Democratic Leadership: Teacher Collaboration to Design Civics Curriculum

• In Event: Conceptualizations of Social Justice Leadership in Research and Practice

Abstract

This case study explores teachers’ experiences participating in professional development (PD) to facilitate leadership learning and co-create civics curriculum. The PD design is framed through two related theoretical lenses: Collaborative and democratic leadership, and critical teacher leadership. The findings demonstrate that teachers expanded their thinking about how leadership may be shared among multiple stakeholders across a school. Teachers shifted their thinking about what constitutes valuable civics learning experiences for their students and the processes used to design such learning opportunities. The PD design offers a model for challenging teachers to think differently about teacher leadership and curriculum development.

Authors

• Jill Bradley-Levine, Ball State University

• Philip Woods, University of Aberdeen

• Tim Gray, Anderson Community Schools

• David J. Roof, Ball State University