
499-0721. $19.95 paper, $45.95 cloth, plus $3.50 shipping and
handling.
As the title suggests, the authors believe that teacher
leadership, properly nurtured, can play a powerful transformative
role in K-12 schools. They see teacher leaders as classroom-centered,
focused on teaching and learning rather than organizational nuts and
bolts, and relying on influence rather than power.The authors focus
on four key elements in achieving this kind of leadership: personal
assessment, a supportive school environment, diverse strategies for
influencing others, and planning for action.
Personal assessment is important because each teacher brings a
unique combination of experiences, skills, and values to the
leadership role. The type of leadership a teacher exercises will
depend on his or her teaching skills, philosophy, career stage, and
personal life. Teachers who consciously reflect on their unique
pattern of talents will not only know themselves better but will
better recognize and accept uniqueness in others.
The school environment plays a crucial role in developing teacher
leaders. Teacher leadership develops when schools place a high focus
on professional development, collegiality, teacher autonomy, and open
communication. In addition, principals must lead the way in amending
organizational structures to support teacher leadership, especially
in carving out more time for teachers to work through the challenges
of their new roles.
Because teacher leaders seldom have much position power, they must
operate through influence rather than formal authority. Staff
development can help teachers identify and develop the strategies
that will work best for them. In particular, teachers need skills in
working collaboratively with diverse colleagues.
With all these preconditions in place, teachers will be prepared
to focus on a workable plan of action.
Throughout this process, the principal's role is critical.
Principals serve as primary role models, teaching leadership through
actions as well as words. They support the committed and encourage
the reluctant, and pave the way by finding resources and removing
barriers. According to the authors, these efforts will be repaid by
greater teacher effectiveness, reduced resistance to change, and a
more professional climate.
Principals will like the book's highly practical content, which
includes several self-assessment surveys, as well as end-of-chapter
suggestions for teachers, principals, central-office administrators,
and university faculty
Ovando, Martha N. "Effects of Teacher Leadership on Their
Teaching Practices." Paper presented at the annual conference of
the University Council for Educational Administration, Philadelphia,
October, 1994. 23 pages. ED380 446. Available from: ERIC
Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Rd., Suite 110,
Springfield, VA 22153-2852. (800) 443-3742. $4.08.
We know that teacher leaders take on new roles in their schools,
but what happens to their old roles? In this paper, Martha Ovando
explores how teacher leadership affects teaching practices.
Ovando surveyed twenty-five teachers in the same district; all had
leadership responsibilities such as department chairperson, academic
team leader, and lead teacher. Respondents indicated that their
leadership roles demanded extra time, which tended to be taken from
planning periods, conference times, professional days, and before and
after school. Teachers indicated that their priority was protecting
student contact time
Some teachers indicated that the added time commitment of dual
roles created stress. Several also noted that the two roles took
different "frames of mind" and that it was difficult to switch
quickly from one frame to another. Despite the frustrations, many of
the teachers said the new roles were satisfying and helped them grow
professionally.
While Ovando did not attempt to directly measure teaching
practices, she concludes that "teacher leadership might adversely
affect some teaching practices," especially planning and preparation.
In addition, teacher focus may suffer because of the need to deal
simultaneously with their two roles. Ovando recommends that teacher
leaders receive continuing support (not just at the beginning of
their leadership roles) to help them address these concerns.
Zinn, Lynn F. "Supports and Barriers to Teacher Leadership:
Reports of Teacher Leaders." Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago,
March 1997. 43 pages. ED408 259. Available from: ERIC
Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Rd., Suite 110,
Springfield, VA 22153-2852. (800) 443-3742. $8.16.
A decade of experimentation with teacher leadership has made it
clear that new roles can be difficult to master. What barriers stand
in the way? What actions can facilitate teacher leadership? This case
study of nine elementary teacher leaders provides some answers.
Zinn considers sources of support and barriers in three
categories: in the school setting, outside the school setting, and
within the individual. Within the school setting, the strongest
sources of support are a strong network of colleagues and
administrator support. Principals lend this support by providing
verbal encouragement, locating resources, supplying information, and
coaching new leadership skills. Training opportunities also play a
role, but do not by themselves seem to create leaders.
Time is the greatest barrier within schools. Not only is there too
little of it, but classroom responsibilities prevent teachers from
using available time flexibly. Sometimes teachers face resentment or
jealousy from other teachers or hostility from administrators. In
addition, the new roles are sometimes ill-defined and ambiguous.
Outside the school setting, teacher leaders benefit most from
support of family and friends, though several mentioned media
recognition and support from parents of students. Lack of support
from these groups is a significant barrier, and the need to balance
work and family is a continual concern. In some cases, the cultural
or family backgrounds of teachers did not encourage leadership roles.
As individuals, these teacher leaders showed a strong sense of
motivation, confidence, and commitment. They also enjoyed the
challenges and changes offered by leadership roles. At the same time,
all experienced personal barriers to leadership: reluctance to be
assertive, discouragement, and stress.
Zinn concludes that the balance between support and barriers is
often fragile, and sometimes dependent on factors beyond the
principal's control. Simply offering verbal support will seldom be
sufficient to overcome the many barriers, and principals must take
concrete actions. Because not all teachers respond in the same way,
individual concerns must be carefully attended to, and they must be
offered diverse options in undertaking leadership roles.
Despite the difficulties, the author sees teacher leadership as an
exciting and powerful development that will amply repay the effort
required to nurture it.
Smylie, Mark A., and Jean Brownlee-Conyers. "Teacher Leaders
and Their Principals: Exploring the Development of New Working
Relationships." Educational Administration Quarterly 28, 2 (May
1992): 150-84. Available from: Sage Publications, Inc., 2455
Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, California 91320. (805) 499-0721. $15.00.
When a school designates certain teachers as "leaders," it
immediately thrusts them into a new and uncharted relationship with
the school's traditional leader, the principal. How do principals and
teachers work out their new relationship?
Smylie and Brownlee-Conyers studied a suburban district where
teacher leaders were expected to play a major role in fostering
collegiality, professional development, and school improvement but
had few specified duties. These teachers remained in the classroom on
a reduced schedule.
Because of the open-ended nature of the leadership roles, both
teachers and principals gave immediate priority to reducing the
ambiguity. Accordingly, their earliest concerns were interpersonal,
as they groped for a mutually satisfactory working relationship,
trying to develop the trust, support, and loyalty that both parties
expected.
The authors found that teachers and principals entered the
relationship with individual agendas that they did not immediately
put aside. Principals were concerned with protecting key
prerogatives, such as exercising the ability to make key decisions,
representing the school to the community, and knowing what activities
were going on in the school. For their part, teachers were concerned
with maintaining relationships with peers, protecting their
responsibility for working with students, and avoiding conflict with
the principal (as one teacher put it, "When it's all said and done,
he's still my boss.")
In pursuing their individual agendas, both teachers and principals
consciously used strategies to shape the relationship. For example,
principals often complimented teachers, solicited their advice, and
suggested tasks. Teachers looked for ways to assert their ideas
without creating conflict; some spoke of "planting seeds" or acting
as though a teacher idea had come from the principal.
Over time, however, the relationships evolved from an emphasis on
self-interest and interpersonal communication to "symbiosis" and a
focus on the tasks to be accomplished. The authors conclude that
resolving tensions and developing trust are essential first steps in
developing productive partnerships. Schools should help both parties
cultivate the skills needed for this task.
Larry Lashway is a research analyst and writer for the ERIC
Clearinghouse on Educational Management at the University of
Oregon.
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