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What roles do teacher leaders play in their school's improvement? What is their relationship to the more formal leadership structures within the school? In this important look at informal teacher leadership, "Strengthening the School's Backbone," Charlotte Danielson writes that "while a collaborative decision-making structure, and the teacher empowerment that accompanies it, is critical to school improvement efforts, the concept of teacher leadership envisioned in this article results from a less formal, more organic demonstration of initiative on the part of teachers." Danielson focuses not on the practice of principals "appointing and anointing" certain teachers for leadership roles, but what she calls "true teacher leadership," which is "exercised spontaneously and may be demonstrated by any teacher in the school. True teacher leadership is not conferred by role... Once a teacher has demonstrated skills, he or she establishes credibility with colleagues and is recognized as a go-to person to get things done." Danielson believes teacher leadership is an idea whose time has come. "Such leadership can transform a school's culture and its program offerings. But it does not arise by itself. The role of all administrators in setting the stage is critical." (Journal of Staff Development, Spring 2005; 130k PDF file)

Danielson, C. (2005). Strengthening the school's back. Journal of staff development (Vol. 26 No. 2, Spring 2005). Retrieved from the National Staff Development Council 18 Apr 2008. Link: http://www.nsdc.org/members/jsd/danielson262.pdf

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