A Framework for Teacher Leadership in High Schools

Abstract

Schools have become complex organizations that face challenges related to accountability, demands from parents, and higher enrollments of students with unique learning needs. To address these challenges, schools are creating opportunities for teachers to assume leadership positions. In the early stages of the development of the field of teacher leadership, Danielson (2007) identified three areas where teachers can lead: within a department or team, across the school, and beyond the school. Using Danielson’s framework as a starting point, the multiple case study described in this article examines the research question of how high school teachers lead. The findings come from in-depth interviews with 12 teachers in a large, diverse high school. The study affirms the relevance of Danielson’s framework and finds that teacher leaders interact with different groups of people: students, colleagues, and people beyond the school, including parents and community members. These findings, when combined with Danielson’s framework, yield an expanded version of the framework that captures the breadth of teacher leadership at the high school level. The findings show that teachers utilize their unique talents and interests to fulfill numerous roles and take various actions when leading.