Curriculum Leadership Institute

Pathways to School Improvement

leadership

The Importance of Teacher Leaders in a District

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Teachers at school in the classroom ready for work
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Academic leadership need not rest solely on the shoulders of district and building-level administrators, but can often be more effective when shared with classroom teachers. Unfortunately, some teachers may feel less willing to go the extra mile or create quality work when tasks appear as a directive with no teacher input. But, when teacher leaders are utilized to lead the work and provide examples of quality, their peers tend to buy-in. Many of our partner districts have chosen this route as they work through their curriculum, instruction, and assessment work.

What is the role of a teacher leader? Primarily, teacher leaders are expected to support and lead positive gains in student achievement.  Some responsibilities may include mentoring or coaching other teachers, developing or leading professional development sessions, serving on leadership teams and committees, or collecting and monitoring data.  Districts often hire teacher leaders in the role of instructional facilitator, to work with a specific range of grade levels or to be content specialists. They are often expected to serve as experts in a particular field or grade level and to lead curriculum development efforts.  One of their most important responsibilities is facilitating the lines of communication among all parties.

Why is there a need? There are numerous reasons.  Teacher leadership programs emphasize the concept of shared leadership in a district. A facilitator may attend a conference as a district representative and, upon return, share the information with staff through local professional development.  This approach is helpful for districts experiencing financial cutbacks or those trying to minimize lost student contact time with teachers.  It can also relieve an additional initiative from the plate of the principals.

Teacher leaders are also beneficial when it comes to making decisions based on data.  The need to increase student learning results has encouraged educators to collect and analyze data and respond to student needs accordingly.  Classroom teachers can save valuable instruction and preparation time by relying on a teacher leader to pinpoint data trends and suggest instructional strategies for improvement.

Retaining quality teachers is critical to the success of any school district and the educational field as a whole.  Even though college programs have extensive training for young educators, it is impossible to prepare them for every aspect of their actual teaching experience.  Many districts now incorporate a mentoring program directed by the instructional coach, which provides support in instruction, resources, and classroom management.           

Why does it work? A coaching relationship with another colleague can benefit the classroom teacher through modeling, team teaching, or mentoring in a non-evaluative way.  This personalized support provides immediate feedback that allows for noticeable improvement as changes are made in previous practices.  Research shows that using cooperative learning with peers at any level translates into significant gains.

Shared leadership provides a balanced foundation for any initiative.  Whether it is curriculum development or implementing a new instructional strategy, the coach’s job is to support practices and share responsibility for ensuring success.  Some coaches are specialists in content, and others are experts of specific grade levels. Either way, this knowledge and experience allow coaches to help teachers prepare for student learning transitions and make sure content and skill development builds when curriculum is addressed. Districts utilizing teacher leaders create a critical communication link in the school improvement process.  When educational leaders have the necessary training and are used correctly, the qualitative and quantitative gains a district can make are immeasurable.

The Why of CLI and How to Find Yours

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Simon Sinek, marketing consultant, and motivational speaker uses a model for “inspirational leadership” where at the center of three circles is the “golden circle;” essentially, the “why.”  With his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek provides examples of how famous leaders communicated their why and were able to have success when others were unable. The principles they used can apply to individuals, small groups, or even conglomerates.  For example, a company has a Why, each team in that company has a Why, and every individual on that team has a Why.

The WHY of any organization isn’t about making a profit. Instead, it is the purpose, cause, or overall belief of the group.   It is not uncommon for an organization to confuse the WHY with another circle, the HOW or the WHAT.  Members of the team may not even know WHY they exist because the focus is on making a product or how to provide a service.  But, make no mistake that the WHY is the reason an organization exists.  Clearly communicating the WHY is the best chance one has to get all interested parties involved. 

The HOW sets an organization apart from others that share similar characteristics.  It is a unique twist on a service or product that could provide a step above competitors.  Most affiliated with the organization understand the HOW because there is considerable energy there to create the best WHAT possible.

Finally, the WHAT is known by all in the organization.  Whether it is a product or service, people naturally look at the end result.  In this case, the WHAT is the outer circle. 

In all types of work, change must take place to keep up.  Providing a strong reason for making a change, and communicating it clearly with staff, will ease much of the pushback from those the change will effect.  Providing your “why” will hopefully inspire staff to follow because they will have a purpose.

The WHY of CLI

Identifying the parts of your Golden Circle can be easier by seeing a relatable example. Refer to the one below showing the WHY, HOW, and WHAT for Curriculum Leadership Institute.

Finding Your Own Why

Authors David Mead and Peter Docker have published the book Find Your Why to assist organizations in digging deeper to determine the Why.  They believe a good Why statement is

  • Simple and Clear for understanding and sharing with others.
  • Free of Whats but includes the real reason people love the organization. 
  • Includes a Human Service Component and Impact for Others.
  • In Affirmative Language to provide inspiring words.
  • Important to Feel Right.

The first step in creating a Why is to fill in the blanks:  To _____ so that _____.  The first blank should include the contribution intended for others, and the second blank should be the impact as a result of that contribution.  It could take a few drafts to find that perfect Why, so have your pencil sharpened and revise until it resonates and feels right!   Here is a shortened example from CLI’s Why to get you going.  To impact learning for students through professional development so that students receive a quality education.

Why Even Have a Why?

While it may be difficult to determine your Why, it is critical for clarity of a focus and vision. There is a reason the Why is the golden circle in the center of all of the circles. Once the Why is identified, it becomes part of the culture.  Developing strategies, hiring employees, and communicating with a purpose will be simpler once the Why becomes the focus for all.

Transformational Change with the CLI Model

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download_pdf_smAs an educator, you are often called upon to lead change efforts within your district.  Even if you have not implemented the CLI Model, you know that all educators can be change agents and you have most likely already determined that in education, change is sometimes the only constant as you attempt to find new ways to reach students, manage buildings, and serve communities.

The research on how to make change in organizations is abundant.  There are many “types” of change by definition; but, for simplicity, we have narrowed it down to the two basic types:  first-order and second-order.

First-order change is typically less traumatic in terms of individual reaction and is sometimes referred to as developmental change.  It may mean simple adjustments to what you are already doing while still staying on the same path.  It is simply improving upon what you already have.  First-order change is reversible, meaning if it doesn’t work out of the gate you can stop doing it, which also makes it reactionary change.  These types of changes do not necessarily require new learning to take place and staff members are usually open to trying them because of these factors.  However, there is danger when districts start and stop changes frequently—staff may think “this, too, will pass,” and they will not fully commit to making the change work.  This can also lead to teacher confusion about which “thing” they should really be doing.

On the other hand, second-order change requires shifting to a new way of seeing things.  This type of change is typically referred to as transformational change and is viewed as more radical.  It is fundamentally different than what you have done in the past and it is irreversible, meaning once you start down the path, you can never return to what you have done previously.  New learning is required and some staff members may be hesitant to support the change because there is no “safety net” as with a first-order change. During a second-order change, it is vitally important for the district’s top leaders to be on board and supportive of both the change itself and the staff they work with.  For example, in a school district that has only one of four administrators on board, the change will be very difficult to realize.  Transformational change is difficult even when all leaders are on board; so taking the time to build capacity and educate leaders on the benefits and possible challenges of the change is an important initial step.transformational change arrow

Although the adoption of a detailed school improvement process like the CLI Model is most likely a transformational change for a significant portion of a professional staff, keep in mind that a first-order change to one person may be a second-order change to another.  Knowing your staff is key to understanding what the reaction to either type of change may be and preparing for success of change.  If an educator’s fundamental beliefs are not challenged (first-order change), they may show more cooperation and less resistance than educators who must adapt to new ideas about teaching practices and their roles in the classroom.  Deep philosophical changes (second-order) can produce resistance initially; however, with a safe, structured process in place that includes good communication, teachers and administrators eventually align their beliefs and practices to the reform effort, or they move on.  In terms of resistance within groups of people, research from renowned education author and scholar, Everett Rogers, shows that:

8% will be innovators.
17% will be leaders.
29% will be early adopters.
29% will be late adopters.
17% will be resisters.

In other words, it isn’t natural for 100% of your staff to be on board with a second-order change immediately.  Although some will jump on board as leaders and early adopters and see the value of a change such as using the CLI Model, in many cases, much legwork must be done in order to lead the majority of your people to believe in it.  The key is providing ongoing two-way communication opportunities, appropriate staff development, and an empathetic ear coupled with a firm belief in moving forward with the change.