ERIC ED594652: Unleashing Teacher Leadership: How Formal Teacher Leader Roles Can Improve Instruction. Teach Factor Report

2018·4.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

TEACH FACTOR REPORT
UNLEASHING
TEACHER LEADERSHIP
How Formal Teacher Leader Roles Can Improve Instruction
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
Executive Summary
I. Teacher Demand for Leadership 6
Opportunities and the Need to Expand
Instructional Leadership in Schools
10
II. Getting Clear about Formal
Instructional Teacher Leadership
III. Designing, Supporting, and Leveraging Formal 19
Instructional Teacher Leadership Roles
33
IV.Conclusion
2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Today’s teachers increasingly demand opportunities engines for instructional improvement identified by
to take on nonadministrative leadership roles that recent research. Moreover, even when teacher leader
enable them to have a broader impact beyond their roles do clearly focus on instructional improvement,
own classrooms. And the past decade has seen the teachers who take them on too often lack the
a growing attention to and investment in teacher formal authority, support and tools to be successful.
leadership among national organizations and state
Therefore, while many forms of teacher leadership
policymakers.
can be beneficial, policymakers and school system
The movement to expand teacher leadership coincides leaders need to pay particular attention to creating and
with a great challenge for education. Nearly every expanding formal instructional teacher leadership roles.
state has adopted new learning standards that require
While such roles are still relatively rare in American
teachers to change their instructional practices in
education, there are homegrown examples that can
significant ways. But, in the past, American education
provide inspiration and valuable lessons learned.
has proven chronically unable to reliably upgrade
For example, the National Institute for Excellence in
instruction across classrooms.
Teaching (NIET) has nearly 20 years of successful
We know what could work. Research has shown experience helping school systems implement formal,
that, under the right circumstances, certain school- instructionally-focused teacher leader positions in
based strategies can improve teaching and accelerate hundreds of schools across ten states. Over that
learning: teacher participation in structured period, NIET has directly trained 30,000 new teacher
collaborative learning; job-embedded professional leaders.
development and coaching; and growth-oriented
In school systems supported by NIET, expert teachers
evaluation that includes more frequent feedback
take on instructional leadership positions such as the
based on classroom observations.
following:
However, research has also shown that the successful
• Mentor Teacher: Teacher leaders who remain
models of these strategies are all very leadership-
embedded in their own classrooms as “teachers-
intensive. That is, they require significant investments
of-record” for one or more classes of students
of time and energy from expert instructional leaders
while also spending several hours per week
in order to deliver reliable results. Unfortunately, too
working with a group of colleagues to improve
often principals are still being asked to shoulder the
teaching and learning.
full responsibility for instructional leadership in their
schools, even though they are stretched too thinly to
• Master Teacher: Teacher leaders who are released
do so effectively.
from all or most regular classroom teaching duties
in order to provide instructional leadership for
Teacher leadership offers the perfect solution. Today’s
teachers want instructional leadership roles, and about fifteen of their colleagues.
such roles could be leveraged to bridge the massive
Working closely with their principals, Master
capacity gap in instructional leadership that is holding
Teachers and Mentor Teachers lead collaborative
back progress in improving teaching and learning in
teams of teachers (called “cluster groups”); formally
American schools.
observe classroom lessons to give detailed feedback
Yet mounting evidence suggests that too many to teachers; and provide teachers with weekly
current models of teacher leadership are inadequately classroom-based coaching and support. They also
designed to achieve this aim. Many teacher leadership serve on a schoolwide instructional leadership team
roles are not squarely focused on the kinds of proven led by the principal.
3
Policymakers and education system leaders who invest in formal instructional teacher
leadership need to carefully consider how to do so in ways that will best sustain teacher
leadership and maximize its benefits for instruction and learning. NIET offers the following
advice based on lessons learned over the past two decades.
1. 4.
Design formal teacher leadership Emphasize that formal instructional teacher
responsibilities to encompass all of the main leadership roles enhance, rather than limit,
schoolwide systems for improving instruction. opportunities for all staff to engage in leadership.
Formal instructional leadership roles for teachers Research and experience have shown that leadership
should be designed to focus squarely on addressing is not a zero-sum quantity in schools. Formal
the most pressing need in education — the gap in instructional teacher leadership positions enhance,
school-level capacity to systematically and reliably rather than limit, opportunities for administrators
improve teaching and accelerate student learning. and for all other teachers to engage in leadership.
To accomplish that, the roles should give teacher However, because of misconceptions about formal
leaders significant responsibility for managing and teacher leadership roles, policymakers and system
implementing research-proven, high-impact levers for leaders need to communicate this up front.
improving instruction; leading collaborative learning
5.
teams; conducting formal observations to provide Select teacher leaders who have the right set of
useful feedback to teachers; and ensuring that all accomplishments, skills and dispositions to succeed.
teachers benefit from classroom-based coaching. Formal instructional teacher leadership roles are not
honorifics bestowed on more senior teachers with
2.
Leverage teacher leadership to create coherence long experience in a particular district or school.
across major instructional improvement initiatives. Rather, they are highly demanding positions that
Surveys show that teachers are suffering from “reform require commitment to the unique nature of “hybrid”
fatigue,” not only because of the amount of change leadership. Achieving success in such roles requires
they are being asked to accommodate but also a relatively rare combination of skills and attributes.
because new initiatives are frequently rolled out to Therefore, it is important that such leaders be
teachers across multiple platforms in disconnected competitively selected from a robust candidate pool
ways. Many of NIET’s school system partners have based on explicit job-related criteria.
found that formal instructional teacher leadership roles
6.
offer a strategic opportunity to quell the cacophony Provide teacher leaders with training and ongoing
and create more coherence. Teacher leaders can go support focused on specific job responsibilities.
first, field-testing new strategies in real classrooms Teachers who take on formal instructional leadership
with real students, and they can leverage school-based roles require specialized training and ongoing support to
professional development to help teachers integrate fulfill new responsibilities they will not have encountered
new strategies into their own classroom practice. before. The most effective training and support will be
targeted to specific responsibilities of the role — such
3.
Establish multiple, interconnected leadership as leading collaborative teams or conducting formal
positions to increase opportunity, reach, and observations to provide instructional feedback.
impact. Decision-makers should consider creating
7.
multiple, interconnected teacher leadership roles Empower teacher leaders by adopting common
that are sequenced in a career ladder. Among tools and protocols, including a research-based
other benefits, such an approach creates more instructional framework or rubric. Master and Mentor
opportunities for expert teachers in a school to Teachers invariably cite the adoption of common
take on formal instructional leadership roles. It protocols and frameworks as a significant advantage
also expands schoolwide instructional leadership for their leadership practice. Far from stifling
capacity in ways that enable more teachers to creativity or stymieing initiative, such tools provide
benefit from the focused, job-embedded support teacher leaders with critical scaffolding for doing their
teacher leaders provide. jobs well, and they relieve new teacher leaders from
having to “reinvent the wheel.”
4
8.
Create and protect release time during the week learning. Second, they can use school-based teacher
for teacher leaders to lead, and give them enough leadership positions to “insource” professional
time to build trust and long-term relationships that development, repurposing funds previously spent on
enable success. Teacher leaders need sufficient, expensive outside providers in order to deliver more
predictable and dedicated release time to fulfill their relevant job-embedded learning for all teachers.
specific job responsibilities every day and every week.
10.
Moreover it takes time for teacher leaders to develop Place teacher leaders at the school level, but
the relationships, trust and credibility necessary to expect districts to play a key role in sustaining and
realize maximum impact on classroom practices and leveraging teacher leadership for maximum impact.
student learning. Therefore, policymakers and local Formal instructional teacher leadership positions
school boards must give new investments in teacher are best embedded at the school level, enabling
leadership time to take root rather than demanding teacher leaders to build and capitalize on deep
big results after only one year. relationships with the teachers they lead and support.
However, districts play a critical role in establishing,
9.
Make more strategic use of existing resources sustaining and leveraging formal teacher leadership
to fund formal teacher leadership positions. to achieve maximum impact. District-level leadership
NIET’s partner districts have found they can pay is especially crucial when it comes to the recruitment
for formal teacher leadership positions even when and hiring of teacher leaders, providing ongoing
dedicated state or federal funds are not available support for teacher leaders, funding and sustaining
if they make more strategic use of their existing teacher leadership positions, and leveraging teacher
resources. First, district leaders can repurpose leadership to create coherence across districtwide
spending on budget items that are not producing improvement initiatives.
measurable improvements in instruction and student
5
I. Wedding Teacher Demand for Leadership Opportunities

with the Need to Expand Instructional Leadership in Schools
Today’s teachers demand and even expect to have a statewide Teacher Leadership and Compensation
opportunities to take on leadership positions that do System.5
allow them to keep one foot in classroom teaching
The current movement to expand teacher leadership
and do not require them to become administrators.
coincides with a great challenge for educators. Nearly
Interest in “hybrid leadership” or “middle leader” roles
every state has adopted new learning standards
is especially strong among younger teachers and even
that require teachers to change their instructional
pre-service teachers. (See sidebar, “Teachers Want
practices in significant ways.6 Yet, in the past,
Leadership Opportunities.”)
American education has proven chronically unable
Fueled in part by that rising demand, the past to reliably and significantly change instruction across
decade has seen a growing attention to, and classrooms. For example, many teachers continue to
investment in, teacher leadership. For example, report that professional development experiences are
in 2010-11, a consortium of education groups and not relevant or useful.7
associations, including the National Association of
Fortunately, recent research has greatly clarified
Elementary School Principals, published Teacher
what kinds of school-based strategies can work to
Leader Model Standards with accompanying policy
better support teachers as they engage in the hard
recommendations.4 Several states have introduced
work of improving instruction. One recent study by
new efforts to expand leadership opportunities for
researchers at Brown University found that teachers
teachers, including Iowa, which in 2014-15 launched
working in schools with more supportive professional
environments improved their instructional
effectiveness by 39 percent more than teachers in
Teachers Want Leadership less supportive environments over a ten-year period.8
In addition to having a skilled principal and a safe
Opportunities
and orderly workplace, high-support environments
included the following elements:
• The most recent MetLife Survey of the American • opportunities for teachers to collaborate on
Teacher found 51 percent of all teachers are improving instruction;
at least somewhat interested in “teaching in
• extensive time and resources for professional
the classroom part-time combined with other
development; and
roles and responsibilities,” compared with only
16 percent who were similarly interested in
• an objective and accurate approach to
becoming a school principal.1
evaluation that offered meaningful feedback for
improvement.9
• Research conducted by Harvard University’s
Project on the Next Generation of Teachers found
Those findings mirror other studies that show positive
that, unlike their predecessors, many beginning
impacts on teaching and learning for three kinds of
teachers have a strong interest in differentiated,
strategies — teacher participation in collaborative
“hybrid” roles that would allow them to continue
learning teams, job-embedded professional
teaching while moving beyond the classroom to
development and coaching, and growth-oriented
have a greater influence in their schools.2
evaluation that includes more frequent feedback
based on classroom observations. Based on such
• A 2016 study of pre-service teachers concluded
research, education leaders and policymakers would
that “the new generation of teachers will likely
be wise to ensure that all schools incorporate those
seek to move rapidly along a career path that
three strategies as core “engines” for continuously
incorporates opportunities for leadership and role
improving instruction across classrooms.
diversity early on.”3
6
However, there is a catch. The evidence also makes • The only experimental study of in-person
clear that, in order to actually achieve results, instructional coaching found that it can have
such strategies must be implemented in ways that a significant impact on instructional practices,
require huge investments of time and expertise by but the results were achieved through dozens
instructional leaders. For example: of hours of coaching and a 10-1 ratio of teachers
per coach.11
• The only quasi-experimental study of teacher
collaborative teams found that they did • A major longitudinal study of instructional
not increase student achievement when led coaching also found that it can have substantial
by principals — who often lacked the time impacts on student learning gains if teachers
and expertise to lead them successfully. received high enough “doses” of coaching —
However, collaborative teams did increase a factor that varied widely across schools in
student achievement when they were led by the study.12
teacher leaders who had been trained to use
Unfortunately, too often principals are still
a structured protocol to identify and address
being asked to shoulder the full load of leading
student learning problems.10
and implementing proven but labor-intensive
instructional improvement strategies, even though
Principals Need Help Leading Instructional Improvement in Schools
Principals are under increasing pressure to significantly In fact, several recent studies suggest that principals
expand the time and effort they spend on “instructional are hard-pressed even when it comes to meeting just
leadership”—activities that can improve or upgrade one instructional leadership demand—conducting
the effectiveness of instruction across classrooms. But teacher evaluations in ways useful for improving
the evidence is now strikingly clear such expectations instruction and learning. For example:
are unreasonable given the many other critical
• A 2016 study on the implementation of a new
demands on principals’ time, such as overseeing
evaluation system in one urban district found that
school scheduling and logistics, hiring and supervising
nearly all principals expressed serious concerns
instructional and non-instructional staff, managing
about meeting its requirements, with some
facilities, filing written reports, and meeting shifting
describing them as “a nightmare” and “nuts.” In
state and district requirements.
consequence, “the demands on principals and
Therefore, it should be no surprise that principals their administrative teams to conduct extensive
manage to spend, on average, only 8 to 17 percent evaluations for all teachers limited the frequency
of their working hours on instructional leadership, and quality of feedback teachers received.”15
and they are often spread so thinly during those
• Similarly, a 2016 survey of winners and finalists
hours that their efforts have little impact on teaching
for State Teacher of the Year suggested that “the
and learning.13
challenges of time, resources, and overall capacity
One recent study found teacher and school of evaluators limited teachers’ opportunity to
performance did improve when principals spent more receive information about their performance that
time on such activities as instructional coaching, can help them improve their craft.”16
evaluating teaching, and developing the school’s
Several programs now exist that can help schools
instructional program. However, principals spent less
hire and support additional managerial assistance
than 13 percent of their time on those three activities
for principals to free up more time for instructional
combined. Incredibly, principals managed to spend less
leadership.17 Yet even if such strategies could double
than 1 percent of their time on the activity that showed
or triple the amount of time principals spend on
the strongest link to improvements in teaching and
instructional leadership, that would still amount to—at
learning—instructional coaching.14
most—only around half of a principal’s working hours.
7
they are stretched too thinly to do so effectively. for principals to involve teacher leaders by instilling
Simply put, principals lack the time, and sometimes shared responsibility for school culture, policies, and
the instructional expertise, to single-handedly practices.”18
provide effective instructional leadership in their
In other words, the problem isn’t a lack of knowledge
schools. (See sidebar, “Principals Need Help Leading
about what works to improve instruction but a lack of
Instructional Improvement in Schools.”)
capacity to get the job done. Schools need more fuel
Principals agree they need help. In November 2017, in the “instructional leadership” gas tank, and expert
the National Association of Secondary School teacher leaders are the obvious energy source.
Principals (NASSP) released a position statement
When viewed through this lens, it becomes clear that
that suggests a solution: “According to the 2012
instructional teacher leadership could be a high-
MetLife Survey of the American Teacher, three-
octane fuel for improving and continuously upgrading
quarters of all principals reported that the job ‘has
the quality and consistency of classroom instruction in
become too complex,’ which demonstrates a need
American schools. More than that, teacher leadership
could be a “super fuel” offering many overlapping
benefits at once — meeting the increasing teacher
demand for hybrid leadership roles; expanding
Teacher Leadership as a Teacher instructional leadership and distributing leadership
Retention Strategy in school buildings; reliably evaluating teaching and
providing more frequent and more useful feedback
to teachers; greatly improving the relevance and
effectiveness of professional development; increasing
Expanding formal teacher leadership roles can be a
teacher retention (see sidebar, “Teacher Leadership
powerful strategy for addressing teacher retention if
as a Teacher Retention Strategy”); and, ultimately,
those roles are carefully designed. In fact, such roles
accelerating student learning.
can exert positive influence on teacher retention
through two different levers.
Given this “perfect storm,” why isn’t teacher leadership
having the impact that it should in and across our
First, research clearly indicates a huge demand
nation’s schools? More specifically, why haven’t school
among today’s teachers for opportunities to step into
systems been able to successfully marry the increasing
hybrid or middle leader roles that focus on improving
demand for, and investment in, teacher leadership
instruction and do not require becoming an
with the clear need to build greater and more effective
administrator. Common sense suggests that teachers
instructional leadership capacity in schools?
are more likely to remain in schools where they can
access such opportunities.19
According to mounting evidence, the answer is that
too many current models of teacher leadership are
Second, if leadership roles focus on proven strategies
inadequately designed to achieve this aim. Many
for supporting classroom instruction, they will
teacher leadership roles are not squarely focused
contribute to a professional environment in which all
on the kinds of proven engines for instructional
teachers are better able to succeed. Research shows
improvement identified by recent research. Moreover,
that teachers in schools with stronger instructional
even when teacher leader roles do clearly focus on
supports are more satisfied and less likely to leave.20
instructional improvement, they often do not confer
Recent research from England, which has invested enough formal status and authority to get the job done.
heavily in expanding “middle leader” roles for
Consider a recent foundation-supported initiative
teachers, supports the link between leadership
to train teacher leaders and increase school-level
opportunities and retention. Based on survey data
instructional leadership in a number of Philadelphia
from over 50,000 teachers, “scope for progression”
schools. An evaluation of the effort found that,
ranked among the top three school-level factors
although it succeeded in recruiting and training a
driving higher job satisfaction and a lower desire to
robust cadre of teacher leaders, the initiative had
move to another school.21
only a limited impact on classroom instruction and no
impact on learning. According to a follow-up study
by Jonathan Supovitz, a University of Pennsylvania
8
researcher and national expert on school leadership, teachers reported having some kind of “teacher
“Without the right resources, support, structure, and leader” title. However, only 22 percent of those
authority to enact instructional leadership, teacher teacher leaders said they felt responsible for the
leaders face[d] strong headwinds to influence the performance and growth of the colleagues they
instructional practices of their peers, which is the core led. Only 32 percent of the teacher leaders felt
challenge of instructional leadership.”22 responsible for the learning and development of
students taught by those teachers, and only 19
Based on that study, as well as his careful review of
percent felt accountable for student progress in those
additional relevant research, Supovitz calls for an
classrooms.24
evolution in teacher leadership. “Identifying strong
teachers and building their leadership and coaching The evidence is clear: Today’s teachers want
skills is only part of the solution,” he writes. “Without instructional leadership roles, and such roles can
empowering teacher leaders with more authority be leveraged to bridge the massive capacity gap
to exert influence on their colleagues to engage in instructional leadership that is holding back
in instructional reform, efforts to leverage teacher progress in improving teaching and learning in
leadership for school improvement will continue to American schools. We know that teachers and their
fall short of their potential. […] What seems to follow students will benefit from expanding formal teacher
from the accumulated research on teacher leadership leadership roles in schools if those roles are carefully
for instructional improvement is that even quasi- designed to focus squarely on proven engines for
formal teacher leadership is not a substitute for formal improving instruction. However, teachers who step
leadership authority. This might provide the impetus up to fill those roles must be provided the formal
for the next evolution of teacher leadership.”23 status and tools to succeed — including clearly
defined leadership responsibilities described in
A 2016 survey by Bain and Co. suggests the same.
written position descriptions with commensurate
Bain surveyed more than 4,200 teachers and
titles, compensation, release time, and professional
administrators in school systems of varying sizes
authority and accountability to get the job done.
around the country. Those systems had clearly
invested in teacher leadership. About one in four
9
II. Getting Clear about Formal Instructional
Teacher Leadership Roles
In order to expand formal instructional teacher teachers, on average, say they have a voice in school-
leadership, education leaders and policymakers must level decision-making, as measured by survey data.27 At
be very clear about what those roles look like and how the same time, the term “teacher leadership” can also
they differ from other varieties of teacher leadership. refer to more formal positions that allow some teachers
Unfortunately, despite growing enthusiasm for to take on additional responsibilities, such as mentoring
“teacher leadership,” our current national conversation new teachers or providing peer-to-peer coaching in
about the issue suffers from a potentially crippling lack math instruction. Figure 1 illustrates a broad range of
of clarity. As Supovitz puts it, “The teacher leadership meanings that the term can convey.
movement … has an identity crisis.”25
Complicating matters, formal instructional teacher
Across reports, blog posts, studies and news articles, leadership positions — the kind represented on
the term “teacher leadership” is used to describe a the left-hand side of Figure 1 — are still relatively
staggeringly broad range of concepts.26 For example, uncommon in the United States. (See sidebar, “Lack
two recent studies — and news articles about them of Instructional Leadership in U.S. Schools: An
— defined teacher leadership as the extent to which International Perspective.”) As a result, education
FIGURE 1. What Can “Teacher Leadership” Mean?
The concepts below illustrate the wide range of approaches the term “teacher leadership” can convey.
“FORMAL” “QUASI-FORMAL” “IMPROVISED” “ORGANIC” “CONSULTATIVE”
Restructuring schools Incorporating teacher Creating opportunities Making efforts to Having a say in
to incorporate leader roles into the for teachers to take improve education schoolwide decisions
“middle level” formal structure of on leadership roles within or beyond the that impact classroom
leadership positions schools, along with to support schools, school in self-directed, teaching
with formal titles training and support, providing them with informal ways
and commensurate but stopping short training and resources,
compensation, release of conferring formal but not changing the
time, and professional professional authority organizational structure
authority and and accountability of schools
accountability
Example: Example: Example: Example: Example:
TAP System Master Recruiting expert Mentoring new Collaborating Teachers’ influence on
Teacher and Mentor teachers to be literacy teachers without with colleagues on school’s curriculum,
Teacher positions as coaches in support of release time lesson plans instructional, discipline
described in this report a districtwide reading and budget decisions
Organizing a book
initiative
study or designing an
educational app
Source: National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. The “organic,” “improvised,” and “quasi-formal”
categories are based on Supovitz, J. (2017). Teacher leaders’ work with peers in a quasi-formal teacher
leadership model. School Leadership & Management, 1-37.
10