1. Daisy Anajemba, Ed.D. Educator, Los Angeles, CA USA
Teacher Leadership Development in Schools: A Factor toward Students’ Life-wide Formation ICOLACE 2014
Daisy Anajemba, Ed.D.
Educator, Los Angeles, CA USA

2. Life-wide Learning
What?
Why?
How?

3. Leadership
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to gather wood, give orders and divide the work. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea”
Antoine de Saint- Exupery

4. Teacher Leadership Defined
Formal Teacher Leadership
Positional
Sometimes compensated
Downside
Path to classroom exit
Informal Teacher Leadership
Emerging set of roles
Derived from expertise and passion for teaching
Characterized by responsibility and support for personal and professional growth

5. Goals for Teacher Leadership Development
Rediscovery/ redefinition of identity
Mission
Self-reflection
Change in mental models
Roles
Collaboration
Empowerment for influence
Distributed leadership
Knowledge/ skills
Teacher Leader

6. Case for Teacher Leadership
Active teacher participation in leadership activities directly correlate with teacher effectiveness and student engagement.
(Leithwood & Jantzi, 1998)
Teachers’ self-esteem and job satisfaction directly correlate with teacher leadership in schools.
(Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2001)
Teacher motivation directly correlate with teacher leadership
(Leiberman, Saxl, & Miles, 2000)

7. Conditions for effective Teacher Leadership Development
Acceptance of the existence of, and need for teacher leadership
Active support of principals and administrators
Greater development of teacher roles in school reforms and revitalization
Acknowledgement that teacher leadership produces school outcomes

8. Strategies for Teacher Leadership Development
Professional Development
Peer Coaching
Mentoring
Professional Learning Communities

9. Strategies for Teacher Leadership Development Continued
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Opportunities for sharing expertise
Relevant
Consistent and coherent
Visionary

10. Strategies for Teacher Leadership Development Continued
PEER COACHING
Sharing of expertise
Feedback and support
Refining and learning of new skills
Problem solving

11. Strategies for Teacher Leadership Development Continued
MENTORING
Mutual growth
Building professional relationships
Developing competence

12. Strategies for Teacher Leadership Development Continued
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
Collaborative
Continuous learning
Purpose-driven
Dynamic

13. Role of school Principals
Administrators influence teacher leadership through:
Articulation of school vision
Recognition of teacher effort
Promotion of collaborative school culture
Provision of leadership and learning opportunities

14. Threats to Teacher Leadership
External
Internal
Top-down leadership structure of schools
Inadequate preparation of teachers
Principal’s attitude and leadership style
Overburdening of teachers
Lack of self-efficacy
Misconception about teacher leadership

15. Research Design and Methodology
Practices for teacher leadership development
Role of principals
Perception of principals
Strategies
Enhancing factors
Impeding factors
Qualitative approach
Interviews
Textual data
Observational notes
Demographic survey

16. Analysis of Data and Findings
Descriptive statistics
Coding of textual data and interview transcripts
Findings
High expectations of teachers to be lifelong learners
Professional development mostly focused on academic data analysis, curriculum and instruction, technology, and classroom management

17. Analysis of Data and Findings Continued
Themes for teacher leadership development
Servant leadership
Purpose-driven work life
Value for professional growth
Community building

18. Conclusions
There was divergence of opinions regarding the definition of teacher leadership among teachers and principals by schools
There was similarity of views of both principals and teachers about the definition of teacher leadership within schools
Principals and teachers perceived teaching as a calling, and servant leadership as an approach for fulfilling this calling.

19. Conclusions Continued
There is no identified deliberate formal strategy to specifically address teacher leadership development in the schools
Teacher leadership development is primarily dependent on the principal’s actions as opposed to teacher initiative at these schools
The greatest impediments to teacher leadership development are availability of time and funds.

20. Recommendations
Definition and awareness creation of teacher leadership development
Promotion of informal practices that nurture the development of teachers as leaders by school principals
Purposeful and deliberate plan in schools to develop teachers as leaders
Schools must become creative with time and fund management.