efinition given by York-Barr and Duke (2004) and it summed up on the following key

features:First , it is a collective process by which teachers help themselves in improving

their teaching and learning practices. Thus, leadership does not reside solely in
principal. Second, since the teachers, principal and other members of school community
are task to influence each other, a sense of community prevails and a climate of trust
exists. And lastly, leadership may be exercised through formal and even in informal
roles. Regardless of the different definitions adopted for teacher leadership, still teacher
leadership is a big help for the school continuous improvement plan to succeed.

Teachers lead informally by bringing innovative ideas to the school, working on projects, sharing
professional expertise (Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999), volunteering for new projects (Leithwood & Jantzi,
2000) working on curriculum, mentoring colleagues, encouraging parent and community involvement
(YorkBarr & Duke, 2004), and influencing colleagues to improve educational practice by leading in
learning communities (Halverson, 2003; Harris, 2003; Harris & Muijs, 2005; Lattimer, 2007; Leithwood &
Jantzi, 1999; Louis & Wahlstrom, 2011). By actively planning their school’s professional development
plans, teachers not only lead, they enhance the chances of successful outcomes on school initiatives

Teacher leadership can take place in all facetsof school experience from the teaching and
learning processes inside the classroom, to theconduct of school programs and the
implementation of school-wide policies and in civicengagement and community extension
(Jackson, Burrus, Bassett and Roberts, 2010).Furthermore, teacher leadership is more than the
formal leadership roles that tend to dominatethe field (e.g. head teachers, master teachers,
parent-teacher association, preservice teacher partnerships, and principal). Danielson (2006)
who supported informal leadership stressed out that teacher leaders’ first responsibility is to
his/her students.

What is teacher leadership? It is a set of roles bundled with the motivation to inspire educational
change and move beyond the status quo in collaborative ways. Teacher leaders lead alongside
others, not from the front. They have their feet firmly planted in the classroom and their eyes on
what is possible for all.

Teacher leadership is a process. Teacher leaders are the professionals who carry
through with this process to lead change in their schools for the benefit of all students.
Teacher leaders step outside their classroom doors and accept the challenges to
improve their practice through working with colleagues, school administration and
professional staff—as well as students and their families. One of the confusions in
defining teacher leadership and identifying teacher leaders is that “leadership” is not
found in a position or title. In most schools there are teachers who are the designated
leaders of their grade level teams or departments, but being named a “team leader” is
not the same as being a teacher leader.
 1. BENEFITS

The first benefit is that teacher leadership promotes commitment, responsibility, and
accountability on the community of teachers (Jackson, Burrus, Bassett and Roberts, 2010). By
use of TL, teachers could realize their integral part in what is happening in the schools and their
active engagement and contribution is vital in the success of the school’s organization. Several
studies reveal that it is often perceived in the school that participating in decision-making process
is often exclusive in principal and middle leaders and teachers are just passive recipient of the
decisions made by the school administrators. However, Barth, 2001 argued that teacher
leadership provide opportunities for the teachers to become committed to the decision making
process and through hard work can work in the implementation and eventually it can lead to
fostering teacher empowerment. Further, even the informal but solution-based dialogues among
teachers, which can be an essential quality of teacher leaders could be capable in accomplishing
the task to unify mandated teachers organizations that is based on the culture informed decision-
making (York-Barr and Duke, 2004).
In “Teacher Leadership enactment in Professional learning community contexts: towards
a better understanding of the phenomenon” a research conducted by Hairon, Goh and Chua
(2015), they highlight the close relationship between teacher leadership and teacher learning in
communities (e.g. PLC), they pointed out that in the exercise of teacher leadership in a PLC as
an ideal site, teachers and to how they interact with their co-workers, collaborative or collective
engagement, and learning with the intention of bringing improvements in teaching practices and
student learning has been observed. It asserted that teacher leadership assumes teachers to be
catalysts for change and development towards a commitment to shared collaborative learning in
a community (Harris, 2005).
In “Exploring the connections and between Action Research and Teacher Leadership: A
reflection on teacher-leader research for confronting new challenges”, it explored the
conceptualization of teacher leadership as Wolkenhauer, Hill, Dana and Stukey, 2016 writes:

“Teacher leaders would slide their classroom doors open to collaborate with other teachers, to discuss
common problems, to share approaches to various learning situations, to explore ways to overcome the structural
constraints of limited time, space, resources and restrictive policies, and/or to investigate motivational strategies to
bring students to a deeper engagement with learning.”

Second, teacher leadership will provide opportunities for the teachers not just serve as
models and mentors to their respective learners but to their colleagues as well, and in the process
continue to learn themselves (Barth, 2001; Darling-Hammond, 1988; Ovando, 1996; Porter,
1986; Ryan, 1999). So far, possibly the compelling outcome of teacher leadership are on the
teacher themselves (Jackson, Burrus, Bassett and Roberts, 2010). Most importantly, in schools
who have teacher leaders reported a significant advancement on the additional areas, such as
instruction, because of exposure to recent information and learning options. (Ovando, 1996;
Porter, 1986; Smylie 1994).
Third, teacher leadership showed a growing teacher opportunities for advancement by
acknowledging and rewarding the teachers’’ expertise and dedication (Hart, 1995). It is simple
for the administrators and peers to acknowledge the essential contributions of the teachers when
they step in on roles intended for teacher leaders. For example, in a study of 76 school heads,
they uttered that the success of their schools would be impossible if they did not have teacher
leaders (Institute for Educational leadership, 2008). Such acknowledgement can lead to job
advancement or a sense of renewal (Steffy, Wolfe, Pasch, & Enz, 2000). Finally, the advantage
accrues the students, not only through improved instruction, but also by providing students with
affirmative example of leadership and ideal look of collective responsibility in a community
environment (Jackson, Burrus, Bassett and Roberts, 2010).

Fourth, teacher leaders and its effect on student learning. As explained by Reeves (2009)
in his study entitled, “Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment,
and get results”:

“The kinds of teachers needed are the igniters and catalyst who can create situations where school
community members build on each others’ effort to create the vision of the whole school (Lambert, 2003a). For
example, describes how in one school system low test scores convinced veteran high school teachers that they all
had to play a part in improving the school. They adjusted schedules so some students had more class time, studied
and implemented effective strategies, and committed to teaching students who needed more support. This kind of
collective commitment is real teacher leadership”.
 , it is clear that TLs role begins in the classroom with the influence they have on the
students but also extends beyond the classroom to work collaborate with colleagues. In addition,
being a teacher, an educator, or a member of an academe is both a demanding challenge and a
privilege. Therefore, it is our responsibility to improve our professional capability to better serve
the students and teachers becoming leader has a crucial role to set that in fruition. The inclusion
of teacher leadership in the school is an exciting yet challenging but studies indicated that
teacher leadership can led to teacher development and enhancement of student learning. It will
lead us to take advantage the “sleeping giant” in the schools, which are the teacher. Empowered
teachers are the sleeping giant in the school because if given an enough opportunities for teacher
development, they are capable to unchain a significant capacity for school improvement and for
the students to develop excellence among themselves and give them a better opportunites to have
a better future. Teacher leadership provides the following: it affirmed that leadership does not
sole burden of the Principal, it promotes on-going learning that can be part of teachers and
students norms, in teacher leadership, a sense of community prevails and a climate of trusts
exists, and leadership style may be exercised through formal positions and informal roles.

2. Teacher leaders exemplify certain defining characteristics. While all teachers

possess several of these traits, only teacher leaders consistently and
simultaneously integrate them into teacher leadership.

Six Teacher Leader Traits

1. Experts
2. eXceptional Communicators
3. Change Agents
4. Inspirational Leaders
5. Trustworthy Colleagues
6. Explorers

Experts
Teacher leaders share their expertise. Expertise may come in the form of knowledge
and skills about specific content (e.g., mathematics, social-emotional learning) or
teaching skills (e.g., teaching with technology, questioning strategies). Their expertise
may also come in the form of leadership skills (e.g., helping teams build consensus,
making data-driven decisions).

At the same time they are sharing their expertise, teacher leaders are acquiring
expertise as they pursue professional development to help them solve problems their
teams have identified. They seek to learn from their colleagues—believing that the
collective knowledge of the group is essential to successful teaching and student
learning—further building on their knowledge and skills.

Expert teachers are not always teacher leaders. However, building expertise is essential
to becoming a teacher leader. The National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards supports teachers working to improve their instructional prowess. For many
teachers, National Board certification is an important step in becoming a teacher leader.

eXceptional Communicators
Teacher leaders are excellent communicators. A key teacher leadership skill is the
ability to prioritize listening over speaking and seeking to understand different
perspectives. Teacher leaders clarify, probe and synthesize ideas and questions to
understand the concerns and leverage the expertise of others. They also strive to
establish open communication, where all ideas are heard and all possibilities explored.
Teacher leaders want to solve problems by getting a group to think outside of the box.

One of the essential qualities of their communication is honesty. Teacher leaders

communicate in ways that are professional and truthful, reflecting what is working and
what isn’t. They acknowledge where mistakes have occurred and where changes are
needed rather than avoid difficult conversations. The Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (ASCD) is a professional resource for leadership. ASCD
dedicated an entire recent issue of its flagship magazine, Educational Leadership, to
communications skills for leaders, which I recommend exploring. (Note: Some of the
articles can only be read with a subscription.)

Change Agents
While most teachers are experts and have effective communication skills, teacher
leaders differentiate themselves by being change agents. They take up initiatives and
work to make them successful. Education is a professional field that is constantly being
“reformed” and reacting to social, economic and political changes. This continuous
change makes being a teacher exciting and exhausting, and it is why teacher leadership
is so important—every school needs teachers who will “lean in” when change happens.

Changes may stem from a school district’s administration (the principal, the
superintendent, the school board), or from a state mandate, such as new state or
federal law. Change also may be needed within a grade-level team or a department and
be focused on helping a particular group of students. Teacher leaders themselves might
initiate change based on evidence that things need to be done in a different way. When
teachers are change agents, they are leading a transformation in their schools or their
local and professional communities by supporting (and inspiring—up next) others to
make changes that will have a meaningful and positive impact for students.

The Collaborative for Teaching Quality (CTQ) is an online collaborative that supports
teacher leadership. One of the recent blog posts on this site—by Tiffany Osborne, a
National Board-certified teacher and Middle School assistant principal—delves into
“harnessing your change agent superpower.”

Inspirational Leaders
People in educational leadership are familiar with the concept of the transformational
leader. Transformational leaders work with others to problem-solve and implement and
monitor strategic initiatives. They inspire everyone to be their very best because a
transformational leader believes that everyone has important contributions to make and
that everyone needs to be involved.

Inspiration is at the core of transformational leadership—and it is not easy to master.

One of the resources I like to use to explore leadership models is MindTools. Although
this website is for business leaders, many of the models apply to education. Read this
brief overview of transformational leadership to see an example.
A word of caution: the phrases transformational teaching and transformational teacher
leadership are not the same. Transformational teachers inspire within their classrooms
and transformational teacher leaders inspire outside their classroom doors. Inspirational
teacher leaders get their colleagues to step up, not because they feel they have to but
because they want to. They take risks, solve complex problems, and position change as
possible and worthwhile.
This inspirational role of teacher leaders is critical and often overlooked. Because
teacher leaders are colleagues—not supervisors—successful leadership depends on
other teachers wanting to follow their lead.

Trustworthy Colleagues
To be a teacher leader, others must trust you enough to follow your lead. Teacher
leaders build trust through what they do and say—as well as what they don’t. Megan
Tschannen-Moran and Anita Woolfolk Hoy explained that trust between teachers
involves five core qualities:

 Benevolence. They share their confidence that others will act with goodwill.
 Competence. They share their belief that the group has the ability to be successful.
  Honesty. They communicate and act in authentic and equitable ways.
 Openness. They share information, even if it shows their personal vulnerabilities.
 Reliability. They always do what they say they will do.

Trustworthiness is important across all aspects of teacher leadership, and engendering

confidence in others is key to being a transformational leader. Competence is part of
shared expertise. Honesty is essential in effective communication. Openness is seen in
the willingness and ability to explore new possibilities. Reliability is essential to all these
parts of the teacher leadership process because no one follows an unreliable leader.

Learningforward is a professional learning association that offers many freely accessible

resources on teacher leadership. On this website, high school instructional coach Jill
Kind shared how she builds trust with other teachers.

Explorers
Teacher leaders are trailblazers. They are first adopters, willing to try out new ideas and
discover the unseen “potholes” in new initiatives. They volunteer for pilot projects and
pursue professional development opportunities to learn more so they can improve their
practice, share their experiences, and collaborate with others to solve problems and
reach team goals.

An important part of this explorer quality is that teacher leaders—because they are
willing to go first—share their vulnerabilities by being open about their successes and
failures.

They demonstrate honesty, an important part of building trust, by sharing their mistakes
and “hard lessons” with their colleagues as they encourage them to take the trail they
have begun to blaze.

All teachers need to explore more, and this can begin with new teachers.
As Christopher Bronke, a principal, wrote in a recent post on the TeachingChannel, he
tells new teachers:

“You were hired for a reason; because you are a rock star. When you’re in PLCs and
department meetings, your voice matters just as much as everyone else’s. Go be you!”

3. Leadership Styles
 In schools, there are always selfless teachers who support students at all costs.
Trusted by students and staff alike, these teachers are known to make
decisions based on students’ needs. Their dedication to improve students’
academics and social experiences is proven by their willingness to dedicate
lunches and after-school hours with students to grow their activities and
programs.

According to Dr. Tiphanie Scroggins who runs the American University School
of Education’s administrative program, there are a few key leadership qualities
vital to success as an educator. “The heart of an educators work is students’
learning and well being,” says Dr. Scroggins. “They need to be focused,
strategic, innovative, and collaborative.” These qualities not only help teachers
improve learning outcomes, but also help build community, encourage
inclusivity, and create a culture of continuous improvement for themselves,
their colleagues, and their students.

Of course, there are many ways educators can lead, so no two teachers will
share the same leadership style. Here are five leadership styles that teacher
leaders can use inside and outside the classroom.

 Authoritative Leadership
Authoritative leaders push their teams to pursue common goals. They balance
maintaining a high bar and inspiring their teams to success. According to Dr.
Scroggins, authoritative leaders rely heavily on strategy, using data to set high
expectations and take thoughtful risks. Authoritative leaders can also be
relentless in their pursuit of meaningful growth and demonstrate
determination and resilience. In education, this means authoritative leaders
may be teachers with many years of experience or higher degrees. The
National College for Teaching and Leadership names authoritative leadership
the most effective in education.

 Affiliative Leadership
Affiliative leaders are people who their teams can trust and feel safe going to.
They validate their colleagues and build camaraderie among their teams—
qualities that promote inclusivity, equity, and culturally responsive practices,
according to Dr. Scroggins. A school’s success largely depends on building
culture and values. This requires affiliative leadership to push staff and
students alike in the same direction.
 Democratic Leadership
Democratic leaders are the first to seek feedback and share decision-making
responsibilities. In education, this often means gathering feedback from
students, staff, administrators, and families to implement school-wide changes
and policies. “Democratic leadership is about believing students, parents, and
the community have a voice,” says Dr. Scroggins. “This approach helps build
community and nurture partnerships among stakeholders.”

 Pacesetting Leadership
Pacesetting leaders essentially focus on the practice of leading by example
inside or outside the classroom. They do it all, setting the tone of a school and
inspiring other teachers by their skills, dedication, and achievements.

 Coaching Leadership
Coaching leaders take young or struggling teachers under their wings to
mentor. This style of leadership is usually time-consuming and requires much
empathy and patience on the leader’s part. However, it has significant benefits
to teacher development and student academic success.

5.