Sustaining and advancing collaborative leadership in a school

Abstract

Collaborative leadership is an effective organizational model, yielding opportunities for teachers and benefits for schools; however, challenges exist when teams execute collaborative leadership. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate and improve the experiences of teachers working in a school with collaborative leadership. Participants included teachers and administrators at the research site. Data collected in Cycle 1 included interviews of participants, who identified two challenges: collaborative decision-making processes and interpersonal relationships. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to address those challenges. This qualitative research study included three findings. First, collaborative leadership requires ongoing work and can be improved by teachers through a replicable process. This process was carried out by two "Design Teams" who acted as embedded coaches. Second, collaborative leadership is learned behavior, and teachers need ongoing professional development to build their capacity to lead and collaborate. As evidenced by the work of participants in this study, effective professional development is best led by teachers. Third, the school in this study is an example of an alternate organizational model. Examining outliers can provide teachers and school leaders with new ways to think about organizational leadership and improve the working experiences of teachers. Implications for the organization included improved decision-making processes and relationships between team members. Participants also developed a process to improve collaborative leadership and sustain the organization.--Author's abstract