RUNNING HEAD: IDENTIFYING AND EMPOWERING INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS

Identifying and empowering instructional leaders

Bradley J Ostendorf

Grand Canyon University: EAD-533: Developing and Empowering Instructional Leaders

Dr. Justin Greathouse

06/29/2022
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Analyze the Case

In this case study, there seems to be a lack of clear expectations set for the leadership

team. Individuals are unclear of their responsibilities and their goals as a team. As my top

priority, I would work to review the current leadership team, their roles and responsibilities, and

expectations for all parties involved. For this conversation, initially I would only meet with the

current leadership team that is in place. I would discuss with them everything that was stated

previously to begin the process of identifying where they believe the disconnects are. Nobody

will have better insight as to the shortcomings of the group than those serving in it. My goal

would be to identify concerns and come up with solutions to fix them. Ideally, several leadership

members who have been unmotivated in the past will find a new sense of motivation to maintain

their leadership roles once clearer expectations have been set.

Once the initial meeting is done, I would ask all leadership staff currently in place to take

a private survey. Many staff members may not feel comfortable expressing their true concerns in

a public setting, so by providing them with a survey, they may be more likely to provide me with

honest feedback. One of the questions I would include in the survey would be if they wish to

continue serving on the team after our initial meeting. This would allow me to gain an idea of

what positions I would need to fill and what stakeholders I would need to include in that process.

This survey would also shed light on what my next steps will need to be regarding the creation of

an action plan.

For a timeline, I would have the initial meeting with the leadership team the summer

prior to the school year. I would then use the staff Inservice time before the school year to begin

meeting with each department/grade level to start discussing their concerns and needs. This

would also be a time to gain an understanding of other staff members who may be interested in
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joining the leadership team. I would not appoint anyone at that time as I would need at least a

year to get to know my staff members and their dispositions.

Identify the Larger Issues

To honor the work done by the previous leadership team, I would allow them to keep

their positions throughout the school year as changes are made. I would not want any teacher

leader to feel that changes must happen immediately and that that they were the problem. Also,

although nominal, I would want each teacher leader to still receive their stipend for their work. A

positive to this “do nothing” approach is that bridges won’t be burned as soon as I step into my

role as principal. If teachers are removed from their positions and everything, they have worked

on is thrown to the wayside, then relationships could be permanently damaged which creates a

completely different set of problems.

I would not “do nothing” forever, as changes clearly need to be made. By doing nothing,

complacency can set in and the staff will feel as if I am just another principal who has no plan in

mind. There is also the potential for non-teacher leaders to feel slighted that they were not

provided with the same opportunities for leadership as their peers. Many of these positions that

are currently filled could have been appointed by the previous principal due to favoritism.

Current teacher leaders could be serving in a position that their peers would deem them unfit to

reside in. School leaders must make teacher leadership available to everyone so that all teachers

feel the responsibility to provide support to all teacher leaders. (Levin & Schrum, 2016)

To show my staff that I am committed to moving leadership in the right direction and am

open to all staff members serving as leaders, I would survey all staff members needs and gauge

the interest of every individual and their interest to lead.

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Action Plan: Steps, Stakeholders, and Challenges

The overall goal of my action plan would be to create a school culture in which teachers

want to step into leadership roles. Effective teacher leadership “…improves retention by keeping

our best teachers engaged, while also preparing them to eventually take on other roles.”

(Trapanese, 2017) In many cases, teacher leadership can be more effective than administrative

leadership. Teachers are in a unique position to support their peers because they are able to use

their experiences to guide their coaching and have an extra level of credibility that can only come

from peer-to-peer relationships. (Trapanese, 2017) To create this culture, I would revamp what

teacher leadership looks like. I would gather current teacher leaders, as well as teachers across all

departments to gain their understanding of what teacher leadership should look like. I would also

expand the teacher leadership role to go beyond one individual. Requesting that one teacher take

on the responsibility of an entire department while still teaching full time seems unrealistic. I

would split these duties up so that more teachers can assist with the observation and coaching

process. Overall, the teacher leadership role will be more focused on observing, coaching, and

improving teachers instructional practices, including their own.

For the selection process, first I would assess the interest of current leadership. I would

check to see if any current leaders would feel more comfortable leading now that changes are

being made. Second, I would open leadership opportunities for instructional observing and

coaching to more teachers. The goal would be to gain interest of teachers outside of the already

established group of leaders. Third, I would ask all current and potential leaders to take a

dispositions assessment. I would want to all current and future leaders to reflect on their

dispositions and think more critically about their role as a teacher leader. (Levin & Schrum,

2016) This would also allow administration to discover what teachers have the right dispositions
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to be effective in their positions. Finally, I would provide all leadership staff with professional

development relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

I understand that encouraging teachers to want to become leaders will be challenging,

especially given the fact that leadership in the past has not been a bright spot at this school. I

believe the only way to overcome this challenge would be with transparency, flexibility, and

enthusiasm. Teachers will not want to help lead if they feel they will just be a pawn in the

process constantly watched over. They will also avoid the position if they feel it will overwhelm

them or pull them away from their current responsibilities. I would work with these teacher

leaders to help them understand that administration is willing to work with all teacher leaders to

ensure that teaching will be their number one focus.

Action Plan: Support and Professional Growth

As stated previously, I will gain teacher support by being transparent. I will not have all

the answers to perfect teacher leadership, and not all of these changes can be done at once.

Changes that are made may not even be successful at first. But my willingness to adapt as needed

and meet the needs of the teachers stepping into these roles will inspire more teachers to want to

lead. I will also gain teacher support by creating experiences that encourage other teachers to

want to participate. If I can reach a select few teachers and engage them in the teacher

observation and coaching experience, their enthusiasm just might inspire others around them.

The more positive relationships that are established, the more teacher support will be created.

Regarding the dismal of current staff members, I would work to retain as many of them

as possible. I would address their concerns and try to re-spark their motivation to lead. Their sour

taste for the position may have come from negative previous experiences and I would work to
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change their perspective if possible. For those who still deny the position, or are simply not fit to

lead, would be respectfully dismissed yet encouraged to support their peers that may be stepping

into new roles. I would express to them that their previous leadership experience could positively

impact their departments in so many ways and if they are comfortable, administration may call

upon them to assist in the coaching of new leaders. For new leadership staff, I would encourage

them that administration will be with them every step of the way. No matter what fears they

carry with them or concerns they have, the staff will be there to support them as they help their

peers grow.
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References

Levin, B., & Schrum, L. (2016). Every teacher a leader: developing the needs dipsositions,

knowledge, and skills for teacher leaders. Thousand Oaks: Corwin, a Sage Company.

Trapanese, E. M. (2017). Helping teachers become leaders. The Education Digest, 83(3), 37-39.