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##  Teachers as Leaders in Education Reform. ERIC Digest.                        

Over the last two decades, much has been written about the need to              develop teacher leaders (TL) in schools.  In 1986, the Carnegie                 Forum on Education and the Economy reported that unless teachers are            empowered and supported as professionals, schools will not be able              to sustain significant change through school reform efforts.                    Subsequently, several studies were released that concluded that                 teachers need to fully participate as leaders in the process of                 whole-school change if reform is to be successful (Conley and                   Muncey, 1999; Lieberman, 1988; Urbanski and Nickolaou, 1997).                   Current research suggests, however, that although teacher leaders               make significant contributions to schools, other factors are                    necessary to bring about some reform goals. This digest defines the             concept of teacher leadership and looks at the impact of teacher                leadership on student achievement and equity within the                         schools. DEFINING TEACHER LEADERSHIPMost of the researchers               involved in exploring the concept of teachers as leaders agree that             it is distinctly different from administrative or managerial                    concepts of leadership. Various studies indicate that effective                 teacher leadership involves a move away from top-down, hierarchical             modes of functioning and a move toward shared decision-making,                  teamwork, and community building (Alvaredo, 1997; Coyle,                        1997). 
Several models have emerged for developing teacher leaders.            For example, the National Writing Project (NWP) promotes a                      leadership model of teachers growing professionally by sharing their            best practices with peers and with diverse audiences at professional            conferences, through journal publications, and through the design of            teacher workshops and institutes. A similar program, IMPACT II,                 funded by the MetLife Foundation, awards grants for exemplary                   teacher projects and creates networking opportunities. 
In addition            to projects like these, a few degreed teacher leadership programs               have sprung up around the country: Jacqueline B. Vaughn Graduate                School for Teachers, Chicago, IL; Center for Educational Leadership,            California State University, Hayward, CA; Teacher Leadership,                   Wheelock College, Boston; Teacher as Leader, University of                      Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Teacher Leader Program, Wright State                       University; and the Urban Teacher Leadership MS at Georgia State                University. These programs and other studies continue to  examine               the qualities and/or behaviors that distinguish teachers as                     leaders (Alverado, 1997; Crowther, 1997; O'Hair and Reitzug, 1997;              Paulu and Winters, 1998; Wynne, 2001). The majority seem to agree               that teacher leaders: 
* Demonstrate expertise in their instruction            and share that knowledge with other professionals, 
*  Are                     consistently on a professional learning curve, 
*  Frequently                  reflect on their work to stay on the cutting edge of what's best for            children, 
*  Engage in continuous action research projects that               examine their effectiveness, 
* Collaborate with their peers,                  parents, and communities, engaging them in dialogues of open                    inquiry/action/assessment models of change, 
*  Become socially                conscious and politically involved, 
*  Mentor new teachers, 
*               Become more involved at universities in the preparation of                      pre-service teachers, and 
*  Are risk-takers who participate in               school decisions. 
In addition, several studies indicate that one              of the most significant developmental skills is for teachers to                 become active researchers in their classrooms and schools. For all              of these qualities to be sustained, however, many argue that a shift            in governance needs to take hold, embracing the idea of teachers as             equal partners in leadership.  Researchers insist that teachers are             too often left out of the loop of leadership in their schools; and,             all too often, if given leadership roles, lack the skills that will             make them successful as leaders (Sherrill, 1999; Zimpher and Howey,             1992). Many teachers need encouragement from administrators and                 colleagues to shift from their perception of isolation into                     recognition of themselves as active contributors in a larger                    context, outside classroom walls. TEACHER LEADERS AND STUDENT                 ACADEMIC PERFORMANCESThe ultimate measure of the contributions              of teacher leaders, proponents suggest, is the impact of teacher                leaders on student academic performance.  Many scholars assume that             the one causes the other (Lieberman, 1992). Nevertheless, a study by            Leithwood and Jantzi in 1999 indicates that while a multitude of                qualitative studies suggest the efficacy of teachers as leaders, few            quantitative studies have tested this notion.  The studies that have            tested it found no conclusive evidence to support any positive                  correlation between student achievement and teacher leadership.                 Leithwood's study, involving a sample of 1,762 teachers and 9,941               students in a large Canadian School district, not only found no                 impact of teacher leadership on raising student achievement, but                also hypothesized that by trying to combine leadership with                     teaching, teaching is devalued. 
Other research suggests that the              bureaucracy of schools and systems, as well as the attitudes of                 educational policy makers, stifle the possibilities for teacher                 leaders to be effective as change agents. Barriers such as too                  little time during the work day for reflection, rigid school                    schedules, unrelated instructional tasks, jealousies and/or lack of             support from peer teachers and administrators, and overemphasis on              state mandated high-stakes testing hamper the effectiveness of many             teachers who, while teaching, step beyond their classrooms to                   lead (Paulu and Winters,1998).  All of these barriers leave too many            teachers feeling powerless.  However, despite these impediments,                most school reform studies continue to advocate for teacher                     empowerment, shared governance, collegial collaboration,                        professional development, and more time for reflection. They see TL             qualities as necessary elements for redesigning schools for                     success. TEACHER LEADERS AND EQUITY ISSUESIn 1999, Pauline                Lipman evaluated two southern schools where TL reform components                existed. She discovered that African American students in these                 schools experienced no gain in academic achievement. Her study                  indicated that unless issues of power, race, and class are addressed            in school communities, the achievement level of African American                students will not be affected by the empowerment of their teachers.             Similar results were discovered in another study in the south that              involved three metropolitan school districts (Wynne, 2000). By                  failing to confront issues of inequity, some schools inadvertently              reproduce African American student failure and disempowerment                   through educational reform (Lipman, 1999; Delpit, 1995; Wynne,                  2000). 
Scholars suggest that one of the largest failures in the               quest to raise the academic achievement of children of color in                 urban and rural schools seems to be the schools' inability to                   respect and listen to the voices of parents and students in these               communities. In fact, many scholars and practitioners seem to                   believe that any positive effects of teacher leadership and school              reform for those communities are doomed without attending to the                imperative of giving voice to the silenced (Delpit, 1997; Hilliard,             1991; Ladson-Billings, 2001; Moses, 2001). O'Hair & Reitzug report              that in most mainstream discussions concerning teacher leadership,              issues of student and community equity and input too often are not              addressed. 
To confront those issues, Hilliard suggests, teacher               leaders must learn to challenge the "intellectual structures,                   definitions, and assumptions" about people of color in Euro-centric             institutions (1997).  His research indicates that in schools where              those theories are challenged, students excel (1991). 
A movement              is growing among diverse educational stakeholders to seek, as Bob               Moses (2001) suggests, "the solutions for educational problems from             within schools and communities themselves," not outside among                   traditional cadres of experts.  In the educational history of                   African Americans, a strong strand of support exists for organizing             from the bottom up.  In African American Freedom Schools, the                   message was that the power for change must come from "the root. . .             the people who are at the bottom"  (Grant, 1998; Harding, 1990;                 Horton, 1998; Moses, 2001). 
A compelling example of teacher                   leadership, which seems also to summarize the most evolved concept              in the TL research literature, is the work of Ella Baker who                    believed that "What is needed is the development of people who are              interested not in being leaders as much as in developing leadership             in others." This is a model grounded in Baker's theory that "We are             the people we have been waiting for" (Reagon,                                   2001). REFERENCESReferences identified with an EJ or ED number            have been abstracted and are in the ERIC database. Journal                      articles (EJ) should be available at most research libraries; most              documents (ED) are available in microfiche collections at more than             900 locations. Documents can also be ordered through the ERIC                   Document Reproduction Service (800-443-ERIC). 
Alvarado,                       C.  (1997). If leadership was everyone's domain. Inm taking the                 lead: Investing in early childhood leadership for the 21st century.             Boston, MA: Wheelock College. 
Bacharach, S. (1986). The learning              workplace: The conditions and resources of teaching. Washington, DC:            National Education Association. 
Conley, S. & Muncey, D. (1999)                Teachers talk about teaming and leadership in their work. Theory                Into Practice, 38(1), 46. 
Coyle, M. (1997). Teacher leadership vs.            school management: Flatten the hierarchies. Clearing House, 70(5),              236. 
Crowther, F. (1997). The William Walker Oration 1996, Unsung             heroes: the leaders in our classrooms. Journal of Educational                   Administration, 35(1), 5. 
Delpit, L. (1995). Other people's                   children. New York: The New Press. 
Grant, J. (1998). Ella Baker:              Freedom bound.  New York: John Wiley & Sons. 
Harding, V. (1990).              Hope and history. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. 
Hilliard III,                   A.G. (1991). Do we have the will to educate all children?                       Educational Leadership, 49(1), 31-36. 
Hilliard III, A.G. (1997).              The structure of valid staff development. Journal of Staff                      Development, 18(2), 28-34. 
Horton, M. (1998). The long haul: An               autobiography. New York: Teachers College Press. 
Katzenmeyer M. &             Moller, G. (Eds.). (1996). Every teacher as a leader: Realizing the             potential of teacher leadership. San Francisco:                                 Jossey-Bass. 
Katzenmeyer M. & Moller, G. (1996). Awakening the                sleeping giant: Leadership development for teachers. Thousand Oaks,             CA: Corwin Press. 
Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to                canon: The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San                   Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 
Leithwood, K. & Jantzi, D. (1999). The                relative effects of principal and teacher sources of leadership on              student engagement with school. Educational Administration                      Quarterly, 35. (Suppl.), 679. 
Lieberman, A. (Ed.). (1988).                    Building a professional culture in schools. New York: Basic                     Books. 
Lieberman, A. (1994). Teachers as leaders: Evolving roles.             Washington, DC: National Education Association of the United                    States. 
Lipman, P. (1999). Race, class and power in school                    restructuring. Albany: State University of New York Press. 
Moses,             R. & Cobb, C. (2001). Radical equations: Math literacy and the civil            rights movement. Boston: Beacon Press. 
O'Hair, M. & Reitzug,                  U. (1997). Teacher leadership: In what ways? For what purposes?                 Action in Teacher Education, 19(3), 65-76. 
Paulu, N. & Winters,               K. (Eds.). (1998) Teachers leading the way: Voices from the National            Teacher Forum. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse. ED 419                       778. 
Reagon, B. (2001). Fund for Southern Communities Award                   Ceremony, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA. 
Sherrill, J. (1999).                  Preparing teachers for leadership roles in the 21st century. Theory             Into Practice, 38(1), 56. 
Urbanski, A. & Nickolaou, M. (1997).                Reflections on teachers as leaders. Educational Policy, 11(2),                  243-54. 
Wasley, P. (1991). Teachers as leaders: The rhetoric of               reform and the realities of practice. New York: Teachers College                Press. 
Wynne, J. (2000, April). The elephant in the living room:              Racism in school reform. Paper presented at the AERA, Montreal,                 Canada. ED 436 614. 
Wynne, J. (2001). Urban teacher leaders:                  Testimonies of transformation. Unpublished paper presented at the               AACTE conference, Dallas, Texas. 
Zimpher, N. & Howey, K. (1992).              Policy and practice toward the improvement of teacher education. Oak            Brook, IL: North Central Regional Educational                                   Laboratory. 
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This project has been funded at least in part             with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of             Educational Research and Improvement, under contract number                     ED-99-COO-0007.  The content of this publication does not                       necessarily reflect the views of or policies of the U.S. Department             of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products,              or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.                   **Title:** Teachers as Leaders in Education Reform. ERIC Digest.                        **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, American                  Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1307 New York Avenue,            N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. Tel: 202-293-2450; Tel:             800-822-9229; Web site: http://www.ericsp.org.                               **Descriptors:**  Academic Achievement, Black Students,  Educational Change,                     Elementary Secondary Education,  Equal Education, Minority Group                Children,  Racial Discrimination, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher                Empowerment,  Teacher Role                                                   **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  Reform Efforts,  Teacher Leaders, Teacher Leadership          
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