Inside Out: National Board Certification, Classroom Practice, and Teacher Leadership

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Inside Out: National Board Certification, Classroom Practice, and Teacher Leadership

Developing teacher leadership has become a popular approach to school improvement, yet research shows that National Board-certified teachers (NBCTs), despite being among the most effective teachers, have limited leadership opportunities and little influence over their colleagues’ instructional practices. Little prior work, however, has explored teachers’ understanding of the relationship between Board certification and teacher leadership, and the extent to which NBCTs interact with and influence their colleagues. Using interviews and social network data from five schools, this study investigates how teachers and administrators understand the relationship between National Board certification and teacher leadership; the centrality of NBCTs to their schools’ instructional advice and information networks. Results suggest that teachers view Board certification as expanding NBCTs’ influence beyond their classrooms, but that this wider influence can both support and undermine NBCT leadership. NBCTs are more likely to be sought out for advice about teaching than their non-NBCT colleagues, but seek out advice from fewer colleagues than non-NBCTs. Together, these results suggest that although NBCTs are strongly positioned to be leaders in their schools, there are fundamental challenges to NBCT leadership. Expanding NBCTs’ influence beyond their classrooms without eroding their colleagues’ perceptions of their classroom practices is a central concern, and should be considered in efforts to build the leadership of NBCTs and non-NBCTs alike.

Author

• Matthew Shirrell, The George Washington University