The Role of Relationships in Teacher Leaders' Instructional Improvement Efforts

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring the Many Facets of Instructional Leadership

Abstract

As school leadership research expands the notion of principal leadership to encompass a broader set of faculty members, the field needs to better understand the conditions under which teachers’ leadership meaningfully contribute to instructional improvement. Teachers may be prepared, rewarded and positioned to work with teachers, but conditions can mediate their impact. This study employs mixed-methods to investigate the relationships that teacher leaders develop with their peers and how these relationships influence teachers’ instructional improvement. Survey and interview data were collected from over 1,250 teachers and teacher leaders from seven U.S. school districts. Findings reveal that relationship quality was associated with the types of activities in which these pairs engaged as well as the value they ascribed to these activities.

Authors

• Jonathan A. Supovitz, University of Pennsylvania

• Jill Harrison Berg, Educational Consultant

• Meghan Comstock, University of Pennsylvania