Teacher Collective Leadership to Ensure Equal Access to High-Quality Education

• In Event: 54.050 - Working Toward Teacher Ownership and Meaningful School Improvement

Abstract

Ways of thinking about teacher leadership have evolved and expanded over time. Currently, teacher leadership is viewed as the process of “reculturing” schools so that they can maximize teachers’ instructional expertise, and change can be realized. In their overview of the scholarship, York-Barr and Duke (2004) define the construct of leadership as the process by which teachers, individually or collectively, influence their colleagues, as well as other members of the school community to impact teaching and learning. This view of leadership reflects a growing understanding that instructional improvement requires an organizational culture that supports collaboration and continuous learning and that recognizes teachers as primary creators and re-creators of school culture (Darling-Hammond, 1988; Silva et al., 2000). Additionally, the literature identifies a relationship between opportunities to lead and a sense of ownership. Teacher who report more “control” over the policies in their school, greater degrees of autonomy within their school settings are more likely to remain in teaching, feel invested in their profession, in their schools, and in students’ learning.

In this paper, the authors explore how Linked Learning, Promise Neighborhoods, and community school approaches provide a vehicle for collective leadership and an increased sense of ownership. Across participating sites, teachers indicated that they were provided opportunities to take on leadership roles. Approximately ¾ of all teachers surveyed indicated that they assumed a role or responsibility outside of the classroom. And, 89% of teachers “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they felt encouraged and supported to do so. Based on survey and case study data, we found that through these opportunities, teachers were able to integrate principles of the initiatives into the purpose and mission of the school. Collective leadership opportunities increased teachers’ knowledge of the approaches being implemented at the school site and allowed teachers’ to feel as though they could help tailor the approach to ensure it aligned with the established purpose.

The authors identify institutionalized processes and conditions for collective leadership wherein “everyone has a voice.” As identified by teachers, established processes allow teachers to play a leadership role in determining what gets acted on as well as a critical role in developing solutions. As one teacher shared, “we try to have true teacher input and voices, which is very different for a public school.” One of the authors, an administrator at a case study site, expands on these processes, and discusses his role in establishing and maintaining collective leadership.

This research will increase our understanding of how collective leadership contributes to a school climate that supports collaborative practices, assists teachers in breaking down barriers (in particular between administration and teachers), provides teachers with the authority to marshal the identified resources and supports needed to improve students’ educational experiences and outcomes, and contributes to a shared sense of ownership. Teachers’ perceptions of their opportunity to share in decision-making and leadership were associated with greater teacher satisfaction as evidenced through survey responses, teacher attendance and turnover.

Authors

• Christian Quintero, Los Angeles Unified School District

• Marisa Saunders, Annenberg Institute for School Reform