Enhancing Teacher Leadership

Strategy 14: Include Information About Teacher Leadership
In principal preparation programs, be sure to include information about teacher leadership.
• Explain the purpose of teacher leadership.
• Explain the principal’s relationship to the role of teacher leader.
Resource 60: Facilitating Support for Teacher Leadership Through Principal Preparation
Programs
Mangin, M. M. (2007, August). Facilitating elementary principals’ support for instructional
teacher leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 43(3).
This research study found that high levels of teacher leadership knowledge and interaction with
teacher-leaders can promote principals’ support for teacher leadership. Principal preparation
programs can increase principals’ knowledge through a focus on teacher leadership, its purpose,
and the principal’s relationship to the role.

Resource 61: Distributed Leadership Model for Preparation Programs
Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School Improvement. (2007). GLISI Distributed School
Leadership Framework: The 8 roles of school leaders™. Atlanta, GA: Author.
Retrieved November 1, 2007,
from http://www.galeaders.org/site/news/newitems/news_06162005_001.htm
Leadership preparation programs need a model that supports a flexible distributed leadership
approach that makes leadership for school improvement readily adaptable to preparation
curriculum. For example, distributed leadership embedded throughout the eight roles of
leadership (as identified by GLISI) constitutes a performance-based model that encourages
leaders at all levels in schools to work together to improve student learning.

Resource 62: The Development of Principals Who Support Teacher Leadership
York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from
two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255–316.
More consideration of the intentional development of principals who effectively support teacher
leadership is needed. Prospective administrators should be prepared for “collaboration and
interactive leadership, dynamic leadership, and career-long professional development.” The role
of principal needs to be redefined “from instructional leader to developer of a community of
leaders within the school.” Strategy 15: Distribute Leadership Tasks
Rather than assigning all responsibilities to one person, distribute leadership tasks among a
number of people, including teachers and other members of school organizations.

Resource 63: Distributed Leadership
Institute for Educational Leadership. (2001). Leadership for student learning: Redefining the
teacher as leader. Washington, DC: Author.
In this article, there is a discussion of “distributed leadership” as a type of leadership approach for improving school quality and student performance. In this approach, the leadership functions needed in a school “are shared by multiple members of the school community.” Distributed leadership involves more people in leadership roles in the school system, generates new ideas, and creates a strong team approach to running a school organization. Furthermore, “distributed leadership can have the important effect of enhancing teacher engagement and involvement in decision making.

Resource 64: Team Leadership
Murphy, J., Elliott, S. N., Goldring, E., & Porter, A. (2007, August). Learning-centered
leadership: A conceptual foundation. Nashville, TN: Learning Sciences Institute.
Retrieved November 1, 2007,
from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/wallace/learning.pdf
This article on learning-centered leadership discusses the importance of team leadership for
enhancing organizational performance. Distributing leadership more generally can help a school
organization reach new heights.

Resource 65: Distributed Leadership in High Schools
Copland, M. A., & Boatright, E. (2006). Leadership for transforming high schools. Seattle, WA:
Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/wallace/6LeadershipforTransformingHighSchools.pdf
The distribution of leadership is the key to transforming high schools. A network of shared and
distributed practice in which leadership is “stretched over people in different roles” (p. 13) leads to a dynamic interaction between multiple leaders and their situational contexts. With distributed leadership, decisions about who leads and who follows are “dictated by the task or problem situation, not necessarily by where one sits in the hierarchy” (p. 13). Conceptions of distributed leadership involve “recognizing expertise rather than formal position as the basis of leadership authority in groups” (p. 14). Instead of “centering on the principal, the expert knowledge and skills necessary to exercise leadership for the improvement of teaching and learning reside within the professional community… with which teaching staff identify” (p. 14). Resource 66: Building A New Structure for School Leadership Elmore, R. F. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership. Washington, DC: The Albert Shanker Institute. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from http://www.shankerinstitute.org/Downloads/building.pdf
In this article, Elmore describes the importance of developing a model of distributed leadership
for large-scale improvement of instructional practice and performance. He sets forth five
principles that serve as the foundation for a model of distributed leadership focused on largescale improvement, and he presents a table defining leadership roles and functions at the policy, professional, system, school, and practice level.

Resource 67: Distributing and Redesigning Leadership Roles
Portin, B. S., Alejano, C. R., Knapp, M. S., & Marzolf, E. (2006, October). Redefining roles,
responsibilities, and authority of school leaders. Seattle, WA: Center for the Study of
Teaching and Policy. Retrieved November 1, 2007,
from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/wallace/3RedefiningRolesResponsibilities.pdf
New strategies to redefine school leadership roles include distributing and redesigning leadership roles. One example is to develop new models of leadership that are based on distributing leadership practice across the school organization and redesigning formal leadership roles.

Resource 68: Georgia’s Distributed Leadership Framework
Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School Improvement. (2007). The 8 roles of school
leadership™. [Website]. Atlanta, GA: Author. Retrieved November 1, 2007, from
http://www.galeaders.org/site/news/newitems/news_06162005_001.htm
Professional Association of Georgia Educators. (2006, September). Distributed leadership: An
evolving view of school leadership (Issue Brief). Atlanta: GA. Retrieved November 1,
2007,
from http://www.galeaders.org/site/documents/Distributed_Leardership_PAGE_art.pdf
From 2002 to 2006, Georgia’s Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) “identified
and documented eight key roles which principals must lead or must tap teams of teachers to lead.
These roles and their related job tasks begin to define the new work of leadership for school
improvement” (p. 2). Distributed leadership, as defined by GLISI, is an opportunity for leaders at every level of the school to contribute their unique value and exercise their leadership at the appropriate time to improve student achievement and organizational effectiveness in their school.
Participating in distributed leadership allows leadership potential to be developed and
recognized. With a variety of options, teachers can choose to remain in the classroom and
specialize in the teaching craft or to be trained in one or more of the eight distributed leadership roles, in which they have different responsibilities that contribute to the overall effectiveness of the school.