Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Leadership

Abstract

Researchers for this multisite quantitative study examined the relationships between teacher perceptions of the extent of teacher leadership in a school and the grade level, degree level, and leadership status of the respondents. Data for this study were collected in two administrations in 43 schools in seven U.S. states. To test for differences among the variables and the four factors of the Teacher Leadership Inventory, a one-way ANOVA was conducted for each variable. Findings indicated significant differences between elementary school teachers and middle/high school teachers, teachers with a bachelor's degree and teachers with graduate degrees, and formal teacher leaders and teachers in no leadership position. Attention to these results will allow school districts to better align leadership training with the needs of specific teachers and support principals in school improvement.

Empowerment through a teacher leadership academy

“…Operationally, one can consider teacher leadership from the perspective of roles and actions of teacher leaders. Many authors have attempted to outline these roles (Danielson, 2007;Harrison and Killion, 2007;Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession, 2009;Crowther et al, 2009;Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009;Keung, 2009;Watt et al, 2009; 193 Teacher leadership academy Beycioglu and Aslan, 2010;Angelle and DeHart, 2011;Kiranli, 2013). For example, teacher leaders are commonly described to be mentors for colleagues, sharing ideas, modeling professional behaviors and pedagogical skills, and collaborating regularly.…”

“…These teachers consider the needs of all students in the school, not just those they teach, and use systems thinking to diagnose and solve problems for the benefit of all (Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession, 2009; Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009;Watt et al, 2009;Beycioglu and Aslan, 2010). To a lesser degree, teacher leaders have been portrayed as those teachers who chair committees or teams (Harrison and Killion, 2007;Watt et al, 2009), influence school practices and policies, serve as designees for their formal leaders and assist in making personnel and budgetary decisions (Danielson, 2007;Harrison and Killion, 2007;Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009;Keung, 2009;Watt et al, 2009;Beycioglu and Aslan, 2010;Angelle and DeHart, 2011). Beycioglu and Aslan (2010) suggested these individuals lead research projects that relate to teaching, while other authors saw teacher leaders as innovators for their schools and colleagues (Danielson, 2007;Crowther et al, 2009;Watt et al, 2009).…”

Innovative Practices That Promote Teacher Leader Identity and Development of Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools

“…For institutions to promote excellence, teachers need to engage in school leadership and forget the traditional notion that leadership is only reserved for school administrators. In the school level, leadership has traditionally been associated with power, authority, and control among the headmasters and principals (Angelle & DeHart, 2011;Cheng & Szeto, 2016). Other teachers have only focused on the learning process.…”

“…However, teachers play a great role in matters within and outside their institutions. Most teachers in administrative roles such as headmasters do not see themselves as teachers but leaders with a positive influence (Angelle & DeHart, 2011). They perceive their roles as formal responsibilities.…”

Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools

“…The researcher could have also used a randomized control type study to better test the hypotheses that were introduced in the research. Angell and DeHart (2011) found that that while many teachers have the desire and motivation to lead, they didn't always have the opportunities, concluding that principals need to understand what teacher leadership looks like beyond the classroom. The literature on teacher leadership is indeed relatively rich with claims on the potential and desired effects of teacher leadership and relatively sparse with evidence of such effects, especially at the levels of classroom practice and student learning (York-Barr & Duke, 2004).…”