Issues in Teacher Leadership Review

First Article (from List Below): National Science Teacher Association (2016) conducted a
study about the importance of implementing guided science instruction through standards
that should be used in the classroom. Additionally, in order for these standards to be
implemented correctly, the science program needs to be rolled out through the presence of a
strong leadership team. The participants were principals, lead teachers, science department
heads. NSTA believes these are the critical leaders who will allow for the implementation
of science standards to be successful. The findings were that administrative support is the
key to systemic science education reform. Without the strong leadership above the teachers,
there will be no uniform way of ensuring all teachers get the professional development they
need and to ensure that all schools in the district get the same quality of education. The
administrative support is what ties in all the avenues of a district. The authors suggested that
the key players must set the standard to support standards based science education so that
the staff will be well qualified to teach the material. It will also provide teacher with the
resources required to carry out the curriculum.

Second Article f(rom List Below): Danielson (2007) conducted a study about the
connection between teacher leadership and student success. The participants were teacher
leaders at any school. The findings were that when teachers step up and take on some
leadership responsibilities, the benefits trickle down to the students. Administration cannot
get everything done, so when there is a middle level of leadership, more can get
accomplished at the site level. Teacher leaders have the advantage of understanding what is
going on in the classroom so that they can provide the support that is needed. They can also
take on the responsibility of facilitating communities of learning through organization-wide
processes, confronting barriers in the school’s culture and structures, and translating ideas
into sustainable systems of action. The authors suggested that this level of leadership is
vital to student success. When teacher leaders have more say in the process, they can be
more assertive and take risks, which will then positively impact student perceptions and
performance.

Third Article: ​Crescentini (2016)​ conducted a study about mindfulness in the classroom.
The setting was in primary schools where students expression high stress situations. The
findings were that through the practice of mindfulness and meditation in the classroom,
students will be able to control their stress levels and become more aware of their learning
experience. The practice can remove unnecessary stress from students and can also help
them focus on the education they are there to gain. The authors suggested that after 8 weeks
of practicing mindfulness with a group of students, they were able to focus better in the
classroom and did not experience any depression through the process.

Compare/Contrast Articles: These articles suggest that it is important to have leadership in

education that will ensure continuity across the district. This level of responsibility oversees
the success of the teachers and the students. However, whereas NSTA of the first article
recommends that administration oversee the implementation of science standards so that
teachers all around are teaching the same standards. Danielson of the second article
 emphasizes on the need for teacher leaders for the overall benefit of student success. The
idea of having teacher leaders ties into the first article and the need to have administration
work on standardizing science learning. The teacher leaders can be at the site level to report
how teachers are doing and what support they need from upper administration. Lastly, tying
in all these beliefs with the implementation of mindfulness in the classroom would require
the help from leaders. It would be beneficial for administration to support this practice
given all the research that supports the impact on student mental health.

These articles impact my teaching practices because it is important for me to know what
science standards I need cover. It is in my administration’s best interest to find the best
curriculum for us to carry out, and it will be our jobs to teach it. However, I look to them to
provide training on how to implement the curriculum. Additionally, teacher leaders are a
way for teachers to have a liaison when administration is not available. I believe things get
done faster with having this level of leadership, which is where it will then positively impact
the students more.

Calderone, S., Kent, A. M., & Green, A. M. (2018). Teacher Leaders and Student

Achievement: Can the dots be connected? ​Revista Eletrônica De Educação,12​(2),

395-407. doi:10.14244/198271992525

Crescentini, C., Capurso, V., Furlan, S., & Fabbro, F. (2016). Mindfulness-Oriented

Meditation for Primary School Children: Effects on Attention and Psychological

Well-Being. ​Frontiers in Psychology,​ ​7​. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00805

National Science Teachers Association - NSTA. (2016, July). NSTA Position Statement.

Retrieved April 28, 2019, from https://www.nsta.org/about/positions/leadership.aspx