Teacher Leadership Toolkit 2.0: Strategies To Build .
TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0Strategies to Build, Support, andSustain Teacher Leadership OpportunitiesJanuary 2019Center onGREAT TEACHERS & LEADERSat American Institutes for Research
THIS TOOLKIT builds on the work of Leading Educators to create theoriginal State Teacher Leadership Toolkit, including the original StateAction Framework and state examples. The original toolkit was fundedthrough the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationand the Joyce Foundation. This toolkit (version 2.0) was developedcollaboratively between the Center on Great Teachers and Leadersand Leading Educators to capture key insights from recent teacherleadership initiatives and to provide states and districts with relevantguidance to support effective teacher leadership design models. Theoriginal toolkit was developed with significant input from state teamsfrom Iowa, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. This toolkit expands onthat original group, including insights from Arkansas, the Departmentof Defense Education Agency, Hawaii, Iowa, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan,Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
ContentsIntroduction1Part 1: Goals and Rationale for Teacher Leadership4Identifying Targeted Challenges and Goals4Considering State and District Roles7Creating a Theory of Action for the Teacher Leadership Initiative9Part 2: Teacher Leadership Strategies12Identifying Strategies12Selecting Strategies13Collaborating With Stakeholders18Implementing Strategies20Part 3: Monitoring Progress and Impact24Considering State Capacity24Identifying Implementation Milestones25Identifying Metrics26Sharing Success Stories28Appendix: Teacher Leadership ResourcesA–1
IntroductionSchool systems—and the challenges they face—are often complex and diverse; effectivelyaddressing these challenges may require changes beyond those that traditional teacher andadministrator roles can adequately support. Many states and districts have considered how tobest utilize teacher leadership to facilitate meaningful change and support better outcomes fortheir students. Well-designed teacher leadership initiatives can: Accelerate progress toward state and district priorities and goals; Improve the quality of instruction, curriculum, assessment, and courses; Remove barriers and improve conditions for learning; and Establish sustainable and effective leadership systems.Teacher leadership systems can also help state, district, and school leaders capitalize on thetalents and insights of teachers currently working in local schools. Over time, infusing teacherleadership roles and opportunities throughout educational systems may help to develop,recruit, and retain a greater and more effective educator workforce. Teacher leadership roles andopportunities can also support career development for teachers seeking recognition, advancement,or opportunities to work on special projects or interests.There are many types of teacher leadership programs, systems, roles, and opportunities at boththe state and local levels. States can be powerful partners with districts and schools that aredesigning or implementing teacher leadership systems; likewise, schools and districts can helpstates scale and spread effective approaches to teacher leadership by sharing their successesand challenges.This State Teacher Leadership Toolkit provides information, tools, and resources to support stateand district leaders in designing, implementing, and supporting teacher leadership initiatives.This toolkit outlines the work across three parts: Part 1: Establishing the rationale and goals for theteacher leadership system. In this phase, states anddistricts develop the rationale for a new or ongoingteacher leadership initiative and articulate itspurpose (i.e., how it can advance existing statepriorities for improving instruction and learning).Figure 2. State and District Action Frameworkfor Teacher Leadership Part 2: Selecting and implementing strategiesto establish and sustain teacher leadership. Inthis phase, states and districts explore, select,develop, and implement policy, support, and/orfunding strategies they can use to seed andsustain teacher leadership. Part 3: Refining implementation through progressmonitoring. In this phase, states and districts reflecton the progress and impact of the strategies they areimplementing, revisit and revise their strategies basedon data and feedback, and celebrate and scale successes.TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities1
Throughout this toolkit are 10 linked resources that provide additional information, considerations,and examples related to teacher leadership initiatives at the national, state, and local levels.States and districts should review and use these resources alongside this main toolkit; in addition,states and districts may use these resources individually to build knowledge with stakeholders orstate education agency staff before engaging in decision making related to the design of theteacher leadership initiative. The following resources are linked throughout this toolkit:Resource 1: State Teacher Leadership Approaches: Example Theories of Action Thisresource provides example theories of action that states and districts may customize basedon their teacher leadership work and use to facilitate communication and decision makingamong leaders.Resource 2: Teacher Leader Role Profiles This resource describes 10 main categories ofteacher leader roles, including a description, associated standards and competencies, andexamples of these roles within current state and district teacher leadership systems.Resource 3: Teacher Leadership Approaches and Strategies This resource providesinformation, considerations, and state examples for each of the nine types of teacherleadership strategies outlined in Part 2 and associated approaches to implementation.Resource 4: Teacher Leadership Models: Examples and Opportunities for Innovation Thisresource provides an overview of three innovative approaches that schools, districts, andstates can take to utilize teacher leaders: teacher-led schools, learning facilitators, andvirtual instruction.Resource 5: Approaches to Teacher Leader Licensure and Endorsement This resourcedescribes the current requirements for teacher leader licenses, along with relevant stateexamples. In addition, this resource presents overarching considerations for states aboutdesigning teacher leader licenses that can foster and support local teacher leadership roles.Resource 6: Approaches to Professional Learning for Teacher Leaders This resourcesummarizes the common professional learning needs of teacher leaders, types of professionallearning delivery, and overarching considerations regarding professional learning forteacher leaders.Resource 7: Approaches to Promoting Equity Through Teacher Leadership This resourceprovides example approaches to utilizing teacher leaders to support equity-focused initiatives.Resource 8: Summary of the Research Literature on Teacher Leadership This resourcesummarizes the research literature on teacher leadership and its impact on school systems.Resource 9: Ensuring Sustainability: Collecting Data on Teacher Leadership Implementationand Impact This resource provides considerations for the metrics, measures, and milestonesthat states and districts might use in monitoring or evaluating teacher leadership implementation.Resource 10: Crosswalk of Teacher, Teacher Leader, and School Leader Standards Thisresource shows the alignment between teacher, teacher leader, and school leader standardsto inform teacher leader role design and professional growth.2TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities
What Are Teacher Leaders?Teacher leaders are educators working in roles that include both direct instruction and administrative duties.There is a wide range of teacher leader roles, from informal roles in which teachers choose to take on a fewleadership responsibilities to formal roles wherein a significant portion of the workday is spent on leadershiptasks rather than teaching (sometimes referred to as hybrid roles) (see Figure 1). The leadership tasks thatteacher leaders support tend to be instructionally focused (e.g., providing performance feedback, developingschool priorities) rather than administrative tasks (e.g., managing budgets or scheduling); however, thesetasks will depend on the teacher leader role.Figure 1. Teacher Leadership Role SpectrumDepending on the role, teacher leaders may continue to serve as the teacher of record for a typical numberof students, a smaller specialized cohort (often students in need of improvement), or a larger cohort ofstudents overall. Some teacher leaders do not serve as the teacher of record, but instead spend a significantamount of time coteaching or supporting teacher responsibilities beyond direct instruction (e.g., lessonplanning). The specific teacher leader responsibilities may be formal or informal, paid or unpaid, assignedor voluntary, and related to a variety of different foci (e.g., instruction, operations, community engagement,and advocacy). While many teacher leader roles require new skills and knowledge (e.g., adult learning,public policy), other teacher leader roles do not. Like great teachers, teacher leaders are made, not born;therefore, it is important for teacher leaders to be selected and supported based on the knowledge andskills required for their specific role.Defining teacher leadership roles and responsibilities is a critically important step for states, districts, andschools to strategically and effectively recruit, utilize, retain, and support teacher leaders. Likewise, definingteacher leadership roles and responsibilities is crucially important for crafting clear communications withteacher leaders and other stakeholders, especially other educators who will be working with teacher leadersin new roles. This toolkit can help states and districts determine the types of teacher leadership opportunitiesto cultivate. For more information on different types of teacher leader roles and responsibilities, includingexamples of these roles in action, see Resource 2: Teacher Leader Role Profiles. For more information onstandards related to teachers, teacher leaders, and school leader roles, see Resource 10: Crosswalk ofTeacher, Teacher Leader, and School Leader Standards.TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities3
PART 1Goals and Rationale for Teacher LeadershipTeacher leadership is not an end goal in and of itself. Teacher leadership is a strategy that canbe used to address key teaching and learning challenges; promote sustainable, long-term schoolimprovement; and strengthen the teaching profession overall. Many teacher leadership opportunitieshave been marketed or framed as recognition or advancement opportunities for exemplaryeducators. Teacher leadership can leverage the knowledge, skills, and abilities of exemplaryteachers to promote meaningful and sustainable change; likewise, teacher leadership can helpaddress challenges related to recruitment and retention.Today, many states and districts are focusing on how to design teacher leadership activities totarget specific challenges or goals, leveraging the talents and expertise of exemplary teachers toextend the reach of effective teachers, improving instruction, and/or supporting school improvementactivities. By positioning teacher leadership as a specific strategy for improvement, states anddistricts can better leverage the skills of teacher leaders, communicate the value of the teacherleadership initiative to stakeholders, and promote the sustainability of formal teacher leader rolesregardless of leadership or funding shifts.This section covers the following topics: Identifying Targeted Challenges and Goals Considering State and District Roles Creating a Theory of Action for the Teacher Leadership InitiativeIdentifying Targeted Challenges and GoalsStates and districts interested in utilizing teacher leadership as an improvement strategyfirst need to identify and prioritize the specific challenges (supported by evidence) to addressvia teacher leadership. For example, states may see an increase in requests for emergencycertification in key shortage areas; likewise, districts may see low retention rates of exemplaryteachers. For states, these challenges may also be articulated as broader leadership goals(e.g., to promote rigorous, personalized instruction). Clarifying the specific challenges to addressvia teacher leadership can help states and districts effectively communicate the value-add of theteacher leadership initiative, especially when the impact can be described by specific and meaningfuldata (e.g., student outcomes, spending reductions). Many teacher leadership initiatives are designedto address multiple challenges or achieve multiple goals, which makes clearly communicating goalsand intended impact even more important.To clearly identify targeted challenges and goals, states and districts can reflect on thefollowing questions: What critical challenges are we trying to solve? How are teacher leaders involvedin helping to identify and understand critical challenges and their root causes?4TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities
How (or why) are teacher leaders well positioned to help address identified challenges?How can we help position teacher leaders to better address key teaching andlearning challenges? How can teacher leadership address existing state and district priorities and effortsto improve teacher quality and student learning? What are the specific and measurable goals we hope to reach through our teacherleadership efforts?States and districts may also identify targeted challenges by revisiting stakeholder feedbackgathered as part of planning for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including needs assessment data. Statesand districts can then use a root-cause analysis process to identify the specific challenges toaddress through teacher leadership.1Most challenges can be categorized by those related to student outcomes (e.g., poor instructionalquality) and those related to workforce costs (e.g., low retention and high turnover rates of effectiveeducators). Table 1 outlines common challenges that teacher leadership has been designed toaddress, the evidence or rationale that informed the decision, potential teacher leadership strategiesto address these challenges, and potential goals for the teacher leadership initiative.Table 1. Common Challenges and Teacher Leadership StrategiesCommon Challenges for States and DistrictsTopicNeed to ImproveRecruitment andRetention Rates ofEffective EducatorsPotential Evidence or RationalePotential Goals forTeacher LeadershipInitiative Teacher attrition rates are high, especially for highlyeffective teachers or in high-need schools and districts. To strengthen theeducator workforce High-need schools have limited numbers of effective,experienced teachers. To help promoteequitable learningfor all students The most at-risk or disadvantaged students are less likelyto be taught or supported by exemplary educators. There are projected or actual teacher shortages in certainsubjects and grades (e.g., teachers of students withdisabilities; science, technology, engineering, andmathematics [STEM] subjects). To ensure allstudents haveaccess to greatteachers The teacher workforce does not reflect the racial,linguistic, or cultural makeup of the broader community. High-need schools have difficulty recruiting and retainingeffective educators.1For more information, see the Using Evidence to Strengthen Education Investments resource from the U.S. Departmentof Education and the Root-Cause Analysis Workbook from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders.TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities5
Common Challenges for States and DistrictsTopicNeed to StrengthenInstructional QualityPotential Evidence or RationalePotential Goals forTeacher LeadershipInitiative Persistent achievement or performance gaps exist acrossstudent subgroups (or for the most at-risk or disadvantagedstudents), and these gaps have not improved over time. To leveragethe talents ofexceptional teachers Few teachers receive exemplary or highly effectiveevaluation ratings, especially in high-need schoolsand districts. To support teachers’professional growth Teachers share that they struggle to identify and utilizehigh-leverage, evidence-based instructional practicesaligned to academic standards. To support teachersin addressingstudent learningneeds Teachers share that they receive inconsistent messagesabout what effective instruction looks like in practice. Teachers share that they need different or improvedprofessional learning opportunities and supports. School and district staff report that most new teachersand teacher candidates are not adequately prepared tobe successful in teaching roles without additional support.Need to AddressChallenges Related toConditions for Learning Students (or subgroups) show insufficient performancelinked to trauma, stress, or other needs not being met. The most at-risk or disadvantaged students receiveinequitable levels of learning services and supportscompared to their peers. There are persistent gaps in advancement, graduation,or postsecondary enrollment and completion ratesacross student subgroups (or for the most at-riskor disadvantaged students) that have not improvedover time.Need to StrengthenSchool LeadershipQuality and Capacity High-need schools and districts have low retentionrates of effective school leaders. Schools and districts have inequitable distributionof effective school leaders. School leaders share that they have neither the timenor the capacity to effectively complete all theiradministrative and leadership responsibilities. School leaders share that they need more supportto effectively support improved teacher practice andprofessional growth. To support students,families, andcommunities To support teachersin addressingstudent learningneeds To help expand andaugment schoolleadership capacity To help schoolsaccelerateimprovement To support positiveschool climateFor more information on the teacher leadership strategies linked with specific challenges, seeResource 3: Teacher Leadership Approaches and Strategies.6TEACHER LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT 2.0: Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities
Use the Brainstorming Box to capture reflections on the goals and challenges for your potentialteacher leadership initiative(s).BRAINSTORMING BOX: IDENTIFYING TARGETED CHALLENGES AND GOALS What are our top three challenges related to teaching and learning? What evidence do we have of thenature and extent of these challenges? How can teacher leadership mitigate these challenges? Which types of teacher leadership rolesare likely to mitigate these challenges? What approaches to teacher leadership might help usmeet our goals? What are the specific goals we want to set for our teacher leadership work? Which goals do we wantto emphasize or prioritize?Considering State and District RolesWhen identifying which challenges to address through teacher leadership, states and districtsshould consider the role they plan to play in the initiative. States and districts can play similarroles in fostering teacher leadership by allocating funding, creating staff positions, and/orestablishing support systems for teacher leaders’ development over time. However, while manystates have created state-level teacher leadership roles through advisory boards, educator-inresidence positions, an
State and District Action Framework for Teacher Leadership. 2 TEA T 2.0 Strategies to Build, Support, and Sustain Teacher Leadership Opportunities . resource provides an overview of three innovative approaches that schools, districts, and states can take to utilize teacher leaders: teacher-led schools, learning facilitators, and
GACE Teacher Leadership Assessment Candidate Handbook 9 . The GACE Teacher Leadership Assessment Overview The GACE Teacher Leadership assessment was developed to assess the critical leadership roles that teachers play in contributing to student and school success. The assessment measures leadership roles in six areas, called tasks:
Leadership, Servant Leadership, Situational Leadership, Authoritarian Leadership, and Moral Leadership. Although each of these styles had some very positive characteristics, it was found that Spiritual Leadership allowed for various leadership approaches to be applied as needed and these approaches were designed
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The Teacher Leadership Competencies 3 Instructional Leadership Instruction is perhaps the most basic building block of teacher leadership. Outstanding professional practice must underpin all other efforts, and great teachers must step forward and take the mantle of great teacher leaders. Leadership in instructional practice means something more
The Ohio Teacher Leadership Framework demonstrates the Department’s commitment to promoting and advancing teacher leadership in Ohio’s schools. The framework is a shared . formal leadership practices, but the use of the teacher tools is entirely optional. Overview .
(1) leadership in self-managing teams and shared leadership, informed by functional behavioral leadership theory, and (2) the emerging literature on leadership in virtual teams. These views of leadership depart from much of “traditional” leadership theory (e.g., trait theory, contingency and situational leadership theories, social exchange
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