Teacher Leadership Joseph Murphy Frank W. Mayborn Chair & Associate Dean for Special Projects Vanderbilt University's Peabody College 210B Payne Hall, Box 414 230 Appleton Place Nashville, TN 37023-5721 615-322-8038 Joseph.f.murphy@Vanderbilt.edu

What are the forces supporting teacher leadership? What is the “theory in action” (engine)? What are the pathways to bring teacher leadership to life? What are the barriers to present teacher leadership from taking root? What are the key ingredients to make it work? What is the view of leadership for the principal in this reform idea? How do you prepare teachers to assume the role of teacher leader?

Supporting Forces Changing Views of Schooling for Highly Productive Schools Critique of Existing Forms New Understandings of Productive School Changing Views of Leadership in New School Organizations Changing Role of Formal Leaders

Supporting Forces Changing Views of Leadership in New School Organizations (Cont.) Distributed Views of Leadership School Improvement Designs that Privilege Professionalism

Pathways to Teacher Leadership Role-Based Strategies Community-Based Strategies Teacher Career Broadening Administrative Domains Strategies Structures and Roles Shared Communities Leadership of Practice Architecture structural/hierarchical/institutional View of individually based Leadership Focus management/administrative Foundation administrative prerogative Influence legitimacy/control Base Scope targeted work/limited Nature of activities performed by those in formal roles Work organic/communal/cultural organizational property/ professional phenomenon instruction and learning community product expertise/social capital distributed/generalized work as ingrained in teacher role of all

Pathways to Teacher Leadership Role-Based Strategies Community-Based Strategies Teacher Career Broadening Administrative Domains Strategies Structures and Roles Shared Communities Leadership of Practice Accountability to administrators (bureaucratic) Nature formal/competitive Dynamic planned Expression from the point, organizational Duration limited Relationships thin/separation from peers Impact minimal to colleagues (professional) informal/ingrained/cooperative emergent from a web of relationships on-going deep/collaborative unknown

Organizational & Cultural Barriers Organizational Structure introduction dynamics of hierarchy Culture norms about teaching & learning norms about the nature of work

Organizational & Cultural Barriers Culture (cont.) norm of autonomy norms of privacy & non-interference norm of egalitarianism norm of civility norm of conservatism & aversion to risk taking

Organizational & Cultural Barriers Culture (cont.) norm of legitimacy norm of the divide between teaching & administration norm of managerial prerogative norm of followership norm of compliance

Supporting Elements Values and Expectations Structures Professional Development Resources Incentives and Recognition Role Clarity

Promoting Teacher Leadership from the Principal’s Office Developing Relationships in Support of Teacher Leadership Recasting Leadership Building Strong Relationships with Teachers Rethinking Conceptions of Power Fashioning Supportive Organizational Structures Working to Promote Teacher Leadership Promoting Professional Development

Teacher Leadership Curriculum A. Developing an understanding of the whole school 1. Understanding how schools work 2. Understanding professional responsibilities of leaders 3. Developing a deeper understanding of leadership B. Working productively with others 4. Developing more effective interpersonal skills 5. Learning to coach/mentor others 6. Facilitating productive collaboration

Teacher Leadership Curriculum C. Deepening the instructional capacity of colleagues 7. Designing and implementing high-quality professional development 8. Recognizing, assessing, and supporting quality instructional practices with colleagues 9. Program evaluation on teacher leaders D. Leading school improvement 10. Developing and sustaining professional learning communities 11. Leading change 12. Teacher leader research 13. Teacher leadership research 14. Promoting equitable schools for youngsters and families