Q: How can we help teachers develop leadership skills for urban schools?
Teachers need to believe in themselves. We do a lot of work helping people identify their own strengths. A lot of people who opt for leadership roles have insight into their potential, but we try to help them be really explicit about what those strengths are and where they come from.
Also, I think teacher leaders need to be able to see the big picture—see beyond their classroom, and in some cases, beyond the school, to understand the whole problem and how they can affect it. Individual teachers can have a wide impact on kids—but a lot of that comes from their own belief in themselves, their commitment to change, their willingness to challenge the status quo, and their faith that the system can be changed.
—Michael Kass, coordinator for the urban teacher leadership master's program, CSU, Hayward
Teachers need to understand the diversity of the clientele they deal with—and that means not only the diversity of the students and parents but also the diversity of the colleagues they're working with. We have a lot of new teachers; last year we had 1,900 probationary teachers in Denver Public Schools out of a teaching force of 4,000. We need to become aware of where these young people are coming from, because they're not all coming from traditional preparation programs. A lot of them are entering the teaching profession as alternative licensed teachers. We're finding young teachers who are middle-aged adults.
—Connie White, elementary literacy coach, Johnson Elementary School, Denver, Colo.
Teachers need the confidence of their administrators; they need time; they need opportunities to collaborate with other teachers; they need role models; they need access to professional conferences where they can hear success stories and see role models. A lot of these things are tied to funding, but the spiritual component is very important as well. If the spirit and the energy and the confidence of the administrators and the community at large are conveyed to the teachers, then the funding should follow.
However, teacher leadership, as a model, has a problem if the main thing that's driving administrators is test scores. In that sense, I think we have a bigger battle that has to be fought within the broader community to redefine what our mission is as educators. Once that happens, then I can see teacher leadership having a chance.
—Anthony Cody, science teacher, Bret Harte Middle School, Oakland, Calif.
Teachers need an opportunity to participate in professional learning communities within the context of their schools. We have to break down the sense of isolation and allow teachers to emerge as site-based leaders.
Also, we need to work with teachers on developing leadership skills. If we're going to make the kinds of changes we hope to have, in terms of student achievement, in terms of school transformation itself, then we really have to capitalize on the potential of teacher leadership in buildings.
—Jane Goetz, coordinator of teacher development, Seattle Public Schools, Wash.
A leader in an urban school must be able to communicate well with the community and with parents. Urban schools need the support of the community, political leaders, board members, and parents.
—Vickie Carson, instructional facilitator for school reform at Harper-Archer Middle School, Atlanta, Ga.