Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP INFLUENCED THROUGH PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP A Doctoral Capstone Project Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research Department of Secondary Education and Administrative Leadership In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Jason D. Hutchinson California University of Pennsylvania July 2020 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP iii Acknowledgements Completing my Ed. D. program would not have happened if it weren’t for the support of my family and committee members. First, I’d like to thank my two boys, Noah and Ryder for encouraging my efforts and remaining patient throughout this process. Thank you for the numerous times when you allowed me to sit and work so I could complete an assignment or paper. I would also like to thank my mom and dad for their encouraging words during this journey. In addition, thank you to the number of friends who provided their wisdom, encouragement, generosity, and support in helping me complete my Ed. D. program. I am also extremely grateful for my Faculty Capstone Committee Advisor, Dr. Kevin Lordon, for guiding and pushing me throughout my entire Capstone process. In addition, I appreciate you seeing the potential in me and encouraging me throughout. Thank you, also, to my external committee member, Dr. Edward Zelich for the countless phone calls and reminders that the process is a grind, and that I must continue to grind as in life itself. Your feedback and encouraging words made this personal journey possible. Thank you everyone for your never-ending support and continuing to believe in me throughout this process. Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements iii List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Abstract ix CHAPTER I. Introduction 1 Background of the Study 1 Purpose of the Study 1 Significance of the Study 2 Research Questions 2 Procedures 2 Desired Outcomes and Potential Impact 3 Financial Implications 3 Summary 4 CHAPTER II. Literature Review 6 Background and History of Teacher Leadership 6 Defining Teacher Leadership 8 Roles of Teacher Leaders 11 Importance of Teacher Leadership 13 Facilitating Teacher Leadership 15 Principal Role in Teacher Leadership 17 Barriers to Teacher Leadership 21 Measuring Teacher Leadership 24 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP v Mentoring Program for Teacher Leadership 26 Teacher Preparation/Characteristics 28 Distributed Leadership 30 Sustainability 32 Culture Within Schools 33 Effects on Teachers and Students 35 Summary 36 CHAPTER III. Methodology 38 Overview 38 Purpose 38 Research Questions 41 Setting 41 Participants 45 Research Plan 46 Methods of Data Collection 48 Timeline 51 Ethical Considerations 52 Limitations 53 Communication of Findings 53 Potential Contributions 54 Validity 55 Summary 57 CHAPTER IV. Data Analysis and Results 58 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP vi Overview 58 Participant Description 59 Characteristics of the Teacher Leaders in the District 61 Open-ended Survey Question Results 67 Discussion 74 Summary 79 CHAPTER V. Conclusions and Recommendations 80 Introduction 80 Conclusion 81 Recommendations 95 Summary 98 References 100 APPENDIX A. Letter to Institutional Review Board 116 APPENDIX B. Waiver Letter 117 APPENDIX C. Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment Survey 119 APPENDIX D. Institutional Review Board Approval Letter 127 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP vii List of Tables Table 1. Data Collection Instruments 50 Table 2. Capstone Budget 54 Table 3. Grade Level Taught 59 Table 4. Level of Education 60 Table 5. Teaching Experience (Years) 61 Table 6. Communication 64 Table 7. Communication 65 Table 8. Leading Change 65 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP viii List of Figures Figure 1. Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment Scale 63 Running head: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP ix Abstract The world of education is constantly evolving with increased accountability and mounting responsibilities from Superintendents, to administrators, to classroom teachers. All stakeholders must work together in order for a school district to run efficiently for their students. Teacher leaders are essential in today’s schools if provided with an environment that encourages them to lead. Principals cannot move a building forward without teacher leadership. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. A qualitative method approach will be used for this action research project. Data collection will consist of survey questions given to both principals and teachers. Participants will complete the Teacher Leadership SelfAssessment created by Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (2004) survey and open-ended responses. All eight schools in the district located in Southwestern Pennsylvania will participate in this research study. Results indicated that the teachers in the district frequently engaged in behaviors that support self-awareness, diversity, and instructional proficiency. They least often engaged in behaviors related to communication, continuous improvement, and leading change. Communication has to improve in the district in order for teachers to improve as leaders. In addition, teachers want to feel supported and encouraged by their principals. Professional development regarding teacher leadership needs to be supportive, systematic, and strategic in order for teacher leaders to emerge in the district. Principals must communicate, support, build confidence, and motivate teachers in order to begin to build teacher leadership in the district. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 1 CHAPTER I Introduction Background of the Study The Albert Gallatin Area School District has struggled to cultivate teacher leadership in the eight school buildings that comprise this small rural district. The struggle to cultivate teacher leadership has created an environment in which the principal versus teacher philosophy is evident amongst the faculty within the district. Due to this philosophy, few teacher leaders have emerged within the district and its buildings. In addition to the principal versus teacher philosophy, teachers simply do not feel comfortable taking on leadership roles in their buildings due to animosity for such efforts from their colleagues. Recently, the teachers were without a contract for over 425 days. This did not help to boost morale or foster teacher leadership in the district. If the principals and teachers cannot work together, the Albert Gallatin schools and students will not flourish. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to explore teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes are key in developing teacher leadership. Also, administrators should understand how they can improve in order to promote teacher leadership within their buildings and the district. Valuable data will be collected and analyzed in order to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. By gaining an understanding of teacher leadership and the influence of principal leadership, these participating individuals will provide valuable qualitative data for the Albert Gallatin Area School District to cultivate these relationships. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 2 Significance of the Study This study is relevant to the researcher. In my current educational role as principal at the high school and the secondary supervisor for the district, I have witnessed very few teachers step forward to take on leadership roles. Before becoming a high school principal, I served as an elementary principal in the district for three years. Principals’ responsibilities continue to increase therefore making the need for teacher leaders imperative to building-level success. Evidence that teacher leaders create a better atmosphere in schools is what our district needs to move relationships forward. Our district recently settled a teacher’s contract but removed all department chairs at the high school. This was done due to financial hardship within the district; however, this move did not help the initiative of promoting teacher leadership within the district. Gathering pertinent data from the teachers regarding teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership is necessary for moving our district forward in these pivotal times. Research Questions 1. What is the teacher’s perception of teacher leadership? 2. How do we build teacher leadership? 3. How do principals improve teacher leadership? Procedures The action research study will focus on improving teacher leadership through principal leadership. This will be done by using a qualitative research method to collect and analyze data regarding teacher leadership throughout the district. Qualitative research was conducted using the Katzenmeyer & Katzenmeyer Teacher Leadership SelfAssessment Survey from 2004. This survey examines teacher self-assessment in seven ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 3 categories: Self-Awareness, Leading Change, Communication, Diversity, Instructional Proficiency, Continuous Improvement, and Self-Organization. Three open-ended questions were used to gain additional information in improving teacher leadership through principal leadership. Google Forms was used to create the survey, which was distributed to both principals and teachers. All teachers and principals in all eight buildings had the opportunity to participate in the survey. The open-ended questions of the survey responses will be analyzed, and the data will be sorted by themes, relationships, similarities, and differences regarding promoting teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district. Desired Outcomes and Potential Impact The potential impact of this study could benefit all students, staff, and administrators in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. If implemented, all stakeholders will have a better understanding of the teacher’s perceptions of teacher leadership. Administration and teachers can work together to build teacher leadership throughout the district. By working together as a team, and building teacher leadership in the district, our students will undoubtedly benefit. This study could be the beginning of teachers and administrators working together to create and establish teacher leaders throughout the district. In addition, the district will considerably improve their relationships with all stakeholders and create a more positive working environment for all. Financial Implications As all educators know and understand, Professional Development is critical to implementing any kind of change in the school system. $3,000 was allotted for the ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 4 elementary, middle, and high school staff to build teacher leadership. This $9,000 for Professional Development will be used for resources, point people training, as well as full staff training. Additionally, $2,000 was allotted for the elementary, middle, and high school staff for teacher supplies. These supplies may be necessary to implement teacher leadership improvement initiatives in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. These supplies will be budgeted for teachers needing anything to enhance their leadership in the schools. A total of $15,000 was allocated for this research study. It is anticipated that most of the costs of this study will be indirect costs. Teachers and administrators will need to use their own time to complete the survey questions. I will need to invest my own time to collect and analyze data from all of the schools. I will utilize Google Forms for the survey questions, which will allow the teachers to complete the survey on their computers. Computers should be the only equipment needed for this study. Completion of this study should not require any additional supplies or unforeseen overhead. However, teacher supplies were budgeted for when the study is completed to ensure resources are available for teachers to be successful in developing teacher leadership. The findings will be presented to all eight schools, the Superintendent, administrators, and the school board. Summary This study could be beneficial to all stakeholders in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Chapter 1 detailed an overview of the study through a description of the background, the purpose of the study, the significance of the study, research questions, procedures, desired outcomes, potential impact, and financial implications of the study. The purpose of the study is to gain information on teacher leadership influenced through ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP principal leadership. This study can begin to uncover why administrators and teachers struggle to unite to work together for the betterment of the district. By exploring teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership, the Albert Gallatin Area School District can begin to move forward to foster these relationships. In the end, the students, schools, teachers, administrators, and community can benefit from these findings. This could be the beginning of a continued partnership in the district for years to come. 5 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 6 CHAPTER II Literature Review Background and History of Teacher Leadership The background and history of teacher leaders dates back to the 19th century when teachers taught in the one room schoolhouse and their primary role was as an organizational leader. During the past 20 years teacher leadership has become an established feature of educational reform in the United States (Smylie, Conley, & Marks, 2002). The idea of teachers as leaders is not a new concept, as teachers have always been leaders within their classrooms and, for a long time, fulfilled school leadership roles such as department heads, union roles, curriculum writers, and grade level team leaders (Muijs & Harris, 2005). This was considered the first phase of teacher leaders and occurred more than five decades ago. These teacher leaders assumed the role of managers. When teachers assumed the manager role, it was a position of power, often creating tension among the other teachers. Similar to the tension that administrators and teachers may experience in today’s schools. By having teachers assuming the manager role for the first wave of teacher leadership and recognizing the limitations, a second wave of teacher leadership emerged. This second wave may have been caused by the first waves’ neglect of instructional leadership. The second wave created positions such as team leader, curriculum developer, and staff development positions for teachers (Smylie et al., 2002). This wave has yielded a host of new initiatives that seek to restructure schools, redefine the roles and responsibilities of teachers and administrators, decentralize decision making, and enhance local autonomy and accountability (Smylie & Denny, 1990). This second wave ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 7 broke down the hierarchy that the first wave created. Teachers began working together and sharing their individual knowledge with their colleagues. Empowering the teachers in and out of the classroom led to the third wave of teacher leadership. The third wave of teacher leadership moved from a focus of first order change to second order changes that would benefit our schools’ organizations. First order change during the second wave offered little changes that focused on trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of practices within an existing culture. The move toward second order change were more systematic that would lead to fundamental changes in the organization. Wasley (1991) defines the third wave of teacher leaders as those who enable their colleagues to improve professional practice by doing things they would not ordinarily do on their own. This would include engaging in problem solving, mentor colleagues, and provide professional growth activities for their peers. According to this conceptualization of teacher leadership, teacher leaders would “slide the doors open” to collaborate with other teachers, discuss common problems, share approaches to various learning situations, explore ways to overcome the structural constraints of limited time, space, resources, and restrictive policies, or investigate motivational strategies to bring students to a deeper engagement with their learning (Smylie et al., 2002). Teacher leadership gives the teacher the opportunity to provide their knowledge outside of their classroom. They are not working in isolation within their classroom. Teacher leadership development is more of an organizational change than a reallocation of tasks and duties, and therefore patterns of practice and belief mold teacher leadership roles (Smylie & Denny, 1990). Teacher leadership is a complex task that involves more than a shift in roles and responsibilities and developing teachers for a task (Smylie & ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 8 Denny, 1990). Little research existed until recently on how teachers experience teacher leadership or the role the structure of the organization has upon teacher leadership (Smylie & Denny, 1990). Defining Teacher Leadership Most of the researchers involved in exploring the concept of teachers as leaders agree that it is distinctly different from administrative or managerial concepts of leadership (Wynne, 2001). Wynn (2001) found the majority agree that teacher leaders: demonstrate expertise in their instruction and share that knowledge with other professionals, are consistently on a professional learning curve, frequently reflect on their work to stay on the cutting edge of what’s best for children, engage in continuous action research projects that examine their effectiveness, collaborate with their peers, parents, and communities, engaging them in dialogue of open inquiry/action/assessment models of change, become socially conscious and politically involved, mentor new teachers, become more involved at universities in the preparation of pre-service teachers, and are risk-takers who participate in school decisions (p. 2-3). It appears that in many schools teachers remain in their classrooms often left out of leadership decisions within their schools. Schools need to embrace the idea of teachers as leaders. There is a plethora of definitions regarding teacher leadership, however, they all relate to leadership outside the traditional classroom setting. Lambert (1998) defines teacher leadership for school capacity building as broad-based, skillful involvement in the work of leadership. She suggests this perspective requires working with two critical ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 9 dimensions of involvement-breadth and skillfulness: Broad-based involvement-involving many people in the work of leadership. This involves teachers, pupils, community members, LEA personnel, and universities. Skillful involvement-a comprehensive understanding and demonstrated proficiency by participants of leadership dispositions, knowledge and skills. Ogawa and Bossert (1995) explain that leadership is an “organizational quality”: Leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations. The medium leadership and the currency of leadership lie in the personal resource of people. Leaders shape the systems that produce patterns of interaction and the meanings that other participants attach to organizational events. (p.225) Yukl’s (1998) definition of leadership, drawn from his review of decades of leadership study: A process wherein an individual member of a group or organization influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives and strategies, the organization of work activities, the motivation of people to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by members and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organization. (p.5) Characteristics of teacher leaders vary, while teacher leadership was defined in October 1999 as teachers that function in learning communities to impact student achievement, contribute to school improvement, model and incite professionalism, and support the empowerment of colleagues and stakeholders to participate in organizational improvements (Moller, Childs-Brown, and Scrivner, 2001) Beachum & Denith (2004) posited that teacher leadership is an expanded view of leadership beyond the typical boundaries presented by the classroom. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 10 In May of 2008, a group of concerned educators convened to examine the current research regarding the critical leadership roles that teachers play to create a dynamic teaching profession for the 21st century. This group expanded into the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium. This expanded group developed model standards for teacher leadership in August 2008. The purpose of these standards, like all model standards, is to stimulate dialogue among stakeholders of the teaching profession about what constitutes the knowledge, skills, and competencies that teachers need to assume leadership roles in their schools, district, and the profession. (Teacher Leadership Model Standards, 2011) The teacher leader model standards are: Domain I: Fostering a Collaborative Culture to Support Educator Development and Student Learning. Domain II: Accessing and Using Research to Improve Practice and Student Learning Domain III: Promoting Professional Learning for Continuous Improvement Domain IV: Facilitating Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning Domain V: Promoting the Use of Assessments and Data for School District Improvement Domain VI: Improving Outreach and Collaboration with Families and Community Domain VII: Advocating for Student Learning and the Profession Teacher leadership remains somewhat underdeveloped currently in our schools. There is a lot of research regarding teacher leadership, however, a lot of the research ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 11 lacks strong supporting evidence. There are few studies that reflect how teachers engage with other leaders and how this impacts organizational culture (Smylie and Denny, 1990). Roles of Teacher Leaders The roles of teacher leaders seem to look different in schools across the country. What all schools must understand is the expectations and roles of teachers as leaders. Leadership roles for teachers were a common reform strategy in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the USA, the number of teacher leadership programs and initiatives has grown strongly over the past decade and the notion of teacher leadership is now widely accepted by practitioners and researchers alike (Smylie, 1995). Teacher leadership is practiced through a variety of formal and informal positions, roles, and channels of communication in the daily work of schools (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Some teachers may serve roles in formal leadership positions, that might include union representative, mentor, curriculum specialist, or department head. Roles of teacher leaders can be demonstrated in informal ways, like working with colleagues in small groups or teams, modeling or coaching instruction, and encouraging parent engagement. Regardless of the roles of teacher leaders, one common goal that exists is that teacher leaders are important sources of knowledge, expertise, and information. Teacher leaders should be able to work collaboratively with peers, observing one another’s lessons and discussing pedagogy (Seashore-Louis, Kruse et.al. 1996). In the current wave of teacher leadership, however, teacher leaders derive their authority from their experience in the classroom (Silva, Gimbert, & Nolan, 2000). The formal teacher leader roles still exist, of course, but more teachers lead informally by revealing their classroom practices, sharing their expertise, asking questions of ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 12 colleagues, mentoring new teachers, and modeling how teachers collaborate on issues of practice (Ackerman & Mackenzie, 2006). In support of more informal roles, an in depth multiple-case study of three teacher leaders from different regions of the country and different grade levels of practice revealed significant tension between teacher leaders in formal positions and their colleagues (Wasley, 1991). Informal roles of teacher leaders proved positive results regarding some studies. Dozier’s (2007) survey of 300 accomplished teacher leaders revealed their personal beliefs of contribution included their work of building relationships through professional development facilitators, working in curriculum development, serving as department chairs, grade chairs, and mentors to other teachers. Muijis and Harris’ (2007) case study argued that implementation of teacher leadership, lead to shared decision making, opens paths for innovation and change, and enhances curricular work directed toward school improvement. The roles of teacher leaders possess endless possibilities depending on formal or informal methods, because teachers can lead in a number of ways. Harrison and Killion (2007) listed ten roles for teacher leaders: The suggestions are: the Resource Provider, which help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources; the Instructional Specialist, which helps colleagues implement effective teaching strategies; the Curriculum Specialist, who understands content standards, how various components of the curriculum link together, and how to use the curriculum in planning instruction and assessment, is essential to ensuring consistent curriculum implementation throughout a school; the Classroom Supporter, who works inside classrooms to help teachers implement new ideas, often by demonstrating a lesson, coteaching, ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 13 or observing and giving feedback; the Learning Facilitator, who can facilitate professional learning opportunities among staff members; Mentors serve as role models, acclimate new teachers to a new school, and advise new teachers about instruction, curriculum, procedures, practices, and politics; the School Leader means serving on a committee and sharing the vision of the school; the Data Coach can lead conversations that engage their peers in analyzing and using this information to strengthen instruction; the Catalyst for Change poses questions to generate analysis of student learning; the Learners model continual improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help all students achieve; the Roles for All incorporates formal and informal roles that shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers (pp.74-75). Much of this evidence points to the importance of teachers opening up their doors, sharing their knowledge, and collaborating with colleagues. Successful teacher leaders display confidence in their practice, work well with colleagues, and continue to grow in their field. Roles of teacher leaders may vary, but what is evident is the importance of teacher leadership. Importance of Teacher Leadership The importance of teacher leadership seems to cover many facets of the school setting from interacting with colleagues, to the impact on the school itself, to the community. For so long teachers have been isolated in their classrooms. With the evolution of teacher leadership, teachers are given the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and participate in decision making within the school. However, not all ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 14 collaboration is always positive. Weiss et al. (1992) conducted an intensive investigation in six high schools. A noticeable finding was the presence of conflict between teachers and within teachers involved in shared decision-making. Weiss et al. (1992) also indicated that there was much confusion on the locus of final decision-making authority. There are some other studies that show a positive effect on the importance of teacher leaders. Smylie’s (1994) review of research on redesigned teacher work and its effect on classroom practice explored a variety of contexts for teacher leadership practice. Smylie drew two primary conclusions. First, changes in the classroom practice were more likely to occur among the teachers whose work was redesigned. Second, changes in the classroom practice were more likely to occur when initiatives were collective, as opposed to individual, and when initiatives targeted changes in the instructional practices of teachers as opposed to organizational-level practices. A twenty-year study of literature conducted by York-Barr and Duke (2004) concerning teacher leadership found that teacher leadership promotes “continuous improvement of teaching and learning…with the result being increased achievement for every student” (p.255). York-Barr and Duke’s (2004) literature review determined four categories of benefits of teacher leadership. The first being teacher participation in decision making which promotes ownership. The second benefit is that of teacher expertise. Third, is teacher recognition and growth. The last benefits from the first three, which is student achievement. As Smylie (1995) clearly identifies, teacher leadership can improve teacher effectiveness in a number of ways. Teachers that continue to learn and excel in teaching can improve the quality of teachers, while spreading good practice to ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 15 colleagues can lead to an increase in expertise throughout the school. Teachers are more willing to take risks and experiment with new and innovative teaching methods. It is clear that the importance of enhancing teacher leadership can help schools improve teacher quality and provide teachers the opportunity for professional growth. Danielson (2007) provides just a few examples where teacher leaders extend their reach: in school wide policies and programs, teaching and learning, and communication and community relations. The teacher leadership research continues to be idiosyncratic in nature, lacking an overarching conceptual framework and common or complementary theoretical underpinnings. These are some of the reasons why definitive answers to the question “What is known about teacher leadership?” are difficult to ascertain (York-Barr & Duke’s, 2004). Facilitating Teacher Leadership Facilitating teacher leadership in schools is crucial to the success of any education reform. Teachers are key components in the classroom and have a perspective that we can’t get from anyone else. By helping good teachers become great leaders our students will benefit from a better education. Smylie, Conley, and Marks’ (2002) research stated that teachers reported enhanced feelings of contributing to the school when collaborating was evident. The teachers grew professionally as a result of their leading. School districts must create strategies to develop potential teacher leaders and support facilitating teacher leadership. Rosenholtz (1985) found that increasing collaboration improves student achievement, which ensures teacher identity. This resulted in greater teacher efficacy and established the path to teacher leadership. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 16 Training is a must for teachers to become leaders. Two ways school districts can facilitate teacher leadership are through learning communities and peer coaching. These types of methods fall under the distributive leadership method. Both methods require an investment of time and professional development for the individuals leading the learning communities and fulfilling the peer coaching roles. For this to occur, school leaders who encourage trust and caring within their buildings must support teacher leadership (Beachum & Dentith, 2004). Learning communities provide teachers a common interest and find ways of engaging activities together, typically because individuals may have questions and other individuals have important information to share. Certain individuals establish themselves as leaders according to the value they bring to the community. Teachers need to be provided autonomy in order for teacher leadership to exist. Administrators should provide support and encouragement for teacher leaders to make decisions and value the opinions of teacher leaders (Beachum & Dentith, 2004). Printy’s, 2008 study revealed the level of participation within various learning communities and the extent of interactions across these communities have implications for teachers’ efficacy beliefs and for their instructional choices. The social learning they experienced in both designed and emergent communities shaped their professional identities and practice in important ways. Schools need to build a climate of collaboration premised upon communication, sharing and opportunities for teachers to work together. The term professional learning community is one that implies a commitment not only to teacher sharing but also the generation of a school-wide culture that makes collaboration expected. A professional ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 17 community, therefore, is one where teachers participate in decision making, have a shared sense of purpose, engage in collaborative work, and accept joint responsibility for the outcomes of their work (Harris, 2003). Collaborative peer coaching can support teachers inquiry into practice and build leadership capacity (Charteris & Smardon, 2014). Peer coaching is a form of professional development. Peer coaching can be described as a system of reciprocal learning and support, so teachers are empowered to construct knowledge in a safe environment (Zepeda, Parylo, & Ilgan, 2013). Through peer coaching as leadership there can be collaborative opportunities to surface what is complex to allow for new thinking. Adults become more complex in their thinking, more respectful, more flexible, and open toward new experiences when they actively engage in reflective dialogue (Lambert, 2003). The findings from teacher leadership literature highlight how collegial relationships promote inquiry-oriented practice and generate an environment of continuous improvement. This effectively relinquishes the notion of structure as a means of control, viewed rather as a vehicle for empowering others (Lambert, 1998). Principal Role in Teacher Leadership It must be acknowledged that the principal plays a significant role in fostering teacher leadership. School leaders can influence teacher leadership both directly and indirectly. The changing role of the teacher and the principal are central to the development of teacher leadership. It seems that the role of the principal has continued to change, and responsibilities have also increased compared to years ago. The job of the building principal has become more complex with the high demands of accountability of test scores and student achievement. According to the Metlife Survey of The American ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 18 Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership 2013, job satisfaction among principals has declined to its lowest point in over a decade. Fewer principals today than in 2008 say they are very satisfied with their job (59% vs. 68%), the lowest point since 2001. Stress is related to job satisfaction for principals. 48% of principals feel under great stress several days a week or more. Principals feel their jobs are too complex. Therefore, the need for teacher leadership exists. Schools cannot operate with a top down model of leadership. The school climate begins with administration and the lack of support provided to teachers through administration has been shown to increase job dissatisfaction in teachers (Sass et al., 2010). The teachers usually outlast the principal in their prospective schools, so the need for creating teacher leadership in a school is critical. Teachers and principals must therefore learn to develop a collaborative relationship where leadership is shared. Successful organizations depend on multiple sources of leadership. In schools, for this to happen principals and teacher leaders must work collaboratively for school change. Before this can happen, principals must invest time in reflecting on their personal beliefs about leadership and the empowerment of others (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The principal must understand the need for teacher leadership and be comfortable with shared management, open and honest two-way communication, and creating a shared vision for their school. The principal must embrace shared leadership and allow others to help lead. Teacher leaders may need to develop the necessary skills to encourage principals to support initiatives or changes they deem necessary (Taylor et al. 2011). ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 19 Murphy and Smylie (2009) identified that leadership work and administration are not only the responsibility of the principals; they are aspects of everyday teaching that all teachers need to understand. Principals must realize their overall responsibilities in today’s schools and the importance of issues that directly impact teachers in the classroom and work to meet their needs. Teachers want to know that principals understand the teacher leader role and find it important. Principals cannot expect teachers to assume leadership roles without preparation or mentoring (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Unfortunately, most current principal programs do not prepare principals for creating teacher leaders. The creation of teacher leaders within their school buildings is done primarily on their own. Under the current school structure, the principal takes on the major responsibility for expanding positive teacher leadership (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The principal has to adapt into the leader of leaders. Principals have a huge undertaking when moving toward teacher leadership in addition to the daily duties and responsibilities. When shifting to teacher leadership, the role of the principal is paramount in creating and establishing infrastructures to support the teacher leadership roles successfully. Teacher leadership may bring principals and teachers who assume leadership roles into “collaborative play” for the first time and place both parties in ambiguous positions with respect to accountability (Bowen et al., 2000). Principals and teacher leaders must put their past disagreements behind them and work on building new relationships in order for teacher leadership to be successful. Principals must first learn how to develop teacher leaders. This is crucial in teacher leadership because the teaching staff is more likely to remain in place, while the principal of a building may come and go. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 20 In order for the principal to establish an environment that promotes teacher’s leadership in the school setting, the principal needs time. The principal and teacher leaders must spend quality time in and out of the classroom setting, discussing teaching and learning, as well as the vision for the school. Also, teacher leaders need time to interact with other teachers in order to help them learn. The principal must build an organizational climate that encourages and supports teacher leadership throughout the building. This welcoming environment that promotes teacher leadership should include: providing a safe environment for risk taking, encouraging teacher leaders, eliminating obstacles, specifically obstinate teachers, and offering meaningful, ongoing professional development (Danielson, 2007). Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner (2000) suggest four strategies to help transform leadership in schools which are: create opportunities for teachers to lead, build professional learning communities, provide quality, results-driven professional development, and celebrate innovation and teacher expertise. Teachers should feel comfortable and encouraged to take risks in their opportunities to lead. Encouraging risk taking in a safe environment builds teacher confidence for expressing creative ideas to solve problems (Danielson, 2007). Encouraging autonomy by reducing restrictions engages and influences teacher leadership (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). When this type of atmosphere is created, teachers feel empowered and establish a sense of ownership. Teachers need the opportunity to develop leadership skills through professional development. Professional development is the leverage point for building teacher quality through teacher leadership (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). This professional development for teacher leaders could include areas of data analysis regarding school improvement data, developing school goals, and providing ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 21 pivotal professional development to all teachers in their prospective buildings. Some schools have reached out to gain partners for professional development by working with faculty from a local university. The principal can encourage teacher leaders’ expertise and celebrate innovation by simply using genuine praise. Principals can use verbal acknowledgement and reinforcement with teacher leaders. They also can create opportunities for teacher leaders to be recognized though rituals and ceremonies. As teacher leadership becomes a widespread phenomenon within a school there is more acceptance of individual teacher recognition (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). When the principal can develop this inviting process for teacher leaders, teacher leadership is likely to emerge. Barriers to Teacher Leadership With the research, it is clear that teacher leadership can be presented a number of ways in different schools throughout our country. It relies on the individual teacher and principal, as well as the school district to incorporate teacher leadership. With all the effort in schools to promote teacher leadership, the process comes with some roadblocks and barriers. All teachers face obstacles on a daily basis; however, teacher leaders may encounter barriers to become teacher leaders. Schools’ stakeholders must work together to overcome these barriers in order for teacher leadership to be successful in their schools. Some barriers that seem consistent in the literature include time, formal leadership structures, and the principal’s leadership style (Thornton, 2010). Teachers do not have enough time to spend on their daily responsibilities, so committing to leadership roles seems difficult. In a survey of twenty-five superintendents, they acknowledged a concern ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 22 regarding the lack of time to provide teacher leaders with professional development (Wells, 2012). Since teacher leaders must spend a large amount of time in team planning, collaborating, mentoring, and working outside their classrooms many teachers feel overwhelmed. This overwhelming feeling may discourage many teachers from taking the leap to become a teacher leader. Another barrier to teacher leadership is the formal leadership structure in place at many schools. The top down method still exists in many school districts. This type of structure will not let teachers become leaders. Schools that demonstrate the top down approach will struggle to develop teacher leaders because this type of leadership suffocates teacher autonomy to assume leadership roles (Muijs & Harris, 2003). Thornton’s (2010) study uncovered that leadership roles were often assigned to the same teachers over and over again. These selected teachers often agreed with the direction the principal had chosen, creating an atmosphere that the decisions have already been made. Wasley (1991) found that teachers need to be involved in the process of deciding on what roles, if any they wish to take on, and must then feel supported by the school’s principal in doing so. This would alleviate any teachers becoming leaders by default, because no other teacher wanted to do it. Without a clear vision, change is seen as forced or ordered from a higher authority (Thornton, 2010). If the formal leadership structure is not clear to all teachers and teacher leaders, this could cause severe tension in the building. Colleagues could undermine professional equality and professional working relationships. Teachers could easily build resentment, jealousy, and animosity toward teacher leaders. These bitter feelings toward teacher leaders are likely to hinder the progress of teacher leaders ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 23 (Helterbran, 2010). Troen and Boles’ (1992) study found that sometimes teachers felt less connected to peers when participating in teacher leadership activities. If this type of toxic culture occurs, the teaching staff may simply shut down the idea of teacher leadership. Teachers may refuse to participate in leadership activities, become close minded to new ideas and initiatives, hinder enthusiasm, discourage peer conversations, and refuse to participate in problem solving (Helterbran, 2010). Yendol-Silva and Dana (2004) did an ethnographic study to explore teacher leadership and found that the reason teachers struggle in sharing ideas with others could be directly correlated to micropolitics of their existing environment and culture. Challenging teachers are present in many buildings. The principal must work with these teachers so that they do not sabotage the teacher leadership role. This is the principal’s responsibility if they want teacher leadership to be successful in their building. If the principal establishes clear collaborative practices teacher leadership will be more successful and beneficial. Evidence shows that strong peer connections are a key source of support for teacher leadership (Zinn, 1996). The principal’s leadership style can be beneficial or a huge barrier to teacher leadership development. The primary role of the principal is to be an instructional leader who mobilizes the energy of teachers by supporting them in their endeavors (Fullan, 2002). The principal’s leadership style is a key component regarding teacher leadership. Depending on the principal’s leadership style, teacher leadership can either be successful or unsuccessful in the building. Ash (2002) states that principal’s need to become the leader of leaders, continuously working on developing relationships of trust with the staff and promoting leadership and autonomy throughout the school. “Principals who were ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 24 reported as engaging in collaborative leadership were seen as better equipped to both understand and support the leadership of others in the school” (Thornton, 2010, p. 41). It is obvious through the research that a number of barriers exist regarding teacher leadership, or teachers becoming leaders. It is important for principals and teacher leaders to understand these barriers and address these challenges if they expect teacher leadership to be successful in their schools. Measuring Teacher Leadership A common challenge in the study of teacher leadership is its measurement. The idea of teacher leadership is largely qualitative and significantly dependent on the individual fulfilling the teacher leader role. Additionally, the grade level in which the individual is currently teaching also influences the type of leadership role the individual teacher leader assumes. Another consideration is whether teacher leader roles are formal or informal. “While factors of shared leadership, shared expertise, and supra-practitioner are informal teacher leadership constructs, the factor of principal selection is a construct of formal leadership” (Angelle & Teague, 2014, p. 742). Additionally, despite extensive research on the topic, there are few measurement tools in existence. Angelle, Tayler, and Olivier, leading researchers in the field of teacher leadership, developed the Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI). This inventory originated as a 25-item instrument and was later reduced to 17 items and a four-factor model (Angelle, 2016, p. 87). Several derivations of the 17 item and four factor model exist. The four factors in the TLI include Sharing Leadership, Sharing Expertise, Supra-Practitioner, and Principal Selection (Angelle, 2017, p. 87). Angelle’s (2017) study explains the four-factor model as follows: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 25 Sharing Expertise focuses on perceptions of teachers’ pedagogical and classroom management skills as well as their willingness to share those skills with their fellow teachers. The second factor, Sharing Leadership describes reciprocal relationships between the principal and the teachers in a school…The perceptions of teachers’ willingness to go above and beyond their prescribed roles are indicated by the third factor, Supra-Practitioner. The final factor, Principal Selection measures the teachers’ perceptions that the principal controls which teachers may participate in leadership activities. Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (2005) developed their version of a teacher leadership survey called the Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS). This survey includes 49 items that require teacher reflection of leadership beliefs and behaviors. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘always’ and include seven categories. These seven categories include developmental focus, recognition, autonomy, collegiality, participation, open communication, and positive environment (Katzenmyer & Katzenmeyer, 2005). These seven categories provide insight into the most frequently engaged leadership behaviors and the least frequently engaged leadership behaviors based on teacher responses to the survey. This allows for principals and administrators to assess the results of the survey and better promote teacher leadership in their school buildings as well as district wide. Additional factors to consider when measuring teacher leadership include collective efficacy of the faculty. A faculty working in an environment that embraces teacher leadership at all levels will produce results that differ significantly from a faculty working in an environment that considers teacher leaders as a threat to the status quo. The ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 26 size of the school district also impacts measurement of teacher leadership. Larger school districts often follow a hierarchical philosophy of leadership. This philosophy often limits the availability of teacher leadership opportunities. Within each school building, principal support is also critical to the effectiveness of teacher leadership and its measurement (Angelle & Teague, 2014, p. 746). Many of the studies included in this literature review are impacted by variables that are largely influenced by factors that can differ greatly within school districts as well as within individual school buildings. According to Angelle and Schmid (2007) role identity in teacher leadership was recognized differently according to grade level. Shared decision making was often referenced in elementary and middle school settings, while high school teacher leadership was often referenced in a top-down hierarchy. Mentoring Programs for Teacher Leadership It is evident that teacher leadership cannot take place without the proper professional development in place for teacher leaders. York-Barr and Duke (2004) believe that professional development provides teachers with authentic collaboration, inquiry, and decision-making experiences. Providing professional development to teacher leaders can increase their confidence to become future leaders. However, teachers currently have very few opportunities to develop skills to become teacher leaders. Teacher leadership seems to finally be building some momentum throughout universities and institutions across the country. These programs are focusing on strengthening teacher content preparation and preparing teachers with content pedagogy. Higher education needs to develop in depth training programs to prepare teacher leaders ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 27 and to educate school communities about their important roles within the schools. Three universities that have strong teacher leadership programs are Johns Hopkins University School of Education, the University of Washington College of Education, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education. If teachers are provided more opportunities to learn about becoming teacher leaders, the result may produce more effective teacher leader initiatives. Sherrill (1999) has advocated for the implementation of nationwide standards to provide clear guidelines for teacher leadership. Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, and Sharply (2007) in a review of 1,300 studies indicated that despite the need for high quality professional development, it simply does not exist. Since these programs are not readily available to teachers, teacher leaders can explore other options to improve their teacher leadership skills. Some of the accredited programs may include The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and National Board Certification. By teachers attending these structured learning opportunities, they can develop the skills necessary to become a valuable teacher leader. It is clear, that teachers have few opportunities to develop the skills required to become an effective teacher leader (Dozier, 20007). Schools must provide an abundant amount of professional development within their own walls for teacher leaders to be successful. Teacher leader training can come from local education associations (unions), state associations, principals, teachers, central office administrative staff, and non-profit organizations. School districts must provide successful strategies for teacher leadership to exist. However, teachers must want to take advantage of the district’s support and resources so the build their teacher leadership ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 28 skills. Schools play a vital role in providing teachers high quality professional development for teacher leaders. Moller, Bowen, and Scrivner (2001) indicates that leadership can thrive amongst teachers if teachers are involved in planning and the delivery of professional development. This can be incorporated through study groups, mentoring teachers, professional conversations, and new ways to improve teacher instruction. Programs to enhance teacher leadership in the early years came from familiar work design, such as, career ladders, head teachers, and mentor teacher roles. Recently, however, other opportunities have progressed for teachers to become leaders. These include programs of curricular and instructional innovation, new approaches to teacher preservice and in-service education, and the development of new school structures and professional communities (Smylie, 1995). The research seems to be inconsistent pertaining to professional development and teacher leaders. Despite the growing amount of research regarding teacher leadership, significant gaps still remain, making it very difficult for schools and districts to know what will lead to successful teacher leadership (Mangin & Stoelinga, 2009). Therefore, for a school or district to benefit from teacher leadership, the implementation must be well thought out and informed for all stakeholders involved in the process. Teacher Preparation/Characteristics In order for teachers to prepare for teacher leadership roles, teachers must have some characteristics that come from within as teachers. Teacher leaders are both teachers and leaders in their schools. Teacher leaders should be motivated. Roger (2005) found that motivation is a disposition that particularly distinguishes leaders from non- leaders. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 29 Motivation is key in the progression from teacher to teacher leader because high motivation almost always results in taking action (Hunzicker, 2017). Teacher leaders should be willing to take risks and have an understanding that they may be vulnerable. This is necessary when facing challenging issues with their peers or administration and making tough decisions as teacher leaders. LeBlanc and Skelton (1997) indicated that teacher leaders often experience conflict between their leadership duties and their need for connecting and belonging to their peer group. Teacher leaders believe in themselves and stand up for what they believe is in the best interest of the students. Teacher leaders have been preparing to be leaders in their own classrooms. Sound teacher leaders are those teachers with significant teaching experience, recognized as being excellent teachers, and are well respected by their peers. Some factors quality teachers display to show that they are prepared to become teacher leaders might include: excellent professional teaching skills, a clear and well-developed personal philosophy of education, being in a career stage that enables them to give to others, having an interest in adult development, and being in a personal life stage that allows one time and energy to assume a position of teacher leadership (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Moller, Bowen, and Scrivner (2001) claim that in order to fill the role of a teacher leader, the teacher leaders should have these characteristics and skills: maintain a constant focus on student learning, seek lifelong learning, skillfully use facilitation and presentation skills, develop and maintain relationships, lead change, plan and organize, and understand politics, power, and authority. All teachers are not prepared or have the characteristics to become teacher leaders. However, it is clear that those teachers that strive to be teacher leaders should ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 30 have a solid foundation of teaching experience and expertise. Opportunities for teacher leaders seem to grow out of being a successful teacher in the classroom, seemingly because teachers who are successful in the classroom setting can more easily gain the trust and respect of colleagues, which is crucial to effective leadership among their peers (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). No matter how much a teacher is prepared to step into a teacher leadership role, all teacher leaders need the ongoing support of their principal along with a building culture that is prepared for teacher leadership. Distributed Leadership When reviewing the different types of leadership styles regarding teacher leaders, distributed leadership appears to have a major impact on teacher leaders. This impact is because of the collaboration that takes place between the principal and staff to accomplish goals together. Muijs and Harris (2003) explain the distributed leadership theory as: First, it incorporates the activities of multiple groups of individuals in a school who work at guiding and mobilizing staff in the instructional change process. Second, it implies a social distribution of leadership where the leadership function is stretched over the work of a number of individuals and where the leadership task is accomplished through the interaction of multiple leaders. Third, it implies interdependency rather than dependency, embracing how leaders of various kinds and in various roles share responsibility (p. 440). This type of leadership uses the teachers in the decision-making process, along with the principal. However, the principal has to be an instrumental guide to ensure distributed leadership is done properly. Distributed leadership can be excellent for ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 31 teacher leaders, if the principal understands that supporting those teacher leaders is imperative, along with providing them the opportunity to lead. Gronn (2000) has identified that distributed leadership implies a different power relationship within the school where the distinctions between followers and leaders tend to blur. The distributed model of leadership focuses upon the interaction, rather than the actions, of those in formal and informal leadership roles (Harris & Spillan, 2008). Although distributed leadership is not anything new, it is now gaining ground in the school systems. However, distributed leadership comes with some challenges. Distributed leadership can cause tension because of the shift in power, authority, and control. Teachers may feel overwhelmed with more responsibilities in the decisionmaking process. Another challenge may be how the power and control are distributed. In some cases, distributed leadership has been used to undermine formal authority and to negate the influence of the principal (Harris, 2013). Trust can be a challenge when establishing distributed leadership. Trust must be established so that distributed leadership is authentic and not simply delegating responsibilities. Schools today must begin to move away from the top down approach, begin collaborating with teachers, and moving toward creating teacher leaders. Principals must understand distributed leadership and be willing to change their leadership practices. More recent empirical evidence shows that distributed leadership is positively correlated to the certain conditions within the organization, including staff morale, which in turn relates positively to student behavior and student learning outcomes (Harris, 2013). The principal plays a vital role in making a difference in not only the overall school building, as well as the successful implementation of distributed leadership. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 32 Sustainability The word sustainability means the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Schools do not have a problem creating a new program or initiative. They do have a problem when it comes to sustaining them. Hargreaves and Fink (2003) found that sustainability in educational change comprises five key and interrelated characteristics: 1) Improvement that sustains learning; not merely change that alters schooling. 2) Improvement that endures over time. 3) Improvement that can be supported by available or achievable resources. 4) Improvement that doesn’t impact negatively on the surrounding environment of other schools and systems. 5) Improvement that promotes ecological diversity and capacity throughout the educational and community environment (p. 5). Lambert (2003) believes that to begin and sustain teacher leadership, begin and sustain the conversations. Some of the conversations come in many different forms: Coaching questions asked or ideas shared in one-on-one conversations, data dialogues in inquiring conversations, exploring action research, engaging with parents and community members in partnering conversations, and long-range planning in sustaining conversations, all evoke values, experiences and increasingly skillful actions (p. 426). By having these conversations, professionals feel that their thoughts and feelings regarding themselves and their concerns are valued. This is a strong component for sustainability. This is why distributed leadership can play an important role in teacher leaders. Principals and administrators can transition to other job opportunities, which ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 33 could cause a challenge to sustainability. However, schools with distributed leadership and a shared vision can work to sustain initiatives by preparing for the transitions and hiring leaders that share the same vision. Although principals and key leaders may come and go, they are instrumental for sustaining school improvement. In a study that included six schools involved in school improvement, Hargreaves and Fink (2003) concluded school leaders can contribute to sustainability by committing to and protecting deep learning in their schools, supporting others in their learning, providing shared leadership, and creating lasting improvements for all stakeholders. Sustainability takes time and effort from many stakeholders in order for it to last over time. Principals and teacher leaders must concentrate on leadership skills for the future, not just the present. Principals, teacher leaders, and distributed leadership can lead to successful leadership and sustainable leadership. Without these components in place, sustainability will not happen. Successful leadership equals sustainable leadership. Culture Within Schools A school’s culture affects everyone affiliated with the school, from the principal, to the teachers, students, non-professional staff, and the community. The quality of a school’s culture depends on the interactions with all stakeholders. Teacher leaders have the opportunity to shape and change a school’s culture through their opportunities to lead. Teachers in the leadership role at their schools can be successful in promoting a culture change. Teacher leaders can help break down barriers that may exist in the building and build trust between colleagues. When teacher leaders work extensively inside and outside of the classrooms, the culture of the building moves toward a more collaborative ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 34 one, instead of being an exclusive place to learn. Beachum and Dentith (2004) referenced when teachers work is held in high regard and is the standard throughout the building, the school culture can shift from authoritative to collaborative. Teacher leaders, who work in a culture where the expectations are at a high level, believe their leadership skills contribute to their school’s improvement. For teacher leadership to be successful, high expectations need to be established. Collaboration, proper professional development, shared decision-making, and trust are all necessary when creating a culture that promotes teacher leadership. Teacher leadership tends to grow in a healthy work culture of trust and support where both principal and teachers share the same goals or purpose (Moller, Childs-Bowen, & Scrivner, 2001). A school culture that focuses on communication, collaboration, and collegiality will produce a strong teacher leadership environment. Some research regarding teacher leadership found teachers being instrumental when improving the culture of schools when enacting meaningful change (Angelle, 2007; Muijs & Harris, 2005). It is evident that teacher leadership takes a commitment from all members of the school community in order for it to have a successful impact on the culture of the school. In addition, the school culture can be a huge barrier when implementing teacher leaders. Teacher leadership can have a positive influence on the school’s culture by promoting collaborative working relationships that facilitate teachers sharing professional experiences and providing their expert knowledge. In addition, York-Barr and Duke (2004) found that the knowledge and expertise of teacher leaders could be effectively used to increase school improvement and student achievement. This would benefit the school’s culture for teachers and students, as well as the community. In order for teacher ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 35 leadership to be facilitated properly, the building should have a shared vision, developmental focus, autonomy, collegiality, collaboration, participation in decisionmaking, administrative support, and a trustworthy work environment. Effects on Teachers and Students The research surrounding teacher leadership confirms that the strongest effects of teacher leadership have been on the teacher leaders themselves. Teacher leaders can improve their teaching skills, pedagogy, and their personal motivation. Smylie (1994) points out those teacher leaders can improve their instructional practices because of their leadership roles. Teacher leaders can be exposed to new information and have more opportunities to interact with teachers regarding instructional best practices. Empowering teachers to take on a leadership role can enhance their motivation, selfesteem, and work satisfaction. Teacher leadership can contribute to teacher effectiveness, which can lead to school improvement. Teacher leaders working hand-in-hand with teachers in their building can do this. Some key benefits for teachers and improving their schools with teacher leaders are encouragement of continuous learning, sharing best practices, increased teacher confidence, higher teacher expectations and motivation, and the greater ability to innovate in the classroom (Harris & Muijs, 2002). However, not all research is positive regarding teacher leaders and their colleagues. Teacher leaders can become distant from their colleagues because of the time and responsibilities required to be an effective teacher leader. This can also lead to undue stress on the teacher leader, particularly if they feel that the burden of school improvement is solely on their shoulders. A study of three teacher leaders completed by ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 36 Wasley (1991) uncovered high levels of tension, resistance, and resentment permeated with colleagues. It is difficult to balance the role of teacher leaders and the teacher when building relationships. Therefore, clear expectations must be established for all stakeholders to buy into teacher leadership. There is little evidence that teacher leadership has an effect on the students, which is the most important product in schools today. The research seems unclear with the direct link between teacher leaders and student outcomes. However, what most literature confirms, is when teacher leadership focuses on the classroom instead of the organization, a greater probability exists for a positive impact on student learning outcomes (Harris, 2005). When teacher leaders and teachers have the opportunity to collaborate and participate in school decision making regarding educational practices, a better learning environment exists for students. These opportunities could include decisions about curriculum, scheduling, and policy making to improve the school. This could have an overall effect on the students and student outcomes. Summary Teacher leadership can be enhanced and influenced through principal leadership. The principal plays a vital role in enhancing teacher leadership. The principal and teacher leaders must develop a collaborative relationship where leadership is shared. The principal must embrace shared leadership and allow others to assist with leading. It is the responsibility of the principal to build and establish an organizational climate that encourages and supports teacher leadership throughout the building. An environment that promotes teacher leadership should consist of: a safe place for risk taking, encourage others to be teacher leaders, eliminate barriers, and offer meaningful professional ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 37 development (Danielson, 2007). When the principal is the catalyst for teacher leadership, it can be successful and meaningful. Teacher leadership gives the teacher the opportunity to provide their knowledge outside their classroom, and eliminates the closed doors that teachers are accustomed too. Teacher leaders are an important source of knowledge, expertise, and information. Teachers that continue to learn and excel in teaching can improve the quality of teachers, which could be contagious throughout their building. By providing teacher leaders the opportunity in decision making, they feel more ownership in their product, which are the students. This could benefit the school environment and may lead to improving student achievement. However, teacher leadership remains underdeveloped currently in most schools. In closing, the research regarding teacher leadership is abundant; however, a lot of the research lacks strong supporting evidence. Educators must continue to research teacher leadership, to develop evidence for the future, and determine if it is truly effective in today’s schools. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 38 CHAPTER III Methodology Overview The literature is abundant with reasons for advancing the concept and practice of teacher leadership. Successful organizations depend on multiple sources of leadership. In schools, this notion of leadership assumes that significant and continuous improvement happens when leaders, both at administrative and instructional levels, work collaboratively for school change (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). Of course, teacher leadership is not something new. What is new are increased recognition of teacher leadership, visions of expanded teacher leadership roles, and new hope for the contributions these expanded roles might make in improving schools (Smylie & Denny, 1990). The Albert Gallatin Area School District has struggled to cultivate teacher leadership in the eight school buildings that comprise this rural district. The struggle to develop teacher leadership has created an environment in which the principal versus teacher philosophy is evident amongst the faculty within the district. Due to this philosophy, few teacher leaders have emerged within the district and its buildings. In addition to the principal versus teacher philosophy, teachers simply do not feel comfortable taking on leadership roles in their buildings due to animosity for such efforts from their colleagues. Recently, the teachers were without a contract for over a year. This did not help to boost morale or foster teacher leadership in the district. If the principals and teachers cannot work together, the Albert Gallatin schools and students will not flourish. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 39 Purpose A review of the literature on enhancing teacher leadership has revealed benefits to the organizations; however, implementing this initiative needs all stakeholders to be fully invested. Teacher leadership development is more of an organizational change than a reallocation of tasks and duties, and therefore patterns of practice and belief mold teacher leadership roles (Smylie & Denny, 1990). Teacher leadership can promote continuous teaching and learning, ownership in decision making, teacher expertise, and teacher recognition and growth. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore enhancing teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. The study examined how teachers in the district view teacher leadership through self-assessment. The study also explored how teachers in the district define teacher leadership and ways that principals can improve teacher leadership. The results of this study can provide the district with a better understanding of teacher leadership and how to improve it. The realization of the impact of teacher leadership and the efforts implemented to enhance teacher leadership will positively impact the students, schools, teachers, administrators, and the community. This study is relevant to the researcher as they are the principal at Albert Gallatin High School as well as the Secondary Supervisor. As principal, developing teacher leaders in the building has been a constant struggle. In the 2012-2013 school year, the high school received the School Improvement Grant. This was a three-million-dollar grant over three years. The grant promoted teacher leadership and gave teacher leaders a stipend for taking on the challenging role. However, it was very difficult to find willing participants for those leadership roles. The backlash from other staff members and the ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 40 resulting repercussions participants faced daily proved challenging. The potential leaders preferred to stay in their classrooms and work with their students rather than venture into the leadership role. It was evident that there was a disconnect between teachers and administrators. For the district to move forward, more teacher leaders were needed. This study will begin to uncover the reasons why teachers do not want to become leaders in the district. The desired outcome of this study is to gain a better understanding of teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes are key in developing teacher leadership. Also, administrators should understand how they can improve in order to promote teacher leadership within their buildings and the district. By collecting and analyzing valuable data, the district can begin to take initial steps to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. By gaining an understanding of teacher leadership and the influence of principal leadership, these participating individuals will provide valuable qualitative data for the Albert Gallatin Area School District to cultivate these relationships. The complexity of educational organizations seems to be at its highest with standardized tests and increased accountability for all employees. The teaching profession is constantly changing with state mandates, and teacher's responsibilities continue to expand beyond the delivery of content. Our existing administrative structures, often the top-down approach, our value systems, and our professional training programs conflict with the kind of systemic change that the times demand (Ash & Persall, 2000). Old assumptions seem to constrain many schools today. Therefore, school leaders have to build more collaborative and democratic arrangements with ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 41 teachers and others to achieve the enormous ambitions of schooling and respond to students' diverse needs (Beachum & Dentith, 2004). School leaders can no longer afford to serve as the only person with all the power regarding all decision making in the school setting. Hence, the principal and teacher leaders must work together to play a vital role in creating teacher leadership. Research Questions The focus of this research study was to have a better understanding of enhancing teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. This study attempts to determine teachers’ self-assessment regarding teacher leadership. Also, the study explored how the district can improve teacher leadership. Research Question 1 (RQ1): What is the teachers’ perception of teacher leadership? Research Question 2 (RQ2): How do we build teacher leadership? Research Question 3 (RQ3): How do principals improve teacher leadership? Setting The Albert Gallatin Area School District is located in southwestern Pennsylvania and spans 144 square miles of rural territory containing four boroughs and four townships. The LEA employs 230 teachers and serves 3,313 students in its five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. A majority of the LEA's student population is Caucasian (92.81%); however, the district also serves a small proportion of Black (4.03%), Multi-Racial (3.25%), Hispanic (.76%), Asian (.09%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (.03%) and Native Hawaiian (.09%) students. The district has a low percentage (.06%) of English Language Learners. More than 54% of the district's student population is economically disadvantaged. The portion of the ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 42 population who receives special education services comprises nearly 22% of the total student population. The district has an attendance rate of 93% and a mean graduation rate of 88%. The Albert Gallatin Area School District is located in Fayette County, where approximately 87.4% of the adult population graduated from high school (US Census Bureau, 2017). The adult population who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher over the age of 25 is 14.7%. The primary industry is retail trade, and the median household income is $40,511. Fayette County has had a 3.7% decline in its population from 2010 to 2017. Additionally, according to the Pennsylvania Early Learning Reach and Risk Assessment (2011), children from Fayette County are at high risk of school failure. Beginning in January 2018, a new Superintendent was appointed. Also, a new federal programs coordinator was appointed to administration. The district has one Special Education Director who manages and coordinates special education services for the large population of students who qualify for support services in all eight buildings. The district was also forced to realign building-level administrative positions for various reasons. The Albert Gallatin Area School District is a Phase 3 district, and its Comprehensive Plan is due for revision. The current plan met requirements for the years 2015 through June 2018. It was determined that certain components of the previous plan would be maintained as part of the new plan in addition to the many areas in need of revision to meet current federal and state requirements. The eight schools of the Albert Gallatin Area School District are an essential part of the community they embody. Partnerships are necessary to meet the needs of all our students effectively. The board of education and administration work collaboratively to ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 43 ensure that programs and initiatives are in place that prioritizes the students. Indicators outlined in the Future Ready PA Index will increase accountability and will inherently require the district to review current programs and initiate provisions that will reflect the standards for college and career success. The district realizes it must maintain programs that parallel the Standards Aligned System and monitor this alignment regularly. Moreover, to enhance economic prosperity in the region, the Albert Gallatin Area School District will need to ensure preparedness for the types of occupations available in the area. Financial concerns both present and long-term continue to be a part of the decisionmaking process. The district realizes that to continue providing quality programs while meeting the demands of federal and state requirements, infrastructure changes will need to be considered. However, constituents have raised concerns over proposed changes, specifically the realignment of schools. The community looks to the schools to provide a variety of services. It is believed that the community wishes to continue the uniqueness of each school and the neighborhood it serves. Each elementary school is unique and serves its corresponding community according to that uniqueness. Three elementary schools feed into one middle school, while the other two elementary schools feed into the other middle school. Masontown Elementary school has an enrollment of 236 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. It maintains a 69.5% economically disadvantaged population and a 20.3% special education population. Friendship Hill Elementary school has an enrollment of 220 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. The economically disadvantaged population at this school is 56.4%, and the special education population is 18.2%. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 44 Smithfield Elementary School's enrollment is 312 students from grades kindergarten through fifth. The school has an economically disadvantaged population of 49% and a gifted student population of 4%. There current special education population is 19.6%. Each of these elementary schools is located within the communities they serve and are comprised of varying populations. These elementary school students move on to Albert Gallatin South Middle School, which serves grades six through eight. South Middle School has an enrollment of 385 students and a gifted population of 4.9%. This middle school has an economically disadvantaged population of 49.9% and a special education population of 26.2%. The other two elementary schools in the district are George J. Plava Elementary School and A.L. Wilson Elementary School. They are both buildings that serve kindergarten through fifth grade, with the majority of these students moving to Albert Gallatin North Middle School to attend grades 6-8. George J. Plava Elementary School has an enrollment of 330 students. The economically disadvantaged population is 56.7%, and the special education population is 19.7%. A. L. Wilson Elementary School's enrollment is 390 students with an economically disadvantaged population of 47.7%. The special education population is 13.1%, while the gifted population is 1.8%. Albert Gallatin North Middle School has an enrollment of 388 students in grades 6-8. The economically disadvantaged population is 46.4%. The gifted population is 4.4%, and the special education population is 22.7%. All of the schools listed above have a gender enrollment of approximately 50% males and 50% females. All elementary schools are Title 1 Schools, while the middle schools and high school are not. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 45 The Albert Gallatin High School is in the center of the 144 square miles of the district. The high school serves grades 9-12 with an enrollment of 1,052 students. The economically disadvantaged population is 48.6% and includes a special education population of 19.3%. The gifted population at the high school is 3.2%. Of the 1,052 students enrolled at the high school, 232 students in grades 10 through 12 attend the CTI for a minimum of half a day. The Albert Gallatin Area School District is a rural school district with a high transient student population. The district supports each student in reaching his or her optimal potential by creating a safe and respectful environment that fosters academic success, social development, and lifelong learning. Participants The study's participants were teachers and administrators from the Albert Gallatin Area School District. The demographics represent a rural community with a high poverty population. The district has experienced a decline in student enrollment over the past ten years. It currently has five elementary schools serving grades kindergarten through fifth, two middle schools serving grades six through eight, and one high school serving grades nine through twelve. The survey participants consist of 230 teachers and seven principals. All teachers and administrators are certified in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade. Before recruitment for participants began, the researcher received approval from the district's superintendent (See Appendix A) and the school board directors. Recruitment of participants was through an email inquiring about teacher leadership throughout the district. This survey was to determine whether teacher leadership engagement existed within the district. The teachers in this sample were asked to complete an online survey. A consent form was sent via email to all district teachers and ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 46 principals explaining the procedures of the survey. In the consent form (See Appendix B), the researcher reassured the participants that their responses would be anonymous, and that there would be no way for the researcher to determine the origins of their responses. Participation in the study was voluntary, and by completing and submitting the survey, participants were giving their consent to participate. This consent form provided participants with a link to the survey through Google Forms. The web-based survey research title was Enhancing Teacher Leadership Influenced Through Principal Leadership (See Appendix C). The survey was emailed to 230 participants, of which 73 completed and returned to the researcher. This is a 31.7% participation rate from a possible 230 participants. Research Plan The purpose of collecting qualitative data for this study is to address the research questions in a meaningful way. A qualitative method approach will be used for this action research project. Data collection will consist of survey questions given to both principals and teachers. All schools will have the opportunity to participate in this research study. By gaining an understanding of teacher leadership and the influence through principal leadership, these participating individuals will provide valuable qualitative data for the Albert Gallatin Area School District to move forward to build these relationships. Although this study can only reveal teachers' self-assessment and their perception of teacher leadership, it may encourage school leaders to create opportunities for teacher leadership practices in the district, which could lead to better communication, increased autonomy, and improved decision-making. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 47 In the past, principals in traditional schools were the sole decision-makers. Today, schools are beginning to move away from those traditional beliefs and are sharing leadership roles. Based on an analysis of ideas present in the literature review, teacher leadership can have an impact on all stakeholders. Shared leadership includes collaboration, empowerment, and shared agency, where the belief is that all participants are capable of leading (Muijs & Harris, 2003). In fact, leadership must be shared or distributed to be effective (Gronn, 2000). However, this research plan could be hindered by the current culture of the district. There is a history of animosity between teachers and administrators in the district. Teachers have the misconception that some principals, past and present, are working against the teachers rather than with them. This was particularly evident in the teachers' recently settled contract. The teachers worked with a status quo contract of over 400 days. Teachers further communicated their animosity toward administration by declaring work to rule in an effort to reach a contract agreement. The teachers' reached a tentative agreement in October 2019. The survey was distributed to the district in December of 2019. The short period of time between the tentative agreement and the distribution of the contract may lead to slightly skewed answers concerning perceptions of teacher leadership. This is due primarily to the fact that during contract negotiations, few individuals were willing to entertain teacher leader roles as a negotiation tactic. These strained relationships appear to have influenced the culture in the district. This was also evident in Smylie and Denny's (1990) study of the relationships between teacher leaders and their colleagues. As analyzed in the literature review, barriers to teacher leadership do exist. All stakeholders must work together to overcome the barriers in ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 48 order for teacher leadership to be successful. The teachers and principals in the district must understand that the top-down method will not foster teacher leadership. Schools that demonstrate the top-down approach will struggle to develop teacher leaders because this type of leadership suffocates teacher autonomy to assume leadership roles (Muijs & Harris, 2003). Principals and teachers will have to change their mindset and the culture in order for teacher leadership to grow. In this research plan, the district will have a better understanding of the teachers' self-assessment regarding teacher leadership. Also, the open-ended questions in the survey can determine the teachers' perceptions of what they believe teacher leadership is and how principals can improve teacher leadership in the district. The fiscal implications are minute in comparison to the reward the district could experience with this study. Most of the costs of this study will be indirect costs. The teachers and administrators will need to use their own time when completing the survey. The researcher will have to invest their time in collecting and analyzing the data from all of the schools. Google Forms will be used for the survey questions allowing the teachers to complete the survey on their computers. Computers should be the only equipment needed for this study. During the study, there should not be the need for any additional supplies or unforeseen overhead for its completion. However, teacher supplies were budgeted for when the study is completed to ensure proper materials can be provided if teachers feel they need them to be successful in developing teacher leadership. Methods of Data Collection To explore improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership, a qualitative research approach was used for this study. This study relied on one survey ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 49 with three open-ended questions that would narrow the understanding of the research questions. The survey began by asking the teachers their grade level taught, their education level, and years of teaching experience. The survey was the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (TLSA) created by Marilyn and Bill Katzenmeyer (2004). It was used to explore how teachers viewed themselves regarding their teacher leadership beliefs as well as provide a measurement instrument for teacher leadership. According to the survey from Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (2004), the elements of teacher leadership include: Self-Awareness: The teacher has an accurate picture of self in terms of strengths, values, philosophy, and behaviors. Leading Change: The teacher uses effective strategies to facilitate positive change. Communication: The teacher exhibits effective listening, oral communication, presentation skills, and expression in written communication. Diversity: The teacher demonstrates respect for and responds to differences in perspectives. Instructional Proficiency and Leadership: Teacher possesses and uses professional knowledge and skills in providing the most effective learning opportunities for students and adults. Continuous Improvement: The teacher demonstrates a commitment to reaching higher standards and readiness to take action to improve. Self-Organization: The teacher establishes a course of action and implements plans to accomplish results. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 50 The 42 Likert scale items in the survey (Appendix C) were combined and examined by the researcher to have an understanding of the district teachers' selfassessment regarding teacher leadership. Each item was scored using a 5-point Likertscale ranging from "never" to "always." The self-scoring procedure had the survey broken down by the questions on the Likert scale. The questions were categorized as follows: questions one through six were regarding self-awareness; questions seven through twelve addressed leading change; questions thirteen through eighteen addressed communication; diversity was addressed in questions nineteen through twenty-four; questions twenty-five through thirty covered instructional proficiency; continuous improvement was the focus of questions thirty-one through thirty-six; and questions thirty-seven through forty-two were regarding self-organization. Participants were given the link to the Google Forms survey through email (see Table 1). Table 1 Data Collection Instruments Research Question 1. What is the teacher’s perception of teacher leadership? 2. How do we build teacher leadership? 3. How do principals improve teacher leadership? Data Collection Method Survey Open-Ended Questions Instrument Teacher Leadership SelfAssessment Survey Open-Ended Questions Survey Open-Ended Questions Researcher Developed Questions Researcher Developed Questions ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 51 The researcher used the qualitative approach to investigate the quality of improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. Qualitative research involves the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, largely narrative and visual in nature, to gain insights into a particular phenomenon of interest (Mertler, 2019). To initiate the study, the researcher gained approval from California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board (IRB) (See Appendix D for IRB approval). Participation in the survey was voluntary and confidential. Prior to the distribution of the survey, the researcher received approval from the superintendent (See Appendix A). The consent form (See Appendix B) along with the survey link was sent to all survey participants on December 12, 2019. The survey (See Appendix C) was administered, and participants' responses were managed using an online data collection in Google Forms. Thirty-seven participants completed the survey by January 14, 2020, resulting in a 16% completion rate. An email was sent to all participants on January 14, 2020, to remind the participants of the survey and its ending date of January 17, 2020. After the reminder, 73 total participants participated in the study, resulting in a completion rate of 31.7%. The survey gave the researcher an overview of teacher leadership perceptions in the district. The researcher recorded all open-ended responses. Responses were tallied and studied to identify codes and themes. This process involved compiling the data, disassembling the data, and then reassembling it (Hendricks, 2017). Timeline The following is a timeline of dates that the researcher proposed as an identifiable model for collecting data. Phase One: December 2019 to January 2020 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • Send out survey with consent forms • Collect surveys through Google Forms 52 Phase Two: February 2020 to March 2020 • Collect and analyze data Phase Three: March 2020 to May 2020 • Analyze data to identify patterns for improving teacher leadership influence through principal leadership. Ethical Considerations The researcher for this qualitative research study established ethical considerations. The researcher explained the reason for the research study, made participants aware of the potential risks or harm, provided an informed consent form, and reassured participants of the anonymity and confidentiality established in the research study. The researcher stressed that due to the web-based nature of the survey, there exists a minimal possibility that individuals not involved with the study could intercept responses. Usually, there is no risk of subjecting participants in an educational research study to physical harm, but there certainly is the potential of psychological harm, including undue stress, embarrassment, retribution, and the like (Mertler, 2019). The participants were provided all pertinent information regarding the study and the approximate time needed in order to complete the survey. No individuals other than the participant would know if they participated in the study. Participants' responses to the survey were honest and open. The researcher clarified that the participants would not be contacted for any further information. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 53 Limitations The first limitation of this study might be the extent to which teachers who taught in other districts had exposure to professional development regarding teacher leadership. Some teachers may have taught in other districts before teaching in the current district participating in the study. Throughout their varying education and experience with professional development focusing on teacher leadership, different beliefs regarding teacher leadership may exist for those teachers that taught in other districts. The second limitation of this study is the sample size. The results of this study have limited generalization surrounding improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership compared to other populations. The third limitation was the location threat. The study's setting was a limitation. The participants all worked in the same district; however, participants have worked for different principals in different buildings and have had different mentor teachers. The fourth and final limitation is related to the researcher's bias toward the study. The researcher currently works in one of the buildings in the district participating in the survey as an administrator. To the best of his ability, the researcher limited all biased tendencies during the research study. The researcher did not assume a personal agenda during the research process. Assuming a personal agenda would have skewed the ability to represent the data in a trustworthy manner. Communication of Findings The results were written in an overview that was accessible to all stakeholders in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. The overview was distributed to all school board directors. The data collected from the survey and the open-ended questions were ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 54 included in the report. The results provide teachers, administrators, school board members, and central office staff with considerations to help improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. Potential Contributions This study will contribute to the understanding of improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district. By exploring the results of this survey, the teachers and principals can begin to break down barriers that exist to create teacher leaders. This study can begin to uncover why administrators and teachers struggle to unite to work together for the betterment of the district. By exploring teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership, Albert Gallatin Area School District can move forward to foster these relationships. In the end, the students, schools, teachers, administrators, and community will benefit from these findings. This could be the beginning of a continued partnership in the district for years to come. Table 2 Capstone Budget ACCOUNT 10-1110-329-443-10-21-002 10-1110-329-443-20-51-002 10-1110-329-443-30-80-002 10-1110-610-443-10-21-002 10-1110-610-443-20-51-002 10-1110-610-443-30-80-002 TOTAL DESCRIPTION Elementary Professional Development Middle School Professional Development High School Professional Development Supplies for Elementary Supplies for Middle School Supplies for High School BUDGET $3,000.00 $3,000.00 $3,000.00 $2,000.00 $2,000.00 $2,000.00 $15,000.00 As all educators know and understand, Professional Development is critical to implementing any kind of change in the school system (see Table 2). The researcher ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 55 allotted $3,000 each for the elementary, middle, and high school staff to support building teacher leadership. This Professional Development could be used for resources, point people training, as well as full staff training. The researcher has also placed $2,000 for the elementary, middle, and high school staff to support the purchase of teacher supplies. These supplies may be necessary to implement teacher leadership improvement in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. These supplies will be budgeted for teachers needing anything additional to enhance their leadership in the schools. The researcher believes that most of the costs for this study will be indirect costs. The teachers and administrators will use their own time when completing the survey questions. The researcher will have to invest their own time in collecting and analyzing the data. The researcher utilized Google Forms for the survey questions allowing the teachers to complete the survey on their computers. Computers should be the only equipment needed for this study. During the study, there should not be a need for any additional supplies or unforeseen overhead. However, the researcher budgeted for teacher supplies for when the study is completed to ensure the availability of the proper materials needed for the development of teacher leadership. Validity Qualitative analysis is a process by which particular tasks are carried out to manage, organize, and validate the data. According to Hendricks (2017), the trustworthiness of the study relies on Lincoln and Guba's trustworthiness criteria, which have been widely referenced in qualitative research. These criteria are: ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • 56 Credibility: The plausibility of the research findings for the context that was studied. • Transferability: The extent to which results would replicate to other contexts and other individuals. • Dependability: The degree to which research results would replicate with the same or similar participants and/or context. • Confirmability: Showing the results are an accurate representation of what occurred rather than the result of the researcher's bias, motivation, or interest. The researcher increased the validity by using the triangulate data source, by using multiple sources of data, the credibility of the findings increases. The use of the survey and open-ended questions not only validated the collected data but deepened the understanding of the research study. Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (2004) established content validity for the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment through a panel of knowledgeable experts. The knowledgeable expert consisted of education professionals with experience developing teacher leaders or having served as teacher leaders. The participants identified items that would be useful in self-reflecting teacher leadership. The group finalized the items, which were placed in seven categories, or scales, using a heuristic factor analysis: SelfAwareness, Leading Change, Communication, Diversity, Instructional Proficiency, Continuous Improvement, and Self-Organization. This created the 42-item Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 57 Summary The purpose of this study was to understand improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. The available literature is evidence that improving teacher leadership can have a positive outcome for schools. More recently, other opportunities for teacher leadership have risen through programs of curricular and instructional innovation, new approaches to teacher preservice and in-service education, and the development of new school structures and professional communities (Smylie, 1995). Teacher leaders can help guide fellow teachers and the school at large toward higher standards of achievement and recognition of individual responsibility for school reform. Until this responsibility for teacher leadership is realized in every teacher, the field of teaching will not change (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The research study explored the perceptions teachers have regarding teacher leadership through self-assessment, ways of improving teacher leadership, and how principals can improve teacher leadership. The qualitative data were coded and analyzed for themes. The methods presented here attempted to gather sufficient data and employ effective analysis techniques to draw conclusions, suggest common themes, and find implications to practice in the future. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 58 CHAPTER IV Data Analysis and Results Overview The purpose of this study was to explore the understanding of enhancing teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. The data was gathered from 73 participants in one district. This was done through a survey that contained three openended questions. The data was gathered, coded, categorized, and later analyzed to determine how teacher leadership can be influenced by principal leadership. In successful organizations, multiple sources of leadership are needed. In schools, this notion of leadership assumes that significant and continuous improvement happens when leaders, both at administrative and instructional levels, work collaboratively for school change (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The following research questions guided this study: Research Question 1 (RQ1): What is the teachers’ perception of teacher leadership? Research Question 2 (RQ2): How do we build teacher leadership? Research Question 3 (RQ3): How do principals improve teacher leadership? This chapter includes the presentation and discussion of individual teacher beliefs about teacher leadership and assesses their leadership qualities. The three research questions regarding teacher leadership in the district are also addressed. As previously discussed, an online survey was used to gather information from teachers and principals. In addition, three open-ended questions were used to gather qualitative responses ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 59 regarding teacher leadership. Understanding these perceptions can guide future actions by the district to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. Participant Description The 73 participants were to answer the first three questions on the survey regarding their grade level taught, level of education achieved, and years of teaching experience. Their grade level taught was broken down into four sections. The sections included grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and grades 9-12. The participants teaching in grades kindergarten through second totaled 6.9% of the participants (five teachers). The number of participants currently teaching in grades three through five was 21.9% (16 teachers) and 27.4% of the participants (20 teachers) teach in the middle schools which include grades six through eight. The largest majority of participants 43.8% (32 teachers) currently teach at the high school level, which includes grades nine through twelve (see Table 3). Table 3 Grade Level Taught The level of education of the participants was categorized into four sections. The sections were having a bachelor’s degree, having a master’s degree, having a master’s plus additional credits, and having a doctorate degree. The majority of the participants ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 60 (34) currently hold a bachelor’s degree which totaled 46.6%. The participants having a master’s degree totaled 28.8% (21) and 21.9% (16) hold a master’s degree plus additional credits. The smallest percentage of participant education level was the doctorate degree which totaled 2.7% (2). Refer to Table 4 for a complete representation of the results for this survey question. Table 4 Level of Education The third question in the survey pertained to years of experience or years teaching. The four categories were separated into four groups: 0-5 years of teaching experience, 6-10 years of teaching experience, 11-15 years of teaching experience, and 15 plus years of teaching experience. The participants that have 0-5 years of teaching experience totaled 6.9% (5 teachers). The participants that have 6-10 years of teaching experience totaled 13.7% (10 teachers) and 31.5% (23 teachers) have 11-15 years of teaching experience. The largest group of participants, 47.9% (35 teachers), had 15 plus years of teaching experience (see Table 5). ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 61 Table 5 Teaching Experience (Years) Characteristics of the Teacher Leaders in the District The Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (TLSA) survey provided information about the types of leadership behaviors teachers engage in throughout the district. The results of the 73 participants’ survey were recorded and calculated using a Google Form. The data was transferred into an Excel spreadsheet. Each question was given its own column and all 42 survey answers were given a numerical value. The numerical values range from one to five following the standard Likert scale. The response possibilities were as follows: 1 (Never), 2 (Rarely), 3 (Sometimes), 4 (Often), and 5 (Always). This was completed using the coding method. Each question was analyzed for mean, median, and standard deviation. The measures of central tendency and measure of dispersion were also calculated. These behaviors are categorized into seven scales in the survey. There were six questions in each of the seven scales totaling 42 closed-response questions. They are listed below: • Self-Awareness: The teacher has an accurate picture of self in terms of strengths, values, philosophy, and behaviors. • Leading Change: The teacher uses effective strategies to facilitate positive change. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • 62 Communication: The teacher exhibits effective listening, oral communication, presentation skills, and expression in written communication. • Diversity: The teacher demonstrates respect for and responds to differences in perspectives. • Instructional Proficiency and Leadership: Teacher possesses and uses professional knowledge and skills in providing the most effective learning opportunities for students and adults. • Continuous Improvement: The teacher demonstrates a commitment to reaching higher standards and readiness to take action to improve. • Self-Organization: The teacher establishes a course of action and implements plans to accomplish results. The figure below illustrates the average participant score of the Teacher Leadership SelfAssessment. The characteristics are summarized in Figure 1. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 63 Figure 1 Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment Scale 30 25 20 15 10 5 f-O rg an iza tio n Se l t Im pr ov em en rs hi p Co nt in uo us In s tru ct io na lP ro fic ie n cy an d Le ad e Di ve rs ity Co m m ica tio n e Ch an g ng Le ad i Se l f- Aw ar en es s 0 The three behaviors with the highest characteristics were in the categories of SelfAwareness, Diversity, and Instructional Proficiency and Leadership. The scores totaled 29 for each of these three categories. The next highest score recorded was 28 in the category of Self-Organization. In the category of Leading Change, the score recorded was 27. The two lowest-scoring characteristics were in the categories of Communication and Continuous Improvement, which recorded a score of 25. These results align with the philosophy behind this research study, which indicate that teachers in the district are comfortable with their abilities within the classroom but lack the necessary supports and self-perception to evolve into teacher leaders. The highest mean on the individual questions from the participants of the group was from the category of Instructional Proficiency and Leadership. The behaviors most frequently engaged in included, ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • 64 “I act with integrity and fairness when working with students and adults.” This individual question had a mean of 4.86. • “I promote a positive environment in the classroom.” This individual question had the second highest mean of 4.82. • “I have a reputation for being competent in the classroom.” This individual question had the fourth highest mean of 4.70. The third highest mean fell under the category of Self-Awareness on the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment. This question had a mean of 4.79 from the participants. • “At work, I behave in ways that are ethical and meet expectations for a high level of professional performance.” Participants as a group indicated that these were the teacher’s strengths in the district supporting the idea that teachers are most comfortable in their classrooms instructing students. The lowest mean from the participants was under the category of Communication. • “When leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate.” This individual question had a mean of 3.73 (See Table 6). Table 6 Communication Q20. When leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate. 3.73 4 0.804 In addition, the question that tied for the fourth-lowest mean fell under this category as well. • “I use electronic technology effectively to communicate with individuals and groups.” This individual question had a mean of 3.99 (See Table 7). ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 65 Table 7 Communication Q21. I use electronic technology effectively to communicate with individuals and groups. 3.99 4 0.979 The category of Leading Change was a weakness indicated through the participants’ selfassessment. Three out of the four lowest means came from this category. This category assists with answering RQ1 (See Table 8). • “I involve colleagues when planning for change.” This question had the secondlowest mean of 3.88. • “I invite colleagues to work toward accomplishment of the vision and mission of the school.” This question had the third lowest mean of 3.90. • “I lead others in accomplishing tasks.” This tied for the fourth-lowest mean of 3.99. Table 8 Leading Change Q10. I invite colleagues to work toward accomplishment of the vision and mission of the school. Q11. I lead others in accomplishing tasks. 3.90 4 0.988 3.99 4 0.754 Q12. I involve colleagues when planning for change. Q13. I understand the importance of school and district culture to improving student outcomes. Q14. I work toward improving the culture of the school. Q15. I am willing to spend time and effort building a team to improve my school. 3.88 4 0.927 4.67 5 0.554 4.34 5 0.837 4.47 5 0.801 The most frequently engaged categories were Self-Awareness, Diversity, Instructional Proficiency and Leadership, and Self Organization. Acting with integrity ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 66 and fairness with both students and adults was a high-frequency behavior within the aforementioned categories. Promoting a positive environment in the classroom was also a behavior frequently referenced in the frequently engaged categories listed above. Additionally, behaving in ways that are ethical and meet expectations for a high level of professional performance was also a behavior included in the most frequently engaged categories identified above. The emphasis of these categories suggests that teachers in the district are most comfortable in their classrooms, instructing students, and focusing on their skills and abilities as educators. The least frequently engaged categories were Communication, Self-Organizing, and Leading Change. There were four behaviors most often identified within these three least frequently engaged categories. One of these four behaviors identified was, “when leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate.” Another identified behavior in these categories was, “I involve colleagues when planning for change,” Additionally, “I invite colleagues to work toward accomplishment of the vision and mission of the school” and “I lead others in accomplishing tasks” were also identified behaviors in the least frequently engaged categories. York-Barr & Duke (2004) concluded in their study teacher leadership reflects teacher agency through establishing relationships, breaking down barriers, and marshaling resources throughout the organization in an effort to improve students’ educational experiences and outcomes. The results clearly indicate that teachers in the district are not comfortable with leadership roles or the characteristics identified as necessary to be an effective teacher leader. The need for establishing and growing these characteristics within the teaching staff are evident after analysis of the data. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 67 Open-Ended Survey Question Results The Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment survey included three open-ended questions that allowed the participants to expand on their perceptions regarding teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district. The qualitative data was collected and addressed each of the research questions. The results for each openended question were first categorized into themes. This data was then broken down into common answers then tallied and tracked. The qualitative results further supported the need for this research study as teachers expressed their perceptions of teacher leaders as well as the lack of necessary supports to encourage this behavior within the district. The first open-ended question asked, “How do you define Teacher Leadership (what is it/what does it look like)?” This open-ended question helps answer RQ1, which addresses the teachers’ perception of teacher leadership. Three themes emerged from the 73 responses. The most prevalent response was, “teachers’ perception of teacher leadership is someone who is a positive role model that takes on extra responsibilities when need be.” Additional open-ended responses are included below. • “A good leader is a positive role model for those around him/her in all aspects of professional duties/responsibilities at all times. Leadership also means you are willing to take on additional responsibilities when needed and assist those who may need it when presented with the opportunity to do so.” • “Teacher Leadership can be valuable to school climate and the #1 attribute is a POSITIVE PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE which lends itself to school climate improvement, not disintegration through various means, such as everyday politics, blatant favoritism, and the ever-present “grapevine!” It looks like adult ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 68 professionals that want to work here, and appreciate their position, and want to affect change by being the change.” • “Teacher leadership is going above and beyond your daily classroom duties. Teacher leadership is taking on extracurricular assignments, working alongside colleagues on projects to guide, direct, and improve not only classroom instruction, but also the school as a whole. To be a true teacher leader you must have a true win/win mentality. You see the success for all and not just yourself.” • “Set of skills demonstrated by teachers who continue to teach students but also have an influence that extends beyond their own classrooms to others within their own school.” Another theme regarding teachers’ perceptions of teacher leadership consisted of teachers stepping forward to lead and encouraging others. Open-ended responses included in this theme are listed below. • “Teacher leadership is the courage to step forward and lead regardless of how other people perceive you. It is important to do your best to be positive and encourage others to try new things. A teacher leader is someone who recognizes the needs of their colleagues and building and works to address those needs in a professional manner.” • “Leading others in a positive way to bring out the best in them.” • “Teacher leadership is when a teacher steps up and helps take control of a situation, being cognizant of others while doing so. Teacher leadership involves not only the duties of a regular teacher but adding to it. I think a good teacher leader sees the big picture of things and helps others reach that goal. A proverb I ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 69 read the other day, “He who thinketh he leadeth and that no one following him is only taking a walk.” – how about that for what a leader is/isn’t? Leadership is influence.” The third theme from the responses collected stated a need for collaboration and communication. Open-ended responses included in this theme are listed below. • “Teacher leadership does not worry about others and does what is best for students with team building, communication, and collaboration.” • “I think teacher leadership is management and influence in and outside of the classroom. Often teachers are in control of their classroom but remain focused on their classroom only. Teacher leadership will spill over to their peers as far as collaboration, planning, and leading are concerned.” • “Collaboration, Listening, and Listing Ideas.” • “Teachers working collaboratively in order to better prepare for instruction and create a well-balanced, effective staff.” Open-ended question number two asked the participants “How do we build Teacher Leadership at the Albert Gallatin Area School District?” Question number two assisted with answering RQ2. RQ2 seeks to find answers from the participants on how to begin to build teacher leadership in the district. Of the 73 responses, three themes emerged from the data collection. The overwhelming theme was the need for professional development. Teachers feel that professional development training focused on teacher leadership skills should be implemented. This will help change the culture to encourage an environment where all stakeholders feel ownership in the process of leadership. Openended responses included in this theme are listed below. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • “Professional Development.” • “In order to build teacher leadership in the Albert Gallatin Area School District 70 we need extensive professional development, and daily reinforcement thereof, on cooperative communication, principle-based, values and vision, as well as a system that seeks and provides mutual benefits for all parties involved.” • “Professional development training focusing on Teacher Leadership skills could be implemented. Leadership can be built by creating an environment where all feel ownership in the process and the outcomes.” The second theme that emerged was that teachers need to feel supported by the top administration. The current people in administrative roles need to build a culture where people have buy-in and are inspired. The negativity in the district must stop. Some participant responses included in this theme are listed below. • “Better working relationships with administration.” • “With support from our existing leaders-build a culture where people have buy-in and are inspired.” • “Veteran teachers supporting newer teachers. Sharing ideas; successful lessons. Teachers being positive and encouraging with students. Encouragement; support; building comfort and confidence in everyone (adults and students).” The third prevalent theme was that the participants would like to have time to collaborate with colleagues and to identify individual strengths and weaknesses in their teaching. They feel more time is needed to collaborate on their own practices and time to reflect. Responses included in this theme are listed below. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP • 71 “Give teachers time to work together in different groups. We are often grouped solely based on departments. It may provide the opportunity for new ideas to be developed to improve morale among the staff and students.” • “Sharing leadership and collaboration.” • “Sharing ideas and useful methods during built-in time.” Open-ended question number three asked participants “How can principals improve Teacher Leadership?” Question number three supports RQ3. Of the 73 responses, four themes emerged from the participants responses. These four themes consisted of 30% of the responses from the participants. The two main themes that emerged were better communication and teachers having a voice. The participants feel that principals can improve teacher leadership with better communication. Some responses are listed below. • “Open and honest communication.” • “Delegate, support, and communicate goals.” • “Better communication.” The participants believe principals can improve teacher leadership by allowing teachers to have a voice and show that they value their input. Teachers would like their voice to be heard and their ideas embraced. Participants responses included in this theme are listed below. • “They can ask teachers for their opinion and advice. Principals can listen; teachers know when a principal is just going through the motions or actually listening to the teacher’s input. Principals can prioritize and empower their stronger teachers to help lead other colleagues in a professional learning culture. Principals can be flexible; a principal cannot move a school alone and true ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 72 partnership between principals and teachers is only a possibility when everyone is adaptable and open to new approaches.” • “Ask and use or try to use teacher suggestions if they are appropriate.” • “Involve teachers in improving our schools and our district. Leadership in the district should include all educational professionals, not just be top-down dictated. Treat teachers as equals and professionals. There has been too much teacherbashing for too many years. That relationship needs to be rebuilt through genuine professional interactions with teachers by administration.” Another prominent theme was regarding how principals can improve teacher leadership simply by listening. The participants felt principals should listen to teachers’ ideas and suggestions for new ideas in their individual buildings. Some participant responses included in this theme are listed below. • “Listen.” • “I think some principals can improve teacher leadership by actually listening to what teachers say and backing them 100%. In my experience I have taught under many different principals and have found the best ones to be the toughest and yet the ones who would back me 100% when it came to being a teacher and knowing what was best for my students. Those are the schools that have thrived because of the true communication between teacher and principal—coming together on the same level as adults in the best interest of the students.” • “Teacher leadership must be based on respect for fellow educators and engaging in active listening when concerns arise.” ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 73 The last theme that emerged was what participants believed principals could do to improve teacher leadership which was show them support and provide them with encouragement. Teachers want to feel supported from their principals. Some responses to the open-ended question that are included in this theme are listed below. • “Support staff who present new ideas…encourage staff members to take the lead…show appreciation when staff members do step up and take on a leadership role.” • “By being available to support teachers and being open to try different approaches to meet the needs of the building.” • “Support. Teachers need to know and feel that principals have their backs and will stand with them in the face of adversity. Principals need to have an open dialogue with teachers on what can make the student educational experience even better. Being a classroom teacher is not easy. There are days when you feel like you didn’t do enough and didn’t reach your students. That is where a principal comes in and builds up those people to keep pushing encouraging them that they are in a battle worth fighting.” These three open-ended questions addressed each of the research questions. In each question, themes were presented of how to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. As with the quantitative data, the qualitative data supports the philosophy that teachers need supports from their building principals and administration. It also emphasizes the consistent themes that communication and professional development are lacking in the district but are strongly desired by the teaching staff. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 74 Discussion The purpose of this study was to explore enhancing teacher leadership influenced by principal leadership. The research cited in this study supports the idea that teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership can occur in the district. This study was motivated by the researcher’s interest in creating more teacher leaders in the district to improve the schools. The researcher sought to examine the following research questions: 1. What is the teacher’s perception of teacher leadership? 2. How do we build teacher leadership? 3. How do principals improve teacher leadership? This study utilized a survey to learn more about the teachers in the district, as well as what the district can do to improve teacher leadership. A qualitative research approach was used, and the findings are presented below. The survey results from the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (TLSA) indicated that teachers in the district frequently engaged in behaviors that support selfawareness, diversity, and instructional proficiency. The two most frequently engaged in behaviors included acting with integrity and fairness when working with students and adults and promoting a positive environment in the classroom. Both of these frequently engaged behaviors fall under the category of instructional proficiency. It is clear that the teachers in the district feel confident and comfortable in their classroom setting. Three out of the four highest means came from instructional proficiency. Teachers are teaching with their doors closed teaching in isolation and caring for their students in their ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 75 individual classrooms. This is how the district has operated for years. The data clearly supports the current culture of the district. The least often engaged in behaviors related to communication, continuous improvement, and leading change. The least frequently engaged in behaviors include, “when leading meetings, I am able to get almost everyone to participate” and “I involve colleagues when planning for change.” The five lowest means came from the categories leading change and communication. Three out of the five lowest means came from the category of leading change, including, “I involve colleagues when planning for change,” “I invite colleagues to work toward accomplishment of the vision and mission of the school,” and “I lead others in accomplishing tasks.” While the other two lowest means were under the category communication. This included statements such as, “when leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate” and “I use electronic technology effectively to communicate with individuals and groups.” Leading change is when teachers use effective strategies to facilitate positive change. Communication is when teachers exhibit effective listening, oral communication, presentation skills and expression in written communication. This data indicates that the teachers and district do not communicate well. Teachers, again, work in isolation and seldom work with their colleagues to accomplish tasks. Teachers are uncomfortable leading others and involving colleagues when planning for change or accomplishing tasks. This is a concern when developing teacher leaders and may provide insight as to why the district struggles with teacher leadership. Continuous improvement relates to teachers demonstrating a commitment to reaching higher standards and readiness to take action to improve. This was the lowest ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 76 least often engaged in behavior tied with the category of communication. The data indicates teachers’ unwillingness to participate in professional development and learning. The teachers appear to be comfortable remaining stagnant in the district. They are resistant to work side-by-side with colleagues, parents, and others to make improvements in the school or district. This data refers back to the responsibility of district leadership and their lack of teacher input for decision-making. They may believe it is not worth bettering themselves because of no reward or incentive to become a better teacher or leader in the district. The survey results provided by the participants indicated their areas of strengths and weaknesses regarding teacher leaders. It is clear that teachers in the district feel more comfortable in their classrooms working with students than collaborating with their colleagues. It is also evident that the participants in the survey struggle with communication, continuous improvement, and leading change. The data provided the researcher with a better understanding of the teacher leadership qualities from teachers across the district. The data analyzed from the three open-ended questions in the survey provided a better understanding of each of the research questions presented in this study. The participants defined teacher leaders as those teachers being positive role models and taking on additional responsibilities outside of their normal classroom. Teachers defined teacher leadership as individuals stepping forward and encouraging others. The majority of literature related to the question “Who are teacher leaders?” indicated that teacher leaders are or have been teachers with significant teaching experience, are known to be excellent teachers, and are respected by their peers (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). What ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 77 was interesting is some responses mention “No matter what others think,” or “regardless of how other people perceive you.” The participants are referring to their peers or colleagues. This is a concern for the district as it indicates that teachers that do step into leadership roles are met with resistance and criticism. The survey also showed that communication and collaboration are key when defining teacher leadership. There seems to be a large disconnect in communication throughout the district. Without clear communication and having transparent communication with all stakeholders teacher leadership cannot exist. The participants felt teacher leadership could be built in the district by focusing on professional development for teachers that cultivates the skills necessary for effective teacher leadership. Professional development is the leverage point for building teacher quality through teacher leadership (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). This was an overwhelming theme. This would be a positive step toward changing the culture in the district where all parties feel ownership in the process of leadership. Also, teachers need to feel supported by administration. The district recently went through some transition with administration including the superintendent. It is very clear that teachers do not feel enough support from the top down by administration. This supports the obvious disconnect between teachers and administration. Another theme that emerged to build teacher leadership was allowing time for teachers to collaborate with each other. There is simply no time throughout the school day for teachers to collaborate. There is no common planning time built in the middle schools’ or high school’s schedules. However, in the elementary schools, teachers have common preparation periods for their individual grade level. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 78 When asked, “How can principals improve teacher leadership?” participants provided responses that better communication and listening to teachers is a way for principals to improve teacher leadership. Botha (2004) indicated to improve efficiency in factories, the supervisors differentiated themselves from the assembly line workers. Schools structured themselves in a similar fashion with the principal operating with the mindset of the supervisor and the teachers as assembly line workers. Communication became top-down, and principals detached themselves from the ultimate work of schools-the development of young people. Today this model does not work either in the business sector or in schools. The data indicates that communication is an ongoing concern in the district. Communication was the lowest total score on the TLSA. The lowest mean, which was 3.73, was also under communication, which was tied to the statement “When leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate.” This is also a reflection on their colleagues, referring back to the comment of “regardless of how other people perceive you.” Teachers in the district seem to have a disconnect amongst themselves, which is a concern. The principals need to establish a better platform for teacher’s voices to be heard in order to build teacher leadership. Principals can involve teachers more in improving their schools. Principals can improve teacher leadership simply by listening. Teachers feel that principals do not listen to them, or that they go through the motions of listening to them, but not legitimately considering their input enough to include it in the decision-making process for the building. This could reflect why teachers teach in isolation and are the most comfortable in their own classroom. The last theme that will ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 79 improve teacher leadership through the principal would be providing teacher support. Teachers do not feel appreciated or encouraged enough in the district. By principals providing teachers encouragement and support the participants in the study feel that principals can improve teacher leadership. Summary In this examination of improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership multiple findings and implications for practice emerged. It became evident that better communication must exist. Communication has to improve in the district in order for teachers to improve as leaders. In addition, teachers want to feel supported and encouraged by their principals. In order for teachers to become leaders, they need to have teachers that are positive role models and that take on challenges outside their normal responsibilities. This needs to start with better communication for all stakeholders. Professional development regarding teacher leadership needs to be supportive, systematic, and strategic in order for teacher leaders to emerge in the district. Principals play a vital role in influencing teacher leadership in the district. Principals must communicate, support, build confidence, and motivate teachers in order to begin to build teacher leadership in the district. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 80 CHAPTER V Conclusions and Recommendations Introduction This chapter provides a review of the purpose of this study and research questions, followed by conclusions, future directions for research, and a summary. The purpose of this study was to explore teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. The research cited in this study supports the idea that such an understanding may offer some insight into the nature of teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. This study was motivated by the researcher’s interest in promoting teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district. This will begin an integral chapter of school improvement efforts for the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Teacher leadership contributions are critical to improving teacher quality and ensuring that educational reform efforts work. When teachers participate in improving education, changes are more likely to succeed. Without teacher leadership, the status quo will continue in classrooms (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The researcher sought to examine the following research questions: Research Question 1 (RQ1): What is the teachers’ perception of teacher leadership? Research Question 2 (RQ2): How do we build teacher leadership? Research Question 3 (RQ3): How do principals improve teacher leadership? A qualitative research approach was used, and the researcher increased the validity by using the triangulate data source. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 81 Conclusion The effectiveness of the intervention was average. The effectiveness of the intervention provided the researcher with new knowledge and a starting point to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the school district. The 42 items in the Likert scale survey from Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (2004) provided data on how teachers in the district view teacher leadership. This provided the researcher with a better understanding of the teacher’s perception of teacher leadership. However, only 73 teachers participated in the study out of 230 total teachers in the district, which is a 31.7% completion rate. This number does not represent the majority of the staff, which could be negatively interpreted when reviewing the effectiveness of the intervention. The survey analyzed the participant’s areas of strengths and weaknesses through survey questions that were categorized into seven elements. The three open-ended questions at the end of the survey addressed each research question. This approach provided a qualitative look at the teacher’s perceptions of teacher leadership. This was effective when considering the intervention. However, the effectiveness of the intervention may have been strengthened had the researcher selected participants and conducted interviews. The district had recently settled the teacher’s contract after over a year of negotiations. The survey method seemed to be the appropriate approach at the time given teacher morale. Tensions within the district, at the time of contract negotiations, were high between administration and teachers. As indicated by the low participation rate, this tense environment may have influenced teacher participation in the survey. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 82 The effectiveness of the intervention was average because it answered the researcher’s questions but did not provide a deep understanding of how to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district. However, it does provide a foundation of where to begin when improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. It is important to note that the literature in the area of teacher leadership has only begun to emerge. In fact, the common conception of leadership in education still traditionally rests in the hands of school administrators and professionals with non-teaching responsibilities (Silva, Gimbert, & Nolan, 2000). This suggests that the development of teacher leadership lies within the influence of administration. Implementing administrative supports to cultivate teacher leadership should be included in further research. The results of the study provided the researcher with ways to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. The survey indicated three key behaviors teachers in the Albert Gallatin Area School District possess in the categories of Self-Awareness, Diversity, and Instructional Proficiency and Leadership. This supports the idea that teachers in the district feel most comfortable inside their classrooms with the door closed. This is has occurred in the Albert Gallatin Area School District for years. Teachers teach without expanding their knowledge and expertise outside of their own classrooms. The participants believe they are competent and promote a positive environment inside their classroom. An alarming finding from the survey was the perception that teachers could not get their colleagues to participate in meetings that were led by individual teachers. This is concerning for any administrator intent on cultivating teacher leadership; however, it is ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 83 the current state of teacher leadership in the district. The two lowest-scoring characteristics were in the categories of Communication and Continuous Improvement. Teachers do not have respect for one another and do not listen to one another. This is a philosophy deeply rooted in the Albert Gallatin Area School District from years of topdown decision making and lack of collaboration and mutual respect between administration and teachers. The participants indicated they do not communicate with individuals and groups. An environment of collaboration and communication is critical to the successful cultivation of teacher leadership within a school. Another conclusion that is supported by the results provided comes from the category of Leading Change. This was a weakness indicated through participant responses to the survey. Teachers do not include colleagues when planning for change or invite colleagues to work toward the accomplishment of the vision or mission of the school. They also do not lead others in accomplishing tasks. This again represents the philosophy of teachers primarily feeling comfortable in their classroom in front of their students. By completing the Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment, the participants provided a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the teachers when it comes to teacher leadership. The results to the open-ended questions provided data in support of each research question. The participants defined teacher leadership as a teacher who is a positive role model that takes on extra responsibilities when necessary. These extra responsibilities in the district fall under formal leadership positions, which include union representatives, teacher mentors, department heads or grade-level chairs, providing in-service training for other teachers, and curriculum development. Ash and Persall (2000) view this as ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 84 traditional approaches to teacher leadership. These roles are not created to engage teachers in establishing schools as democratic societies. The Albert Gallatin Area School District lacks informal leadership, such as working with colleagues in small groups or teams, providing modeling or instructional coaching, and encouraging parent engagement. Teachers’ perceptions of teacher leadership include teachers stepping forward to lead and encourage others. Currently, those teachers who step forward to lead are often met with tension, resistance, and resentment by their colleagues. These teachers are often hesitant to step into leadership roles because of this. They are concerned with how other teachers perceive them when acting as a teacher leader. Therefore, those teachers likely to take on leadership roles often step back and retreat to teaching in their classroom with the door closed. Additionally, teachers willing to step into leadership roles often work quietly with administration, so their peers have no knowledge of such collaboration. Little (1990) suggests that collegial interaction at least lays the groundwork for developing shared ideas and for generating forms of leadership. Participants stated the need for collaboration and communication. The results indicate communication must improve in the district between all stakeholders. Collaboration between teachers has been found to be a necessary concomitant of school improvement and change as well as a contributory factor to school effectiveness (Little, 1990). These conclusions are supported by the results provided in the survey addressing teachers’ perceptions of teacher leadership. In order to build teacher leadership in the district, the participants overwhelmingly agreed that professional development training focused on teacher leadership skills should ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 85 be implemented. There has been no professional development in the district regarding teacher leadership. The literature supports that professional development is a huge part of creating successful teacher leadership. Training is necessary for teachers to become leaders. Professional development is the leverage point for building teacher quality through teacher leadership (Bowen, Moller, & Scrivner, 2000). The district must begin to provide professional development to teacher leaders, which could increase their confidence and skill set to become future leaders. The district has to begin to establish professional development within its walls for teacher leaders to be successful. To begin to build teacher leadership participants need to feel supported by administration. The tension between teachers and administration has always existed in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Wasley (1991) found that teachers need to be involved in the process of deciding which roles if any, they wish to take on, and must then feel supported by the school’s administration in doing so. For teacher leadership to be successful, administrators should provide support and encouragement for teacher leaders to make decisions and value the opinions of teacher leaders (Beachum & Dentith, 2004). In the district, principals have reliable staff members they repeatedly turn to when leadership is needed. Unfortunately, these teachers most often find themselves the target of resentment from their peers. The survey participants also emphasized that time to collaborate with colleagues could build teacher leadership in the district. Other than their planning time, the district currently does not have any scheduled time during the day for teachers to collaborate. Collaboration is at the heart of teacher leadership, as it is the premise upon a change that is enacted collectively. Teacher leadership is premised upon a power re-distribution ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 86 within the school, moving from hierarchical control to peer control (Harris & Muijs, 2002). Common planning time amongst colleagues could foster the idea of peer control and encourage more than just the usual participants in leadership roles. The last conclusion that was supported by the results provided was how principals can improve teacher leadership. The participants stressed that ways principals can improve teacher leadership involved communication and teachers having a voice in decision making. Communication within the district is poor. The survey and open-ended responses provided data that strongly suggested communication in the district needs to improve for all stakeholders. Principals must communicate better with the teachers and teachers must communicate better with their colleagues. For teacher leadership to improve in the district, communication will play a critical role in the process. Participants want to feel that their voice is being heard and that they are supported. This theme was consistent in the responses provided by teachers as being a key component to building teacher leadership within the district. Principals have to listen to and encourage staff members to lead and provide them with encouragement when teachers have new ideas or want to take risks. Principals must understand the need for teacher leadership and be comfortable with shared management, open and honest communication, and the creation of a shared vision for each school. Danielson (2007) suggests a welcoming environment that promotes teacher leadership should include: providing a safe environment for risk-taking, encouraging teacher leaders, eliminating obstacles, and offering meaningful ongoing professional development. The conclusions above are supported by the results provided in this study. To begin to enhance teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 87 district, the district should focus on these areas of improvement. The principals and teachers need to improve communication throughout the district. In addition, they must support and encourage each other with roles and responsibilities. Positive attitudes and role models are needed in teacher leader positions. Teachers in the district need time to collaborate and communicate in order to build or enhance their teacher leader skills. Professional development is a key component in the research literature, as well as in this study, for fostering teacher leaders. The district needs to explore professional development for teacher leaders within the district. Clear communication needs to be established before teacher leadership can begin. The data supports that communication is a concern in the district. This is not surprising; however, steps must be taken to improve the flow of communication in the district. Teachers feel most comfortable in their classrooms with their students and least comfortable when working with or communicating with their colleagues. Statements made in the open-ended responses to the survey suggest that some teacher leaders do step forward and lead regardless of how their colleagues perceive them or what other teachers think of them. In addition, it was stated that these teacher leaders do not worry about another colleague’s criticism. This is evident in the district’s current culture as there are few teacher leaders that not only step forward but that also exhibit this behavior. There have been many that have attempted leadership roles, only to find themselves on the receiving end of peer criticism. This often leads to the leadership attempt to not only be their first attempt at being a teacher leader, but their last attempt as well. Most teachers do not want to step outside of their classrooms to become leaders because of this backlash and criticism from their peers. Their peers relentlessly tear the teacher leaders ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 88 down until they retreat to the safety of their classroom and close the door. Without a better understanding of the big picture, the teacher leader does not embrace the complexity of being a teacher leader because of the lack of communication between all stakeholders. This theory was further supported during the Coronavirus Pandemic in Pennsylvania on March 13, 2020. The Albert Gallatin Area School District was 1:1 with Chromebooks in grades 6-12 at the time of the crisis providing for the technology necessary to successfully implement distance learning. The teachers left their buildings on March 13th and surprisingly would not return for the remainder of the year. The district prepared to move toward virtual learning with the students and teachers working from home. Virtual learning began on March 30, 2020 and lasted through June 3, 2020. During this pandemic, the communication between teachers and administrators at the secondary level appears to have improved tremendously. Staff communicated better behind the computer than face-to-face. One teacher’s quote in an email stated, “In closing, I’d like to say how happy I feel about the way everyone worked for our district; from administration to teachers to other support personnel, it has really been positive and helpful during this time. We’re planning and communicating better now in this foreign environment than I can ever remember. It’s a true team effort, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Truly!” Another teacher stated, “On a positive note, I can honestly say this, I’ve never been prouder to be a part of the high school. The teachers have been amazing and jumped right in the with this new learning platform with no complaints (at least that I’m hearing), and in my opinion, they are really knocking it out of the park. Communication has been so productive and so frequent.” The teachers are communicating and sharing ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 89 more than ever during this trying time. This communicating does not happen during a regular school day when teachers see each other daily. Is it because they have more time to collaborate and communicate since the students are learning virtually? Or is it because they are like many in today’s society and feel more comfortable communicating from an electronic device? Regardless of the reasons why the district must continue to foster the communication between teachers and principals. Although the COVID-19 situation is unprecedented, this seems to be a positive learning experience with communication. However, the district must be careful not to take a step backward when face-to-face learning resumes. The district must use the COVID-19 learning opportunity regarding improvement in communication and continue to move forward. By understanding the culture in the district and improving teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership a steady long-term plan must be implemented for improvements to be made. The data collected in this research study will provide important information for future improvements in the district. In the review of the survey data, the implementation of a three-year plan for improving teacher leadership is recommended. The first year of the teacher leadership improvement plan would begin with opening the lines of communication between central office personnel, administrators, teachers, and support staff. The research study indicated that communication was a significant barrier amongst the participants. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the secondary schools appear to be communicating better than ever. This has been identified as a positive result of the pandemic and will serve as a building block for the future of improving teacher leadership in the district. At the end of this school year, a survey will be administered to all secondary staff regarding their thoughts ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 90 on the district’s communication before COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be done using Google Forms. The survey responses will be analyzed, and the data will be sorted by themes, similarities, and differences regarding the communication before and during the COVID-19 crisis at the secondary level. This will provide secondary principals with a better understanding of communication in the district and the perceptions of the teachers during this unique school year. The secondary principals will use this data and create one communication goal for the 2020-2021 school year to improve communication in both middle schools and the high school. The goal will be the same to ensure consistency throughout the schools and district at the secondary level. The principals will share the results from the survey with all secondary teachers at the beginning of the school year. Sharing the results with the teaching staff will show that the district is trying to improve communication by using the results of their completed survey. It shows that administration is listening to what the teachers have to say providing them with the confidence that they have a voice and that all stakeholders are working together to improve communication in the district at the secondary level. The five elementary principals will also create one communication goal for the 2020-2021 school year. This communication goal should be the same or very similar to the goal set forth at the secondary level. The elementary students were not 1:1 with technology going into the pandemic. During the COVID-19 crisis, paper packets were distributed to the students at each elementary building. Due to this, communication at the elementary level through all channels was significantly different than at the secondary level. The district recently agreed to provide Chromebooks to elementary students in third through fifth grade and provide iPads to elementary students in kindergarten ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 91 through second grade. This investment will allow for more consistent communication channels amongst all stakeholders in the district. The building principals will discuss the communication goal during their monthly staff meetings. The Superintendent, Elementary Supervisor, and Secondary Supervisor will also discuss the common communication goal during administration meetings. At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, administration will meet and discuss the outcomes of the communication goal. A follow-up survey will be administered to all secondary teachers regarding any noticeable improvements and discrepancies regarding communication in the district. In addition, an initial survey will be administered to all elementary teachers seeking their insight regarding improvements in the district’s communication. Administration will meet in the summer to analyze and discuss the survey results to try to continue to improve communication within the district. These findings will be discussed at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year with all the teachers in the district. In the second year of the teacher leadership improvement plan, the district will continue to work to improve communication but also establish a team of teacher leaders in each building. This team of teacher leaders will consist of three to five teachers, depending on the size of the building, interested in teacher leadership. These teachers should be positive role models for their peers and have excellent attitudes toward the teaching profession. These should be respected teachers by all stakeholders. By establishing a group of teacher leaders, they may feel more comfortable with having colleagues alongside them during this experience, rather than stepping out on their own to begin their journey with teacher leadership. The roles and expectations of the teacher ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 92 leadership teams will be established to maintain consistency throughout the district. This will help to promote a climate of collaboration premised upon communication and opportunities for teacher collaboration. The team of teacher leaders will be introduced to the teacher leadership model standards (Teacher Leadership Model Standards, 2011). Domain I: Fostering a Collaborative Culture to Support Educator Development and Student Learning. Domain II: Accessing and Using Research to Improve Practice and Student Learning Domain III: Promoting Professional Learning for Continuous Improvement Domain IV: Facilitating Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning Domain V: Promoting the Use of Assessments and Data for School District Improvement Domain VI: Improving Outreach and Collaboration with Families and Community Domain VII: Advocating for Student Learning and the Profession These domains will stimulate dialogue amongst the team members about what constitutes the knowledge, skills, and competencies that teachers need to assume leadership roles in the district. During the second year of the teacher leadership improvement plan, the teacher leader teams will meet with each principal monthly to review a domain from the teacher leadership model and discuss any concerns, suggestions, or ideas. They will also have the opportunity to meet during in-service or Act 80 days according to the district calendar. The principals will need to be receptive to this new initiative and learn to ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 93 become better listeners and supporters of the teacher leadership team. Some items that could be discussed during these meetings include communication, curriculum, preparing for in-service days, instructional modeling, and fostering parent engagement. This will continue to build on the communication component of the plan in the district. The Superintendent and administration will meet with the district teacher leadership team quarterly. This will begin to create a collaborative environment allowing the district to move away from the traditional top-down approach. The district will continue to work on improving communication and maintaining teacher leadership teams. This will hopefully open the teachers’ classroom doors to encourage knowledge transfer and collaboration amongst colleagues. Such growth among stakeholders would be monumental for the students of the Albert Gallatin Area School District. In the third year of the teacher leadership improvement plan, the district and the teacher leadership team members will have the opportunity for continued growth. The team members will be asked if they would like to continue to be a teacher leader from their previous year of experience. If the members are willing to continue to participate, the district will begin to introduce teacher leaders to the district. In year three, extensive professional development will be provided to all teacher leaders in the district. Training is necessary for teachers to become leaders. Therefore, in-depth professional development will be the focus of year three of the improvement plan. Teacher leaders will also have time to collaborate with other teacher leaders in the district. Collaboration time is highly desired amongst teachers in the district as evidenced by the survey data. During this time, principals and teacher leaders will begin to work closely together to support one another throughout this endeavor. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 94 The current atmosphere and culture within the district necessitate the establishment of a three-year plan to improve teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. These tangible improvements to the district involve communication, collaboration, support, and professional development to build teacher leadership. A steady, multi-year approach establishes the foundation for sustainability of the plan’s components. It requires an investment of time and resources by all stakeholders and represents the construction of a solid commitment to changing the leadership structure within the district. Collectively, these efforts will improve the district and move toward developing teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the district for years to come. As proven in the research literature, professional development is critical to implementing any kind of change within the school system. Participants of the study strongly agreed that professional development was critical in order to build teacher leadership in the district. A total of $15,000 was allocated for this research study, with $9,000 earmarked for professional development. The professional development funds can be used for resources, point people training, and full staff training. Since communication was a concern in the study, professional development should be used to improve communication in the district before being used for teacher leadership training. If the lines of communication are not improved, teacher leadership will not exist. The data shows it is evident that a communication barrier is present in the district. However, this will be addressed by creating a communication goal in the first year of the teacher leadership improvement plan. In addition, $6,000 was allotted for the elementary, middle, and high school for teacher supplies. If the allotted amount is higher than the ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 95 anticipated need, and teacher supplies do not reach $6,000, the additional money would be used for professional development as well. For teacher leadership to be successful, proper professional development is necessary when creating a culture to promote teacher leadership. Recommendations There are a variety of reasons why teacher leadership is important in schools today. By incorporating teacher leadership teachers can communicate and interact with colleagues, provide a positive impact on the school setting and community, and participate in decision making within the school. It creates an environment in which all stakeholders feel their voice is heard and included in decision making. Teacher leadership encourages a collaborative environment. One in which teachers feel supported by their administration and colleagues alike. By enhancing teacher leadership schools can help improve teacher quality and provide the opportunity for professional growth. The first recommendation is for all stakeholders in the district to improve communication. Based on the literature, no teacher leadership will take place if clear communication and expectations are not established. The data suggests there is a barrier to communication throughout the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Poor communication with teachers, administrators, and other staff members was apparent in the study. Central office administration and principals must begin to improve communication. Once better lines of communication are established the school district can shift their efforts to creating teacher leaders. Another recommendation would be that the district concentrate on how to improve the means to participate in teacher leadership roles for its teaching staff. The ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 96 district only utilizes, at best, teacher leaders in formal ways. These teachers are compensated at the end of the year for their formal duties. However, this does not provide other teachers with an opportunity to lead. These positions are bid within the union with the most senior teacher receiving the position. The survey participant’s perception of a teacher leader is a positive role model who takes on extra responsibilities regardless of how other people perceive them. Administration must work with the teacher’s union in order to change the current language regarding teacher leaders in formal ways. There is currently no training in place for teachers to improve their leadership skills. Teacher leadership teams could be established throughout the district, instead of the same teachers receiving formal leadership roles just simply because of seniority. The third recommendation would be to incorporate professional development to enhance teacher leadership. The majority of professional development training comes from within the district. Teachers usually have very little, if any, leadership classes when receiving their teaching degree. Only teachers choosing to continue their education by achieving principal certification would experience leadership classes. Therefore, the district must work with neighboring universities and the Intermediate Unit to establish professional development for teacher leadership roles. This would be beneficial to all stakeholders actively involved and could benefit other school districts in the surrounding area. This professional development could inspire teachers to become teacher leaders. Lastly, it must be understood that the principal plays a vital role in establishing teacher leadership. For the principal to establish an environment that promotes teacher leadership the principal needs strong communication, quality time to collaborate, and ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 97 strategic professional development. All stakeholders must put their past disagreements behind them and work on building new relationships for teacher leadership to be successful. Principals need to encourage building environments that foster peer collaboration, constructive feedback, and respectful communication. Teachers need to feel a sense of safety when stepping into leadership roles. They need to feel that they not only have the support of their building principal, but their fellow teachers as well. In many schools today, teachers are working together with teacher leaders in an effort for school improvement. The literature supports that teacher leadership is the groundwork in school improvement efforts (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Although teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership is different in every district, future research on the principal’s role in planning and facilitating professional development opportunities to build teacher leadership capacity is necessary. Most of the literature claims that professional development currently comes from within the walls of the school district. Therefore, districts should implement professional development intended to enhance teacher leaders. Professional development is an integral part of the teacher leadership role. Collaboration is a critical component of teacher leadership. Teachers need to feel comfortable sharing ideas with colleagues and administration. If an environment of respectful collaboration is encouraged teachers will be more inclined to venture outside their classrooms. Future research designed to understand key components of collaboration in teacher leadership roles would be beneficial to all levels of educational professionals. Throughout the literature, collaboration was linked with time, of which many educators never have enough. Narrowing the focus to the fundamental skills of ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 98 successful collaboration would enhance teacher leadership and address the ever-present issue of availability of collaboration time. Lastly, schools need to develop a shared vision of what teacher leadership is and should look like. The data suggested that the participants indicated teacher leaders take on duties other than those expected within the classroom. This has been established in the district and, according to the data, consistently shared as others’ perceptions of teacher leaders. Formal and informal roles of teacher leadership have existed for years without the proper training for those teacher leaders. Therefore, formal and informal leadership roles need to be understood by all stakeholders. If these roles are clearly defined, more teachers may understand the role of a teacher leader and may be interested in becoming a teacher leader in the district. Based on this study, future research may include the impact that teacher leadership has on student achievement. Currently, the research indicates the benefits for teachers, but very little solid research indicates the impact teacher leaders have on student achievement. This is something that could be recommended for future research. Summary In summary, this research attempted to develop a better understanding of enhancing teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership. This research focused on the teacher’s perception of teacher leadership, how to build teacher leadership, and how principals can improve teacher leadership in the district. Teacher leadership was reported in the literature as having positive effects on schools. For teacher leadership to begin to take place in the district, the communication barrier has to improve. The participants indicated this as a major concern in the district. Clear ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 99 communication is critical for successful teacher leadership. The district must set clear expectations of the formal and informal roles of teacher leaders and establish guidelines for future teacher leaders. Ongoing professional development needs to be incorporated when developing future teacher leaders with full support from the principal. In an effort to strengthen teacher leadership in the district, collaboration between teachers and administrators needs to be appropriately addressed and thoroughly researched in order for it to be successful and sustained. Lasting and meaningful school improvement comes from teachers. The completion of this research project provided insight by exploring teacher leadership influenced through principal leadership in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. The research study provided the information necessary to begin efforts to improve the relationship between teachers and administrators. Data analysis allowed for the emergence of themes critical to the growth and success of the district and its stakeholders. This study could lead to progress toward school improvement efforts. In the end, the students, schools, teachers, administrators, and community can benefit from these findings. This could be the beginning of a continued partnership in the district for years to come. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 100 References Ackerman, R., & Mackenzie, S. V. (2006). Uncovering teacher leadership. Educational Leadership, 63(8), 66-70. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership.aspx Angelle, P. S., & Schmid, J. B. (2007). 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Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ ERICServlet?accno=ED408259 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP APPENDICES 114 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 115 Appendix A Letter to Institutional Review Board 8/26/2109 Dear Institutional Review Board, As Superintendent for the past year and a half in the Albert Gallatin Area School District, I am always looking for ways to try and improve our district. I support Mr. Hutchinson’s Web-based survey study titled “Enhancing Teacher Leadership Influenced Through Principal Leadership,” and grant permission to survey our district. The study is to examine how teachers and principals can build and improve teacher’s leadership in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. I am looking forward to findings in this study. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at Christopher.Pegg@agasd.org or (724) 564-7190. Best Regards, Mr. Christopher Pegg Superintendent ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 116 Appendix B Waiver Letter Dear Albert Gallatin Teacher/Principal, I am currently conducting a Web-based survey research study titled “Enhancing Teacher Leadership Influenced Through Principal Leadership,” the purpose of which is examine how teachers and principals can build and improve teacher’s leadership in the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Your superintendent has granted approval for teachers and principals in our district to participate in the study. The purpose of this email message is to ask for your participation in the study. I am asking you to participate in the study by simply completing the survey as honestly and openly as you can. The survey should only take about 10-15 minutes to complete. When you have completed the survey, simply click on the SUBMIT button located at the bottom of the page to send your responses to me. Please make sure you submit your responses only once! Additionally, please complete the survey by January 17, 2020. Please be assured that your responses will be anonymous. There will be no way for me to determine the origin of your responses. You will not be contacted for any further information. No one other than you will know if you have or have not participated in this study. Additionally, no individual information will be shared; only aggregate results will be reported. Finally, due to the Web-based nature of the survey, there exists a minimal chance that your responses could be intercepted, by individuals not involved with this study, while being transmitted. Your participation in this study is voluntary. By completing and submitting the survey, you are giving your consent to participate. Please be assured that your decision to participate or not participate in this study will have no impact on your relationship with your respective school district. If you do not wish to participate, simply disregard this message. If you have any questions regarding the survey study, I may be contacted at (724) 322-8499 or HUT8870@calu.edu. You may also contact my faculty sponsor from California University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kevin Lordon at lordon@calu.edu if any problems or concerns arise during the course of the study. I would like very much for you to participate in the study by completing the brief survey which can be found by clicking on the following link: https://forms.gle/pDYcBSYTthNgsmhV7 In advance, thank you very much for your participation in this research endeavor and best of luck in the remainder of your school year! ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP Best Regards, IRB 117 APPROVED – Cal U. of Pa Effective 08/28/2019 Jason Hutchinson Expires 08/27/2020 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 118 Appendix C Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment Survey Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment (Katzenmeyer & Katzenmeyer, 2004) Please respond in terms of how frequently each statement is descriptive of your professional behavior. 1 = Never 2 = Rarely 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Always * Required 1. Grade Level Taught * Mark only one oval. K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12 2. Level of Education * Mark only one oval. Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Master's + Doctorate 3. Teaching Experience (Years) * Mark only one oval. 0-5 6-10 11-15 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 119 15 + 4. I understand how my strengths and needs for development will impact my new role as a leader in my school. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 5 I reflect on what I do well and also how I can improve as a classroom teacher. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 6. I am clear about what I believe about teaching and learning. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 7. I act in ways that are congruent with my values and philosophy when dealing with students and colleagues. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 8. I seek feedback on how I might improve in my work setting. * Mark only one oval. 1 Never 2 3 4 5 Always 9. At work I behave in ways that are ethical and meet expectations for a high level of professional performance. * Mark only one oval. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 1 2 3 120 4 5 Never Always 10. I invite colleagues to work toward accomplishment of the vision and mission of the school. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 11. I lead others in accomplishing tasks. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 12 I involve colleagues when planning for change. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 13. I understand the importance of school and district culture to improving student outcomes * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 14. I work toward improving the culture of the school. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 15. I am willing to spend time and effort building a team to improve my school. * Mark only one oval. 1 Never 2 3 4 5 Always ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 121 16. I listen carefully to others. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 17. I adjust my presentations to my audience. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 18. I seek perspectives of others and can reflect others' thoughts and feelings with accuracy. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 19 When facilitating small groups I keep the group members on-task and on-time. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 20. When leading meetings I am able to get almost everyone to participate. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 21. I use electronic technology effectively to communicate with individuals and groups. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 22. I understand that different points of view may be based on an individual's culture, religion, race or socioeconomic status. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 122 Never Always 23. I respect values and beliefs that may be different from mine. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 24. I enjoy working with diverse groups of colleagues at school. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 25. I work effectively with non-educators and persons with special interests. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 26 I make special efforts to understand the beliefs and values of others. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 27. I am willing to share my beliefs even when they are different from the beliefs of others. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 28. I promote a positive environment in the classroom. * Mark only one oval. 1 Never 2 3 4 5 Always ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 123 29. I use research-based instructional practices. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 30. I persist to assure the success of all students. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 31. I have a reputation for being competent in the classroom. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 32. I am approachable and open to sharing with colleagues. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 33 I act with integrity and fairness when working with students or adults. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 34. I seek out all pertinent information from many sources before making a decision or taking action. * Mark only one oval. 1 Never 2 3 4 5 Always 35. I set goals and monitor progress towards meeting them. * Mark only one oval. ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 1 2 3 124 4 5 Never Always 36. I analyze and use assessment information when planning. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 37. I participate in professional development and learning. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 38. I am proactive in identifying problems and working to solve them. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 39. I work side-by-side with colleagues, parents, and/or others to make improvements in the school or district. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 40 I plan and schedule thoroughly so I can accomplish tasks and goals. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 41. I exhibit self-confidence when under stress or in difficult situations. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 125 Never Always 42. I work effectively as a team member. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 43. I show initiative and exhibit the energy needed to follow through to get desired results. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 44. I prioritize so that I can assure there is time for important tasks. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 45. I create a satisfactory balance between professional and personal aspects of my life. * Mark only one oval. 1 2 3 4 5 Never Always 46. How do you define Teacher Leadership? (what is it/what does it look like) * 47. How do we build Teacher Leadership at Albert Gallatin Area School District? * 48 How can principals improve Teacher Leadership? * ENHANCING TEACHER LEADERSHIP 126 Appendix D Institutional Review Board Approval Letter Institutional Review Board California University of Pennsylvania Morgan Hall, 310 250 University Avenue California, PA 15419 instreviewboard@calu.edu Melissa Sovak, Ph.D. Dear Jason, Please consider this email as official notification that your proposal titled “Enhancing Teacher Leadership Influenced Through Principal Leadership” (Proposal #18-082) has been approved by the California University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board as amended. The effective date of approval is 8/28/19 and the expiration date is 8/27/20. These dates must appear on the consent form. Please note that Federal Policy requires that you notify the IRB promptly regarding any of the following: (1) Any additions or changes in procedures you might wish for your study (additions or changes must be approved by the IRB before they are implemented) (2) Any events that affect the safety or well-being of subjects (3) Any modifications of your study or other responses that are necessitated by any events reported in (2). (4) To continue your research beyond the approval expiration date of 8/27/20 you must file additional information to be considered for continuing review. Please contact instreviewboard@calu.edu Please notify the Board when data collection is complete. Regards, Melissa Sovak, PhD. Chair, Institutional Review Board