Classifying Leadership Frameworks

Description of Leadership

        Leadership is the ability to influence or guide others. According to Cherkowski (2018) teacher leaders work with others toward the goal of collective wellbeing (p. 68). Sometimes a teacher leader has a designated position which entitles them to lead. Other times teacher leaders emerge informally to guide colleagues toward positive change. At Golden West High School where I teach, we have department chairs that lead each department. We also have teachers who act more informally as mentors and technology support leaders. Although these teachers do not have a title or paid responsibility to lead, they are known as “go to” teachers for colleagues who need support. Teacher leaders are a vital element to help educational institutions reach their improvement goals. They can act as liaisons between an administrative team and group of teachers as well as represent the classroom teacher’s perspective (ACE, 2022). Silns & Mulford (2002) comment that student outcomes improve when leadership is distributed and teachers are empowered.

Three Leadership Models

        I chose three leadership models that I believe best align to teacher leadership. The models I selected are democratic leadership, the coaching model of leadership, and emergent leadership. 

• In democratic leadership the leader actively involves the people being led. 

A democratic leader would seek input from others in the decision making process which gives members

of the organization a sense of ownership. Democratic leadership emphasizes distributing leadership and

encouraging team members (Harris & Chapman, 2002, p.2). 

• The coaching model of leadership centers around helping others gain expertise.

A leader who adopts a coaching leadership style recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of team members and directs them toward a goal. This style is generally about establishing a relationship between the coach and coachee (Moen & Federici, 2012, p. 2). Moen (2010) states, “The true nature of a coaching relationship is therefore based on mutuality, in which both parties are equal in the relationship and promote each other’s independence while working and learning together.”

• An emergent leadership style allows members to step forward and lead organically. 

An emergent leader is more likely to be identified as a leader from their peers as opposed to by a title or higher authority. Gerpott et al. (2018) describe an emergent leader as a member of a group that others perceive as taking responsibility, causing them to emerge as a leader in a leaderless group.

Leadership Table

Leadership model	Positive aspects	Negative aspects	Effectiveness
Democratic	Shared decision making, sense of ownership, collaboration, builds team rapport, positive workplace environment	Takes time, uncertainty, upsetting for those whose ideas were not chosen, indecisive	Most appropriate
Coaching	Collaboration, positive workplace environment, self-motivation, increases skill sets, empathy and trust, clear expectations	Requires time and patience, both coach and coachee must be motivated, requires specific coaching skills for different situations, difficult to effectively coach a large group	Moderately appropriate
Emergent	Promotes Innovative results, encourages and empowers new leaders, shifts pressure to those who want to lead	Unpredictable, unorganized	Least appropriate

Summary Analysis

        “Teacher leaders participate in additional duties beyond the classroom, propelling them into greater visibility within a school” (ACE, 2022). I have worked as a teacher leader to support colleagues in my department, specifically new teachers. Last school year I was a designated mentor to two new teachers in the World Language department. This responsibility enabled me to support my colleagues and act as an advocate for them in many situations on campus and with the school district. I enjoy collaborating with and supporting my colleagues. There are several teachers within different departments on campus that I collaborate with about teacher and student needs. It is nice to have a group of teachers that are willing to uplift each other and problem solve together. Sometimes teachers need support with issues that are unrelated to work, and I am happy to assist. Relationships are important to me and I try to maintain good rapport and camaraderie with my teaching team. Last school year during the second semester, each teacher in our department had Covid-19. This was a situation when I was able to lend a listening ear and helping hand even in non-work related situations because my colleagues and I already had a relationship of trust. 

        As a teacher leader it is vital to support students as well as colleagues. One of the ways that I like to support students outside the classroom is to attend their extra curricular events. Not only is it nice to see students building their talents and interests, but these events are an excellent way to build strong relationships with students. A 2017 study by Harvard Graduate School of Education found that out-of-school settings offered many opportunities to develop close, trusting relationships (Jones et al., 2017). Being present shows students that you care about them as more than a student in your class. You care about them as an individual and you are interested in their successes and talents. 

        The most effective leadership model for a teacher leadership role is the democratic style. Democratic leadership combines a moral purpose with a desire to collaborate. Teacher leaders should put people first and prioritize the needs of teachers and students above the needs of the organization (Harris & Chapman, 2002, p.7). A teacher leader has a unique opportunity to be an intermediary between administration and teachers. Authentic relationships and collaboration should be among their top priorities and a democratic leadership style allows this. Authentic leaders bring a personal nature into the workplace and help colleagues remain focused and energetic. “As stewards and guides they build people and their self-esteem” (Bhindi & Duignan, 1996, p. 29).

References

American College of Education. (2022). Teacher Leadership for School Improvement: Module 1  [Teacher Leaders as a Voice for Teachers]. Canvas. https://ace.edu

Bhindi, N. & Duignan, P. (1996) Leadership 2020: A visionary paradigm. Paper presented at the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration International Conference, Kuala Lumpur

Cherkowski, S. (2018). Positive teacher leadership: Building mindsets and capacities to grow wellbeing. International Journal of Teacher Leadership. 9(1), 63-78.

Gerpott, F. H., Lehmann-Willenbrock, H., Silvis, J. D., & Van Vugt, M. (2018). In the eye of the beholder? An eye tracking experiment on emergent leadership in team interactions. The Leadership Quarterly, 29, 523-532.

Harris, A. & Chapman, C. (2002). Democratic leadership for school improvement in challenging contexts. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning. 6(9), 1-9. DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226317755.003.0001

Jones, S., Bailey, R., Brush, K., & Khan, J. (2017). Social and emotional learning for out-of-school time settings. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.wallace foundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Out-of-School-Time-Settings-Brief.pdf

Moen, F. (2010). Coaching and Performance Psychology. Department of Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Doctoral dissertation.

Moen, F. & Federici, R. (2012). The effect from coaching based leadership. Journal of Education and Learning. 1(2), 1-14. https://doi:10.5539/jel.v1n2p1

Silns, H., & Mulford, B. (2002). Leadership and school results. Second international handbook of educational leadership and administration (in press).