Empowering Teacher Leadership: Pioneering Educational Equity and Improvement
Chalking the Line | BY Amanda (Amy) Passmore, | 6 MIN READ
Beginning in the 1980s, the term “teacher leadership” was used to describe small-scale collaboration opportunities between teachers, rooted in context-specific teaching practices. Today, teacher leadership has become a practice frequently associated with whole-school reform and educational improvement, positioning practicing teachers as integral to teaching and learning.
What is Teacher Leadership?
Teacher leadership captures the duality of teachers as they simultaneously take on the roles of practicing teacher and leader of school initiatives, formally or informally. Practicing teachers stepping into leadership roles incorporates a unique perspective by accounting for classroom-level responsibilities and instruction. This point of view serves as a “bridge” between school leaders and staff, leading to positive results in learning.
Teacher Leadership Benefits
A recent meta-analysis of teacher leadership research indicated that it is positively associated with student achievement (Shen et al., 2020).
In 2008, research and conversations around the critical nature of teacher leadership roles were examined by various stakeholders in education, resulting in the development of “Model Teacher Leader Standards” (Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, 2010). By 2012, Illinois became one of the first states to create a Teacher Leadership Endorsement to facilitate career pathways for teachers seeking leadership roles focused on improving student learning and shared decision-making at the school level.
Challenges in Advancing Teacher Leadership
Since 2012, multiple institutions, including Elmhurst University, have offered master’s degrees and endorsements in teacher leadership. However, despite the elevation of teacher leaders in Illinois and the motivations of practicing teachers, a recent study conducted by Teach Plus Illinois found that existing structures within schools do not allow for the promotion of teacher leadership, and teacher leaders’ experiences are influenced by race and gender, leading to inequities (Kannan et al., 2024). These discrepancies at the school level make the true vision of teacher leadership not fully realized for Illinois schools, teachers and students.
Embracing Teacher Leadership
So, what can be done to ensure that teacher leaders can fully utilize their competencies and skills to promote student achievement? Within a recent 2024 policy brief, Teach Plus Illinois discusses recommendations for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to expand its role in teacher leadership development. ISBE is a crucial bridge for supporting and cultivating teacher leadership mindsets, guidance and initiatives to be used by schools and districts across the state. Additionally, to promote equity in teacher leadership, Teach Plus advocates for greater use of distributive leadership structures that allow all teachers to capitalize on individual strengths (Kannan et al., 2024). The next wave of teacher leadership reform seeks to bridge research and practice by ensuring every teacher leverages their inherent strengths and interests, resulting in positive academic, behavioral and community outcomes for students.
Policies and Advocacy for Teacher Leadership
As advocates for equitable access to high-quality education, Advance Illinois implemented advocacy efforts for teacher leadership initiatives in Illinois. On October 22, 2024, Advanced Illinois helped launch the Teacher Leadership Equity, Advocacy and Development (Teacher LEAD) Coalition, seeking to build an ecosystem that supports distributed leadership via partnerships, resources, support and intentional leadership development for teachers to grow at all stages of their careers.
In support of the continued advancement of teacher leadership, students and faculty in the School of Education at Elmhurst University have joined the Teacher LEAD Coalition. Through their work and the efforts of stakeholders across 40 organizations, Teacher Lead is working to solidify a vision and prioritize initiatives for the next chapter of teacher leadership in Illinois. As an illustration of these efforts, advocacy for teacher leadership funding was one of the ten most requested budget lines at a recent ISBE budget forum. Individuals advocated for a $500,000 budget line to enable the ISBE to build strategic leadership, research, manage grants, expand distributed leadership models, and share information, opportunities and best practices related to teacher leadership with districts and school leaders.
Additionally, teacher leadership continues to gain prominence internationally with the launch of the new Association for Teacher Leadership and Scholarship (ATLAS), a professional organization dedicated to teacher leadership. ATLAS hosted its first virtual mini-conference in October 2024 and is planning for a site-based conference in 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to providing a community for individuals interested in teacher leadership, ATLAS seeks to elevate teacher leadership research and innovation.
The Future of Teacher Leadership
As teacher leadership continues to evolve, its growing recognition underscores its critical role in fostering educational equity and improvement. While the work of the Teacher LEAD Coalition and ATLAS are just getting started, their recent impact has been promising. Through these initiatives and others to come, educators and stakeholders are collaborating to expand the impact of teacher leaders both locally and globally. A collective commitment to supporting and investing in teacher leadership will be essential as we embark on the next wave of teacher leadership reform and progress.
Pathways to Becoming a Leader in Education
Earning an additional degree or endorsement in teacher leadership can open doors to positive change both in the classroom and the education industry as a whole. The first step is to find the program that works best for you. To learn more about the M.Ed. in teacher leadership, the teacher leader endorsement and School of Education at Elmhurst University, go to elmhurst.edu/Education or fill out the form below.
