When Teachers Take the Lead: Implications for Principal Leadership

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Leadership and Development

Abstract

What happens to principal leadership when a school is intentional about hiring and developing teacher leaders? Through participant self-report and on-site observation, this qualitative case study examined one school’s efforts to embrace a “teacher leadership by design” model. Study findings highlight the tensions that emerged as this school transitioned away from a more traditional leadership structure, and also point to possible strategies for addressing those tensions. In schools across the country, traditional norms are giving way to professional contexts that promote collegiality and shared accountability. If teacher leadership is to be a reform model of promise, we will need to know more about the pivotal role played by building administrators.

Author

• Cynthia L. Carver, Oakland University