This newsletter defines teacher leadership and offers concrete ways teachers can step forward, sometimes out of their comfort zones, into leadership roles. In most schools, traditional structures are in place that define certain teachers as leaders such as department heads and grade-level team leaders. Many schools also have a leadership team,…

This guide is intended as a resource for school administrators, school leadership teams, and other teacher leaders as they learn about implementing professional learning teams (PLTs) in their schools. PLTs are teams of four to six teachers who come together to help each other improve student learning by changing classroom instruction. This guide…

This study examined shifts in perceptions of the meaning of leadership and necessary leadership skills held by 18 teachers in a graduate program on teacher leadership. Participants were queried twice regarding their definitions of leadership; once at the outset of their degree program and again 1 year later. In between, they took classes in…

This literature review describes ways of thinking about sharing school leadership and to examine the possible link between shared leadership and student achievement. This review examines four different approaches to school leadership that involve more than a single individual. These four were selected because they were most widely represented in…

Australian secondary teachers used a change process, IDEAS (Innovative Design for Enhancing Achievement in Schools), centered on school revitalization through teacher leadership. They created a professional learning community with ripple effects throughout staff. Sustainability requires a new image of teachers, students, and the professional…

Develops conceptual framework to explore the impact of teacher-led development work, defined as strategic action initiated and sustained by teachers to improve instruction and student learning. Discusses impact of the framework on teachers, on the school as an organization, and on student learning. Includes evidence of impact and applications for…

Presents findings of a study exploring the development of new working relationships between teacher leaders and their principals. Uses a micropolitical perspective to document the interests and prerogatives brought by both parties to the new relationships. Raises important issues concerning the principal's role in teacher leadership development…

Through a structured "grow your own" model, the Capistrano Unified School District in California is focusing on developing leaders from within. Strong teachers with leadership potential are actively recruited to enter the administrative arena as elementary-teaching assistant principals. Assistant principals are given principal-level…

Typically, subject department heads perform a middle-management role in secondary schools that is unquestioned. A Canadian study examined effects on school culture and educational practice when structure and roles are open to revision. The restructuring initiative is fostering cultural change in all eight district schools. (34 references) (MLH)

A former National Teacher of the Year discusses leadership's joys and difficulties. Teacher leaders must speak up about conditions limiting their effectiveness and policies restraining their positive momentum. This means engaging in continuous professional development and comporting themselves as professional educators who know what is best for…

Teachers at a central California high school operate the school according to a strict, progressive set of principles. The Anzar communication guidelines specify teachers' commitment to communicating well, collective ownership of problems and problem solving, tolerance of differing ideas, individual accountability, dedication to helping and…

Highlights an award-winning school superintendent whose leadership and vision helped create a system of high-performing schools. He established a culture that embraces respect, collaboration, and commitment to lifelong learning for students and staff. Student test scores are high, and the achievement gap between middle- and lower-income students…

The baby boomer generation, typically referred to as those individuals born between 1946 and 1964, has been teaching in the schools since the 1960s. These dedicated professionals, many of them serving their schools for more than 30 years, soon will retire. In the next 10 years, more than two million new teachers will be needed to staff the…

This article explores the emerging discourse about teacher leadership in the UK. It draws upon the international literature in exploring a classification of forms of teacher leadership and discusses issues concerned with the policy context. It considers some theoretical perspectives on distributed leadership before going on to examine in detail a…

Not so long ago, classroom go-getters looking to flex their leadership muscles had just one potential goal on the horizon: principal. Well, times have changed. Whether striving to be a reading coach, curriculum planner, or, simply, a more effective classroom teacher, teachers are at the head of their class. This article offers 10 ways on how to…