Teacher Leadership Development Research Articles

Preservice teachers learning to teach online: Developing teacher leaders.

Technology is woven throughout our daily lives now more than ever. Therefore, teacher education programs need to meet this digital demand and begin to prepare teacher candidates for their future in teaching with technology. Even before COVID-19, K-12 education included virtual schools, therefore, the necessity of preparing teacher candidates for the successful implementation of online instruction are of utmost importance. To meet the needs of their future students, candidates must be prepared to integrate technology into their teaching as well as be prepared to teach online. To prepare 21st century learners, teacher candidates must create learning opportunities for their students to learn with and through technology. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) structure was designed for teachers to understand the relationships between and among technology, pedagogy, and content. The purpose of this research was to revise traditional instruction where the professor models and implements technology tools to allow candidates the opportunity to develop their TPACK in their two years in a teacher education program. To develop the TPACK of teacher candidates, education preparation professionals worked together to design and implement the School of Education, Technology Integration Project. Through this innovative approach developed by a team of professors, the School of Education has changed its’ coursework in all programs to include more online teaching, the inclusion of technology for teaching content, and the use of assistive technology. As a result, student teachers and graduates are reporting that they are now being recognized as teacher technology leaders and are showcasing technology lessons at their schools.

Modeling how professional development interacts with teacher leaders’ outcome expectancies and school environment perceptions

ABSTRACT There is increasing awareness that teacher leadership can serve a vital role in addressing many of the issues facing schools, but the conditions under which leadership capacity develops is still an open question. Most of the literature addressing this question is theoretical and based on small, qualitative studies. This quantitative investigation involving over 400 teacher leaders explores the relationships among teacher leaders’ outcome expectations and their perceptions of the school environment in which these teachers work. Further, a comparison of how these factors vary according to the teachers’ professional development experiences is examined. This manuscript provides validity arguments for a newly developed survey instrument. The findings of this investigation indicate that professional development focused specifically on developing teacher leadership is significantly associated with elevated outcome expectancies, and that a possible explanation for this increase might be related to how the professional development influences teacher leaders’ views of the resources in their school environment.

Teacher leadership and virtual communities: Unpacking teacher agency and distributed leadership

AbstractThis study explored the development of teacher leadership in collaborative online spaces, also called virtual communities of practice (vCoP). Employing a phenomenological research design with semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method, participants were drawn from a single vCoP. The findings underscored the pivotal role of vCoPs in nurturing teacher leadership skills, facilitated by the dynamic interplay of teacher agency and distributed leadership. Teacher agency empowers educators to proactively take control of their learning journey within vCoPs, enabling them to explore areas of personal interest and expertise, including knowledge sharing and project initiation. Simultaneously, distributed leadership empowers teachers to assume leadership roles within the vCoP, irrespective of their formal positions or seniority, involving activities such as guiding discussions and organizing professional development. This harmonious collaboration between teacher agency and distributed leadership fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment within vCoPs, where teacher leadership thrive.

An Exploration of Teacher Leadership: Are Future Teachers Ready to Lead?

The teaching profession has become increasingly complex in the last decades. The changing role of teachers has called for a new paradigm of the teaching profession that recognises the potential of teachers to lead for supporting school development and change. The influence teachers have on the school community and their commitment to school change are at the core of teacher leadership definitions. Preparing future teachers to act as leaders in their schools can support the overall efforts for school improvement. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore pre-service teacher leadership development. The study utilised a qualitative methodology to address: (i) pre-service teachers’ understanding of teacher leadership, (ii) the role of initial teacher education in shaping the understanding of teacher leadership, and (iii) the contribution of initial teacher education to pre-service teachers’ readiness for exercising leadership roles for school improvement. The study was conducted with pre-service teachers in the leading initial teacher education institution in Kosovo. A total of 42 pre-service teachers from all years of the Primary Teacher Education programme participated in four group interviews with the aim of discussing in depth the core elements of teacher leadership in order to better grasp the pre-service teachers’ understanding of this concept as well as their readiness to exercise leadership roles. A model devised by Snoek et al. (2019) was used as an analytical framework to determine the development of teacher leadership in initial teacher education. The study reveals that there is no consensus on the definition of teacher leadership. The findings show that the understanding of teacher leadership is based on a contextually drawn vision of what it means to be a teacher, resulting in a narrow view of leadership with regard to individual and classroom levels. The study concludes that initial teacher education has a critical role in contributing to shifting the conceptualisation of teacher leadership beyond the isolated views of individual and formal leadership. The findings have imperative implications for providing good models of initial teacher education that support the preparation and readiness of future teacher leaders to tackle the ever-increasing complexities of the teaching profession.

Teacher leadership for teaching improvement in professional learning communities

ABSTRACT Teacher leaders are increasingly leading learning conversations in professional learning communities (PLCs) in schools in several parts of the world today, but there is little empirical knowledge of teacher leadership in PLC conversations. Thus, this article aims to enhance such knowledge, particularly the development of teacher leadership in PLC conversations. Empirical data were acquired in a study of three Swedish PLCs and consisted of six video observations and 24 interviews with teachers and teacher leaders (hereafter ‘first teachers’). The study particularly addressed how professional learning and teaching improvement was encouraged in teacher-led PLC conversations, what tended to be missing, and how the conversations influenced the teaching practices of participating teachers (self-reportedly). The results indicate that the teaching practices did not change in depth if the first teachers focused on acknowledging and sharing PLC conversations about concrete teaching methods. Instead, there seems to be a need for informed teacher leaders who consciously and systematically analyse and support teachers’ learning processes, and foster a habit of inquiry among their peers. It is suggested that this should include challenging norms and understandings about what it means to be a learning teacher and requirements to improve teaching practices in the long run.

Rationalizing the Role of Teacher Leadership in School Development Towards Creative and Sustainable Development Framework

This research endeavors address the intricate interplay between teacher leadership and school development by formulating a robust and sustainable framework that optimizes the role of educators in propelling educational progress. The study encompasses an in-depth analysis of various dimensions, including teacher profiles based on age, gender, and years of teaching experience. Moreover, the research meticulously evaluates the teacher leadership attributes, intricately aligned with professional practice standards encompassing learner development, handling learning differences, cultivating an enriching learning environment, mastering content knowledge, adeptly applying content, skillful assessment techniques, meticulous instructional planning, effective employment of instructional strategies, dedication to continuous professional learning and ethical practice, as well as adept leadership and collaboration skills. This study further explores potential variations in teacher leadership attributes among different profile groupings. It also examines the extent of participation in school development, considering the active engagement in knowledge dissemination, curriculum enhancement initiatives, fostering teacher growth, and effective school leadership and management practices.

A Model of Teacher Leadership Development on Competency-Based Learning Management for Teachers in Science and Technology Department in Large-Sized Secondary Schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission in the Northeast

The objectives of this Research and Development were to: Develop Competency-based learning management for Teachers of the science and technology Departments in large-sized secondary Schools under the office of the basic education commission in the northeast. The findings were as follows: I) There were five main components in Developing Teacher Leadership in Competency-based, namely 1) Process management as the basis for learning 2) Self-development and peer teachers 3) Development Course 4) Performance measurement and evaluation 5) Characterization as the teacher. II) The necessary needs of teacher leadership for competency-based learning management were as follows: 1) Performance measurement and evaluation PNI Modified = 0.842 and 2) Process management is the basis for learning PNI Modified = 0.297. III) A Model for Developing Teacher Leadership in Competency-based for use of the form, Origin, and significance of form, principle, purpose, The content of the format, The process of form supervision, and follow-up 4) Analysis of results. Pre-test and Post-test Score before training and after training difference are significant at.05.The results of the evaluation of the behavior and leadership of the teacher in the field of learning management and overall performance in the process of management and learning are very high (x=4.026, S.D.=0.699) and In terms of performance measurement and evaluation, the average value is very high (x=4.144, S.D.=0.710), statistically used by one sample t-test Compared with the average criterion of 3.51, it was found that the average score of teacher leadership behavior in the competency-based learning management was higher than the average of 3.51 with a statistical significance at .05.

The Inequities Embedded in Measures of Engagement in Science Education for African American Learners from a Culturally Relevant Science Pedagogy Lens

Although African American educators strive to ameliorate racist and/or sexist barriers to learners’ science engagement in U.S. education, examples of applications of culturally relevant science instruments to measure African American learners’ engagement in science are hard to find in the literature. Inaccurate perceptions about student engagement in science education continue to exist, including assumptions about the prevalence and effects of low socioeconomic status, limited content knowledge, and a lack of interest or motivation of African American learners compared to white learners. Most exemplars of student engagement in science focus on the cognitive, behavioral, and social mores of white, male, cisgender, middle-class learners and their reactions to teacher pedagogy. This article reports on a qualitative study of three African American female and male secondary science educators’ narratives of “engagement” in science amongst systemic inequities in the northeastern and southeastern U.S. regions. To better understand African American learners’ science engagement, I combined socially transformative science curriculum approaches for African American students using five types of mastery with the concepts of culturally relevant science pedagogy as the facilitator of racial equity. A critical-arts-based research methodology was used to craft participants’ autobiographical data and drawings into a literary métissage of the participants’ experiences, memories, and culturally relevant pedagogical strategies. Themes included: (1) teachers’ recognition that their interest and positionality impacted their engagement in science; (2) their understanding of how identifying as scientists informed their career choices and modes of participation; and (3) their observations about how mentoring and vision influenced students’ attitudes about engaging in science. The major finding was that critical incidents that teachers experienced when they were students in K-20 schools influenced how they became engaged in science and constructed their culturally relevant practices as science educators. The implications of this finding for pre-service and teacher leadership development for equitable teaching and learning will be discussed, and recommendations for using culturally relevant science practices and navigating power dynamics will be provided.

Green Chemistry Teacher Professional Development in New York State High Schools: A Model for Advancing Green Chemistry.

Teaching green chemistry within the K-12 classroom has a positive impact on attitudes and perceptions of chemistry in society for future scientists and professionals, resulting in safer, less hazardous chemistry experiments and demonstrations. The state of New York has taken advantage of the benefits that green chemistry provide in the classroom and is a leader in professional development for high school teachers throughout the state. Between 2011 and 2016, Beyond Benign and Siena College implemented 14 workshops across the state as part of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation goal of reducing hazardous chemicals in schools. At these workshops, 224 teachers were introduced to green chemistry principles and practices and provided resources for replacing traditional laboratory experiments with alternatives that used safer materials. Two professional development models were implemented, a one-day introductory workshop and a three-day train-the-trainer style in-depth workshop, using collaborative, hands-on, intensive, and peer-learning techniques. In response to a 2021 follow-up survey, participants shared that they continue to use skills from the professional development they received and reported sharing about green chemistry with peers, parents, and administrators. The long-term engagement of the participants indicates that successful models were implemented to provide a path to develop teacher leaders. Professional development models are presented herein for sharing best practices and approaches for training high school teachers on green chemistry, providing numerous benefits to both teachers and students in high school classrooms.

Distributed Leadership and its Affect to Self-efficacy of University Teachers: Toward a Faculty Leadership Development Program

This paper aims to explore the influence of distributed leadership on university teachers' self-efficacy, and puts forward a teacher leadership development project. By literature review and analysis, this paper analyzes the theory of distributed leadership of university teachers and related research, and puts forward a teacher leadership development project, which includes four steps: explore teachers' leadership potential, establish corresponding distributed leadership training programs for teachers, promote teacher team cooperation and communication and establish a distributed leadership development community for teachers. Through the implementation of this project, university teachers can enhance their leadership and self-efficacy, and improve their teaching performance and student satisfaction.

What motivates teachers to lead? Examining the effects of perceived role expectations and role identities on teacher leadership behaviour

The development of teacher leadership is closely intertwined with the transformation of teacher roles. However, few studies have investigated how this concept, first developed in North America, is affected by teachers’ role identities (RIs) in an Asian context. To this end, this study aimed to examine the effects of teachers’ perceived role expectations (PREs) and RIs on their leadership behaviour. The sage teacher, professional teacher and labourer teacher framework was used for analysis, and 498 junior high school teachers in Taiwan participated in a survey. Structural equation modelling and bootstrap analysis were employed to analyse the data. The results showed that teachers’ PREs as professional and sage teachers were more significant than for labourer teachers. Their RIs also presented the same pattern. Moreover, although teacher leadership is closely related to the development of teacher professionalism, of the three types of teacher roles, only the PRE and RI of the sage teacher can significantly motivate teachers to lead in direct and indirect ways.

THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF TEACHER COLLEGIALITY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS

The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating effect of teacher collegiality on the relationship between instructional leadership and professional development of teachers. Utilizing quantitative, non-experimental design via correlational technique, data were obtained from 300 elementary public school teachers who belong to the 3 districts, Magsaysay, Bansalan and Matan-ao under the Division of Davao Del Sur. Davao Del Sur. The researcher utilized stratified random sampling technique and survey mode of data collection. The researcher also utilized the statistical tools mean, Pearson r and Medgraph using Sobel z- test. From the results of the study, it was found out that there is a very high level of mean scores for all variables of teacher collegiality, instructional leadership and professional development of teachers. Also, results revealed that there are significant relationships between instructional leadership and between teacher collegiality and professional development of teachers. Further, it was revealed that there was full mediation effect of teacher collegiality on the relationship between instructional leadership and professional development of teachers. This implies that the teacher collegiality conveys instructional leadership of teachers.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0029/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The Relationship between Teacher Leadership and School Climate: Findings from a Teacher-Leadership Project

A positive school climate and teacher leadership have both been shown to have beneficial effects on student achievement. This study was part of a wider research effort designed to assess the effects of a teacher-leadership development project. We hypothesized that there was a positive relationship between teacher leadership development and school climate. Seventy project participants from two cohorts responded to a teacher-leadership survey and 891 personnel from 42 schools from which participant teachers were drawn responded to a school climate survey. We found that, generally, there was little relationship between school climate and teacher-leadership development. However, a more fine-grained analysis showed that, for Cohort 2, schools that encourage teacher-to-teacher interactions are likely to see personal growth and development in teacher leaders in their staff. Additional findings suggest that if teacher-to-teacher interactions are encouraged, then teachers will increase their development as teacher leaders. However, as the results are correlational and not causal, it may be that, as teachers engage more in professional development activities, they encourage more positive teacher-to-teacher interactions in their school.

Development of teacher leadership as a tool for continuous development in the context of in-service training

The article’s content is based on the materials of an empirical study on the implementation of strategies for developing leadership competencies in the professional development of subject teachers. In this regard, the article presents practice-oriented material related to the analysis of the initial state of the ideas of Kazakhstani teachers about the spheres of influence of leadership on the quality of the school educational environment and its resources (questionnaire and survey results), describing the purpose of the developed educational program of the advanced training course to create a leadership environment in school, as well as strategies propaedeutically used in course preparation. The relevance of the article is due to the need to integrate new pedagogical thinking and activities to improve learning, teaching, and evaluation, which should be correlated with the motivated and consistent promotion of innovation by teachers, and requires their active and systematic research practice. The novelty of the research is thus realised in the article as a scientific and methodological justification of teaching subject teachers in courses (with continuation in post-course support), involving leadership resources in continuous professional and pedagogical development. The research results can be used in the practice of general secondary education (to analyze the initial state of formation and development of the leadership environment in school teaching), in the professional training of future teachers (to create and implement educational programs for the development of leadership competencies), in the professional development system (to monitor the needs of teachers in leadership, development of a post-course support system). The following conclusions are drawn from the research material. Creating a school leadership environment requires teachers’ leadership competencies in the structure of professional competence. The focus of continuous pedagogical development, especially in postgraduate education, is leadership. It includes tools for improving motivation, strategic thinking, vision, proactivity, and intellectual, human, and technological resources management. These tools should be comprehensively and consistently directed to the constructive change of teaching, teaching, and evaluation in the updated content of school education. It is necessary to start with such an organization of the educational process in which educational activities focus on the leadership manifestations of the teacher and students. Further, due to the expanding leadership, leadership needs and manifestations will be in demand in the extracurricular environment, the environment of mentoring teachers, stakeholders, and social partnership, which stimulates the creation of a school leadership environment.

Developing Teacher Leadership in Educational Technology: A Systematic Literature Review

In the age of intelligence with artificial intelligence, big data, 5G, and other new technologies as the core, the development of digital technology has had a significant impact on the role and responsibilities of school leaders. Teacher technology leadership is the key factor affecting the development of school informatization. As a dynamic process, educational technology leadership is integrated by educational theory, information technology, and leadership, with an ability to promote the transformation of learning methods in the information age. With the continuous development of information technology and deepening of education and teaching reform, educational technology leadership presents a new strategic turn. In this paper, a literature review is conducted based on the concept of teacher technology leadership. Teacher leadership in technological transformation and application in the age of intelligence is analyzed, practices and models that can be learned are summarized, and methods for the improvement of teacher technology leadership are explored, so as to provide reference for academic research and teaching practice.

The Transformation From Leadership Behavior to Leadership Thinking

Foreign research on teacher leadership has experienced three waves, from the personal behavior of teacher leaders to teaching ability and then to a position or a way of thinking. The behavior theory of teacher leadership mainly focuses on the formal position of teacher leaders, and sees the specific tasks of teacher leaders. The theory of teacher leadership mainly points to the classroom teaching leadership of teachers. Both see teacher leadership as an individual effort. On the other hand, the thinking mode of teacher leadership regards teacher leadership as a process of changing schools, a way and strategy to change organizational culture structure, and a collective effort. The research on teacher leadership has potential value for school improvement, which requires further clarifying the purpose of improving teacher leadership. The root of teacher leadership is to cultivate teachers’ sense of responsibility, promote the growth and development of teacher leadership from an appreciation perspective, and cultivate teachers’ appreciation eyes and appreciation ability.

Special Education Teacher Leadership: Toward a Teacher Leadership Framework for Professional Development

ABSTRACT Through the design of a survey and measure validation using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), we aimed to identify and define constructs required for special education teacher leadership that may inform the focus of professional development opportunities. Results of the analysis indicate a four-factor model is best suited for measuring special education teacher leadership capacity at the individual level. The teacher leadership domains that were defined through the EFA were as follows: (a) pedagogical confidence, (b) ethical considerations, (c) collaboration, and (d) assessment practices. Additionally, we identify differences between general and special education teacher identification of leadership skills, which can assist in targeting professional development to the specific needs of special education teachers that differ from general educators. Implications for research and professional development are presented to improve our understanding of and preparation of special teacher leadership. Through this work, we present a teacher leadership framework for the professional development of special education teacher leadership.

Advocacy for the Development of Teacher Leadership in the Context of ECC Reforms in China.

China's development is inseparable from the reform of education, so ECE is very important in the development of Chinese society. Based on this reason, this paper introduces the three reform waves of communist Chinese society under the influence of western culture. Because the professional level of kindergarten teachers does not match the concepts and requirements of the three preschool curriculum reforms in Chinese society, this paper analyzes the solutions based on this problem and holds that the leadership of kindergarten teachers should be vigorously developed.

“We Can Position Ourselves as Experts”: Teachers Learning to Write and Publish on National Blogs

This article focuses on a collective case study of two teachers attending a professional development workshop focused on writing for publication via educational blogs. Through a qualitative study, we sought to understand how attending the workshop and publishing on a national organization's blog shaped the two teachers' own identities as teachers and shifted their thinking about blogs as a genre. We argue the two teachers had a shift in conceptualizing what counted as scholarship as well as problematizing who counted as a scholar. In an era of increased attacks on teachers' intellectualism and autonomy, we believe publishing on national blogs is one way teachers can reclaim their professional knowledge in our current socio-political landscape. Our work has implications for the fields of teacher education, teacher leadership, and professional development.

Teacher Leader Model Standards in Context: Analyzing a Program of Teacher Leadership Development to Contextual Behaviours of Teacher Leaders

<p style="text-align: justify;">A National Science Foundation-funded Mathematics and Science Partnership program, <em>Leadership for Educators: Academy for Driving Economic Revitalization in Science</em><em> </em>(LEADERS), aimed to develop science teacher leaders who would influence the quality of science teaching in their respective schools. To fulfill a need to evaluate leadership abilities of teachers within LEADERS, a Teacher Leadership Instrument was developed based on our previous work. This paper examines the performance of teachers as outlined in the Teacher Leader Model (TLM) Standards following their enrollment in three teacher leadership courses aligned with these Standards. The study employed a qualitative approach to analyze peer professional development sessions provided by teacher leaders, and to rate leadership behaviours and practices. Results indicate that 31 of the 37 functions were exhibited by the teacher leaders, with most observations occurring at a developing level. Behaviours related to effective presentation and facilitation were observed most frequently, but the teacher leaders also incorporated research-based practices, information about assessments, and links to the community in their sessions. Further, these behaviours linked back to the intended outcomes of the three leadership courses. The results demonstrate one manner in which teacher leaders perform the functions of the TLM Standards in the context of professional development sessions.</p>