Teacher Leadership and School

Improvement

Alma Harris

Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 1

. . . the superhero images of leadership do not
work. And it remains that mandates and
incentives are not powerful enough to function as
engines that will drive our efforts to improve
schools. In tomorrow’s world success will depend
upon the ability of leaders to harness the capacity
of locals, to enhance sense and meaning and to
build communities of responsibility.
(Sergiovanni, 2001, p. 55)

. . . Headteacher effect is small and that most

effects on students were indirect. This led to the
recommendation “that more attention should be
given to school conditions through which such
leadership flowed”.
(Leithwood and Jantzi, 2000,
Tr Ldrship and Schp. 50)
Imprvmnt 2
 Leaders lead from the centre of a complex
myriad of human relationships. Their
leadership is dependent upon others and
the relationships they have with others.
(Fullan, 2001)

 “In a learning organisation leaders may

start by pursuing their own vision, but as
they listen carefully to others’ vision they
begin to see that their own personal vision
is part of something larger. This does not
diminish any leader’s sense of
responsibility for the vision – if anything, it
deepens it.”
(Senge, 1990, p. 352)
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 3
 Leadership for School Improvement

 . . . Transformational leadership.
This style of leadership is people
rather than organisation-oriented
and requires a leadership approach
that transforms the feelings,
attitudes and beliefs of others. In
other words, it transforms ‘school
culture’.
(Harris, p. 73)
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 4
Transformational leadership:
problems.

1) Sustainability of transformational
leadership approaches over time;

2) Availability of high-quality
headteachers who are
transformational in their leadership
approaches.
(West et al, 2000, p. 39)
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 5
 Although schools need to be led by
individuals (who do make a difference)
that overarching leadership has to be
replicated right through the
organisation and found in every aspect
of school life.

 One of the most consistent findings

from studies of effective leadership is
that authority to lead need not be
located in the person of the leader but
can be dispersed within the school in
between and among people.
(Elmore and MacDonald, 2000; Day et al,
2000) Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 6
 Trust is the essential link
between leader and led, vital to
people’s job, status functions
and loyalty, vital to fellowship.
It is doubly important when
organizations are reaching rapid
improvement, which requires
exceptional effort and
competence, and doubly so
again in organizations like
schools that offer few
motivators.
(Evans, 1998,Trp. 183)
Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 7
 Leadership:
 . . . is reconceptualised as a set of behaviours
and practices that are undertaken collectively.

 . . . is a dynamic between individuals within an

organisation.

 . . . encompasses a broad group of people that

contribute to the school’s distinctive culture
and community.

This view of leadership focuses on the

relationships and the connections among
individuals within a school. It is separated
from person, role and status but reflects the
dynamic created out of shared purpose and
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 8
being part of a school community.
 Distributed Leadership
 “. . . the ability of those within a school to work
together, constructing meaning and knowledge
collectively and collaboratively.”
(Lambert, 1998, p. 5)

 “. . . Successful schools create collaborative

environments which encourage involvement,
professional development, mutual support and
assistance in problem solving”.
(Hopkins et al, 1996, p. 177)

What people do is driven not by what is rewarded,

or what works, nor by self-interest. Instead, it is
led by a sense of what is right and in the
interests of the whole school.
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 9
 Implications
 A model of leadership “where leadership
and leader are not the same”.
(Lambert, 1998, p. 8)

Leadership is a shared and collective

endeavour that engages all members of
the organisation. It means the context
in which people work together and learn
together, where they construct and
refine meaning leading to a shared
purpose or set of goals. This model of
leadership implies a redistribution of
power and a realignment of authority
within the organisation.
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 10
 The categorisation of leaders and followers
becomes redundant as leadership is
distributed throughout the organisation. The
central idea is that leaders and followers are
collaborators in accomplishing group tasks
and frequently exchange leadership roles.

A distributed model of leadership:

4 Different power relationship
5 Implications for the division of labour
6 Opens up the possibility of all teachers
becoming leaders at various times.

= a collaborative form of working among

teachers
(Harris, 2003, p. 77)
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 11
Teacher Leadership
 . . . Is premised upon a power redistribution –
emphasising collegial ways of working,
encompassing mutual trust and support.
 . . . Is collaborative as it is premised upon
change that is enacated collectively.
 . . . Is premised upon the belief that leadership
potential is widely spread amongst
organisational members.

 This federal (not hierarchical) view is “both

tight and loose; tight on values, but loose on
the freedom to act, opportunity to experiment
and authority to question historical
assumptions”.
(West et al, 2000, p. 39)
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 12
 Teacher Leadership in Action
 All teachers harbour leadership capabilities
waiting to be unlocked and engaged for the
good of the school.

PENDING
 Clarification of goals and purposes and sharing

them more widely within the school. If the

relationship between the goals set and the
organisational aspirations match, subsequent
implementation of change is more likely to be
successful. This is because teachers
understand what the broader purposes are and
what will be expected of them.
 Encouragement and recognition – change
Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 13
breeds stress and anxiety, hence the need for
Harris (2003, p. 79), identifies four discernable
and discrete dimensions of the teacher
leadership role within school improvement:

 The way in which teachers translate the

principles of school improvement into the
practices of individual classrooms.
 Participative leadership wherein teachers
are empowered and given some ownership
of a particular change or development.
 A mediating role wherein teacher
leadership is a source of expertise and
information – drawing upon additional
resources of expertise and external
assistance.
 Forging close relationships with individual
teachers where mutual
Tr Ldrship learning takes
and Sch Imprvmnt 14
 Conclusion
 Teacher leadership is premised upon the
ability to empower others to lead.

If schools are to be learning

communities this cannot be
achieved by operating with models
of change and improvement
dependent upon individual
leadership. Consequently, a new
paradigm is emerging, one that is
premised upon the leadership
capability of the many, rather than
the few.
(Harris, 2003, p.Tr Ldrship
81) and Sch Imprvmnt 15