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| ASCD Special Report |
| September 27, 2007 |
ASCD SmartBrief Special Report:
Teachers as Leaders (Part II)
Teacher leaders successfully turned around a California middle school, but many such leadership efforts may not be smooth sailing. Networking can help new teacher leaders gain access to new ideas to overcome such opposition, and new perspectives and research may offer even more avenues for success.
Part II of this ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on Teachers as Leaders examines obstacles and lessons learned by previous teacher leaders and new research into leadership and its effectiveness. This part also surveys various perspectives on leadership issues. Part I, published on Tuesday, focused on professional development and best practices.
Teacher leadership transformed California middle school
Test scores at Curtis Middle School in San Bernardino in California were among the state's lowest, and the morale of both teachers and students was at rock bottom, thanks in part to a culture that seemed to pit them against each other. After teacher leaders helped the school restructure, Curtis nearly tripled its standardized test growth targets and became one of California's most-improved schools. Educational Leadership (9/2007)
Knocking down barriers to leadership success
Second-stage teachers -- those with four to 10 years experience -- are increasingly being called on to take up leadership roles, but their efforts to lead are often hindered by poorly defined roles, school cultures that perpetuate teachers working alone and uncertainty about long-term funding to support the leadership initiative. Educational Leadership (9/2007)
Network with other top leaders
For teacher leaders, networking can be vital in terms of helping to work out problems and share ideas. The Teacher Leaders Network links educators from around the country to discuss teaching and learning issues. Educational Leadership (9/2007)
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Viewpoints: Readers share their leadership experiences
Educational Leadership readers offer six success stories about teachers improving their own schools. The teacher leaders profiled developed curriculum, reformed school discipline and launched new differentiated-instruction programs. Educational Leadership (9/2007)
Teacher leaders run EdVision schools
In 1994, a group of Minnesota teachers formed a new school founded on teacher leadership. Though they hired an administrator to handle noninstructional matters, the teacher leaders firmly held the reins of control as partners in their education "firm." The EdVision model has since been replicated in more than 30 U.S. schools. Teacher Magazine (free registration) (5/1)
Generation Y teacher hurt by educators' attitude toward age
When Erin Reed, 22, began her first year as an elementary teacher, she expected her youthful Generation Y attitude to help her relate to her students. Instead, she said, she spent her first months as a teacher defending herself to other teachers who she said seemed annoyed by her enthusiasm. Teacher Magazine (free registration) (7/16)
Opinion: For greater accountability, give teachers more
control
Research indicates that top-down accountability reforms backfire when teachers don't have the authority and control to meet the standards, Professor Richard M. Ingersoll writes. Holding educators accountable for factors they do not control is useless and demoralizing. Accountability and power go hand in hand in workplaces; increases in one must be accompanied by increases in the other. Educational Leadership (9/2007)
My Back Pages: Older Thoughts from New Teachers
"People in education are advised to think of each child in planning learning experiences ... this same point of view is not always applied in the case of the beginning teacher." An ASCD Blog post looks back at a March 1946 Educational Leadership article, Newcomers Speak, which published the thoughts and concerns of new teachers in an effort to promote greater understanding. While some lingo may have changed, it's clear that some concerns of beginning teachers remain constant through the decades. View the post
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Study: Leadership doesn't equal assertiveness
The best leaders know when to assert themselves and know when to sit back -- being perceived as too assertive or not assertive enough is one of the most common weaknesses of aspiring leaders, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. "Aspiring leaders who are low in assertiveness can't stand up for their interests," said Daniel Ames, a professor at Columbia Business School, and one of the lead researchers. "On the other hand, people high in assertiveness are often insufferable." Science Daily Magazine (2/5)
Report: Teacher union leadership roles changing
Leaders of local teachers unions increasingly are seeing their roles evolving, according to an Education Sector report. Leaders say they work more collaboratively with school administrators, try to balance needs of new and soon-to-retire teachers and take a less combative role toward contract negotiations. Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (6/29)
Study: Top Australian teachers twice as effective
The top 10% of Australian teachers are twice as effective, teaching twice as much material to students, as the worst 10% of teachers do, according to an Australian study of 10,000 teachers and 90,000 elementary students. Improved student achievement -- as measured by exam scores -- has almost no correlation with teacher experience or advanced degrees, the study's author says. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (5/21)
ASCD leadership books, audio, videos and more
Internet teacher-leadership resources
Interested in taking on new leadership roles or just learning more? Check out these online resources:
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