Chances are if you have personally experienced a hurricane you understand the force of the wind that accompanies the storm. In addition, chances are you witnessed doors and windows being closed and boarded shut, as well as, things being tied down or pulled to shore, right before landfall. The forces of change that a hurricane can amass are truly remarkable in scale. As we continue our discussion about Leading a Hurricane: Growing and Empowering Teacher Leaders, it is this amount of force that we need to be brought into education today. An approaching tide of teacher leaders, with a laser focus on transforming the school culture, can have a remarkable impact on student achievement and staff morale, positively.
Unlike when a real hurricane approaches land, it is recommended that schools actually open all avenues for a culture of teacher leadership to grow and transform the school structures. In many cases, school administrators remain the gatekeepers to truly unleashing the power and force of teacher leaders in schools. The hesitancy with empowering teachers to be leaders resides in one of the struggles that have plagued schools for decades – the balance of accountability. The stakes are so high that many principals fear for their jobs if goals are not met, even if the school is characterized by a culture of teacher leadership. This is true in many of the schools today – that principals instead of sharing the burden of accountability – opt to remain attached to the outdated leadership structures – where leadership is confined to the principal’s office. In fact, countless research studies have been conducted in order to determine why shared, distributed, collaborative leadership to grow in schools. The reluctance of school administrators to distribute leadership can be traced to impossible odds and high-stakes accountability that all principals face. However, there are several high-performing schools that have embraced shared leadership and have seen remarkable transformation and improvements in student achievement.
Nevertheless, the winds of change are coming. School administrators must step out of their own comfort zones and inspire teachers to be leaders in the school. Thousands of teachers are waiting in their classrooms ready for the opportunity to be leaders. Our role as school administrators is to knock on the door, reach out our hands and empower teachers to be great leaders in our schools. The hurricane does not subside there, in fact, as teachers are empowered to be leaders, they, in turn, empower others to be leaders and the bench of school leaders grows deeper. Not only must we open the doors and windows to the incoming force and wave of teacher leaders - we must remove barriers and obstacles that may prevent a culture of collaborative leadership from taking root in schools. As teachers begin to look for opportunities to be leaders in the school, it is incumbent on school administrators to be their biggest cheerleader and coach. It is important that school administrators model servant leadership – as they grow teacher leaders.
As a culture of teacher leadership begins to grow within a school and district, school leadership is also transformed. Teacher leadership is not limited solely to growth of teachers but extends to the professional growth of school administrators. A school culture that is characterized by empowerment, collaboration, and shared decision-making leads to the ongoing development of school administrators. As the hurricane expands throughout the school, school administrators will need undoubtedly to grow as school leaders themselves. They will need to continue to develop the skills needed to foster and nurture a culture of teacher leadership. The dynamics of teacher leadership will continue to change; just as will the role of school administrators will also change. Ongoing leadership development and opportunities to observe teacher leadership in other schools will be needed and encouraged.
To harness the power of the hurricane that is ready to land and power through schools, school leaders must work closely with teachers to determine the best way to share in the tasks of opening the doors and windows to allow for the culture of teacher leadership to flourish. School leaders must celebrate teachers’ willingness to be leaders, as many teachers, choose to remain in the classroom – which is also noble. A teacher stepping out of the classroom and into a leadership role takes courage – which should be applauded by both teachers and school leaders. Teachers are ready to be leaders – as they model a life of service. The teacher leader’s passion to serve others is a characteristic that schools desperately need more of. No matter who the school administrator is teachers must always be empowered to be leaders in the school, leading to why growing and empowering teacher leaders are so important.
The focus of this blog is about discussing how to grow, understand and empower teacher leaders. I would invite you to register for the Leading a Hurricane: Growing and Empowering Teacher Leaders workshop hosted by KASA, on March 10th in Frankfort. The Leading a Hurricane workshop will provide participants critical strategies that can be utilized during a 7-step teacher growth process. No matter the size of school or school district, teacher leaders are needed. Teacher leaders help to strengthen the school’s leadership capacity and long-term vision. This is an ideal professional development opportunity for school administrators that are ready to create a culture of collaborative leadership. School and district teams are encouraged to attend. The cost is $29.
Register at www.kasa.org or call (800) 928-5272 (Friday, March 10th – 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 pm ET)(6 hours of EILA Credit available)