Abstract:

Bill Ferriter, a North Carolina teacher, says that Thompson “details the characteristics of principals who cultivate teacher leaders.” Thompson writes that principals must be aware of their teachers’ abilities to give them real leadership opportunities.

Citation: Thompson, S.C. (2004). Developing teacher leaders: The principal’s role. Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association.

Full Text:

2004 (39 pp., paperback)
National Middle School Association
ISBN: 1-56090-146-2
$8.00 ($6.40 if ordered online)

Reviewed by Bill Ferriter
Dillard Drive Middle School
Raleigh, North Carolina

In recent years, there have been many calls to develop schools that function as professional learning communities. Educational researchers and advocates from DuFour and Eaker to Sagor and Ingersoll have made the assertion that successful schools elicit the support and knowledge of classroom teachers. No longer can schools operate under a model of leadership where a "Lone Ranger" principal makes all of the key decisions within a building.

In this title, part of the Middle Level Leadership Series produced by the National Middle School Association, author Sue Thompson examines the impact that teacher leadership can have on a school's culture and student success, as well as the steps that principals can take to develop the leadership potential of their faculties. While focusing on middle grades in particular, Thompson's suggestions have merit for principals of every level.

Developing Teacher Leaders opens by asserting that in order to increase student achievement, middle schools have to be recultured, seeking to expand the role of teachers. For too long, reform attempts aimed at middle grades education have failed because they have not been embraced by faculties. "Overlooked," Thompson writes, "is the reality that teachers are really the only ones in the school who can actually change teaching practices to better meet the needs of the students."

Reculturing middle schools has been a difficult task because "the concept of distributing leadership responsibilities has not been a goal of either the principal or the teachers." Real reform will only occur when teacher leadership is encouraged, leading to "extensive collaboration that breaks down isolation."

Thompson then details the characteristics of principals who cultivate teacher leaders. One key to developing leadership is a constructivist attitude, where principals seek to involve teachers in setting the direction of a school. "While the principal's role as a leader is central, one person cannot single-handedly set the core values, moral purpose, and shared values of a school.... Principals must shift from being in control to sharing control and responsibility."

When principals work from a constructivist standpoint, they allow teachers to develop rich understandings of the true nature of education. These understandings then become a part of the very fabric of the school's decision-making, accepted by all and developed democratically with input from all.

Thompson contends that successful principals are relationship builders. "Relationships are the foundation of a strong, collaborative school culture.... What really separates good leaders from excellent leaders is their ability to build strong relationships and genuinely care about other people." Schools that have faculties who feel connected and supported produce successful students who also feel connected and supported. "Principals must spend as much time building relationships with their stakeholders as they do on other school-related matters."

Guarding the democratic nature of schools, serving as a building's "lead teacher and lead learner," and nurturing a positive school environment where collegiality, experimentation and celebration are encouraged are also tasks that successful principals embrace.

Thompson concludes by detailing two steps that principals can take to develop teacher leaders. First, teachers must be given "opportunities to use their latent skills and knowledge in providing leadership that is thoughtful and by providing activities that positively impact teaching and learning." No longer can we expect teachers to serve as blue-collar workers, expected to simply carry out decisions made by others. Principals must be willing to trust that their faculties are capable of leading, and empower them to make critical decisions.

In order to reach this point, principals must also be aware of the abilities of individual teachers. "Recognizing that no one person can carry the responsibility of school improvement, principals must know their teachers well enough to identify their strengths and use those strengths." Seeing teachers as vital contributors as opposed to "hired hands" will re-energize a building and lead to unprecedented school success.

A quick read that provides questions for reflection throughout, Developing Teachers as Leaders addresses a topic that every principal must investigate. The responsibility to fully develop teachers, a school's most valuable resource pool and greatest investment, is one that principals interested in student achievement can no longer ignore.

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