Effective Teacher Leadership

In the 2007 article titled, "Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership," Susan Moore Johnson
and Morgaen L. Donaldson discuss the need for teacher leadership roles to be fully supported and
defined. The authors interviewed various Second-Stage teachers from different schools across the
United States. The findings were that teachers faced various obstacles when attempting to change
the climate and education of their schools. The obstacles include unwilling teachers, teachers
feeling as if the leader did not have more expertise than themselves, and teachers felt threats to
their autonomy in the classroom. Teachers claimed that seniority should have a higher importance
in the selection of leaders, teachers should decide whether they would like to participate in the
coaching sessions, and the curriculum or teaching methods should not be mandated. Johnson and
Donaldson suggest that teacher leadership positions need to be fully supported by the
administration, fully defined in their role and expectations, and teacher leaders should collaborate
with the coached teacher. For example, administrators should explain to staff the roles of the coach
and how this supports the school's vision. Without this partnership, leadership roles will remain
ineffective.

Daniel Muijs and Alma Harris' 2007 article titled, "Teacher Leadership in (In)action: Three
Case Studies of Contrasting Schools" discusses the critical components to effective leadership in
practice. The study includes three schools in the United Kingdom, characterized as having
restricted, emergent, or developed teacher leadership. The findings were three major components
necessary for successful teacher leadership: deliberate and thorough orchestration, a collaborative
and trusting school culture, and professional development and support for the teacher leader's
skills and methods. The creation of each role must be strategic and supported. Teachers must feel
as if they are working in collaboration in an environment of trust, lack of blame, and alignment
towards a common goal. In addition, the culture must support teacher growth into those leadership
positions. Informal and formal rewards are necessary to keep engagement high. Teacher leaders
must learn how to be influential leaders in their role; the more leaders know how to lead, the more
effective they will be.

In "Differentiated Instruction in the High School Science Classroom: Qualitative and

Quantitative Analyses", Jane Ragasa Pablico, Moustapha Diack, and Albertha Lawson discuss the
increased engagement of differentiated instruction in the classroom. The participants included six
high school science teachers and 65 biology students from a public high school.  Qualitative data
suggested that teachers and students alike found the learning processes to be more effective and
engaging. Quantitative data did not suggest a significance in difference in test scores. The authors
suggest that differentiated instruction should increase and grow in all classrooms due to the
increased student engagement. Teachers should continue to attend professional development to
improve strategies and learn how to successfully differentiate content. Data should also be collected
for multiple years, as their findings of the non-significant difference at the end of the year test may
not be accurate if students are more prepared for the future years. 

The first two articles articulate the importance of deliberate and well-defined roles in
teacher leadership. All stakeholders must understand the importance, role, and execution of the
designed leadership roles. Also, both articles express the need for a collaborative culture rather
than a leader and follower relationship. These distinctions need to be blurred for the culture to
support effective transformation and growth. Muijs and Harris add the necessity for teacher
leadership professional development in addition to the components mentioned above. The third
article had a completely different subject to the first two, but can be related in that teacher leaders
can effectively implement the suggestions outlined in the third article. Teacher leaders can help
development and improve differentiation in the classrooms through an effective set of leadership
components outlined in the first two articles.

As I reflect on my roles as a teacher leader inside the classroom and through my role as a
supervisor at CSUDH, I consider the collaborative nature of the mentor/mentee partnership. I will
continue to create a common goal and cognitively coach my mentees in reaching their goals. Our
current goal of differentiation is informed by the third article. Moreover, I am inspired to continue
professional development for leadership and to fortify my tool belt for leadership methods as I
grow as a leader.

Citations

Moore Johnson, S., & Donaldson, M. L. (2007, September). Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership.
Educational Leadership, 65(1), 8–13.

Muijs, D., & Harris, A. (2007). Teacher Leadership in (In)action. Educational Management
Administration & Leadership, 35(1), 111–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143207071387

Ragasa Pablico, J., Diack, M., & Lawson, A. (2017). Differentiated Instruction in the High School
Science Classroom: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses. International Journal of Learning,
Teaching and Educational Research, 16(7), 30–54.