Distributive & Empowering Leadership

Session Objectives

1. Review the concepts and research supporting empowering and distributive leadership.

2. Understand several key means for “distributing power.”

3. Complete application activities to assess your own organization’s status in key areas.

4. Generate ideas for one or more “empowering leadership” renewal activities for school year 2013/14 (and beyond).

What is Distributive & Empowering Leadership?

• The “sharing” of leadership with others, or sharing the “power of influence” which comes with leadership.

• Many different words are often used to describe a similar concept: shared leadership, collaborative leadership, empowering leadership

• Distributive leadership is not necessarily the “act” of distributing power, but the mindset (or perspective) a given leader takes about how to operate within a given organization (Spillane, 2006) .

Research on Distributive & Empowering Leadership Reveals…

• Research is becoming very clear, that leadership and the appropriate “sharing” or distributing of power associated with leadership makes a difference (Leithwood, Mascall, & Straus, 2009; Marzano & Waters, 2009; Reeves, 2006).

• Leadership acts as a “driver” in building a school’s academic capacity, and research has found that a more team-oriented and collaborative approach to school leadership is directly linked with improved teaching and learning (Hallinger & Heck, 2010).

Research Reveals…

• However, it important to note that shared leadership is only “indirectly” related to student achievement.

• The power comes from helping teachers: – Organize themselves into professional learning communities; – Engage in reflective discussions about instruction; – Participate in practitioner-focused action research; and – Have a sense of collective responsibility for student learning

(Louis et al., 2010)

How to Best Distribute Power

1. Finding and Empowering Teacher Leaders (& Removing Barriers to Teacher Leadership)

2. Creating the Environment for Leadership Capacity (Professional Learning Communities)

Distributing Power: Finding & Empowering Teacher Leaders

Teacher Leaders Defined

Teacher leaders are teachers who successfully influence the behavior, beliefs, or actions of others thereby increasing the capacity for student achievement and success (Lester, 2008)

Such Teacher Leaders:

(1) lead within and beyond the classroom;

(2) contribute to a community of learners and leaders;

(3) influence others toward improved practice; and

(4) accept responsibility for achieving outcomes (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009) .

Why Teacher Leadership?

• Research tells us to create teacher leaders (since teachers have a direct connection to learning outcomes)

• Tenure in schools for teachers is longer than most administrators.

• Demands of a building administrator today exceed time and expertise.

• Building administrators often have limited expertise in areas where teachers have fluency (e.g., curriculum content)

• Teachers are on the “in” when often times administrators are on the “out.”

Why? Teacher Leadership Research Outcomes

Research on Teacher Leadership has found:

• enhanced professional efficacy and retention of excellent teachers;

• less resistance to change as teacher leaders positively influence other teachers;

• more career enhancement and opportunities for self-improvement;

• enhanced accountability for results; and

• increased chances for sustainable reforms.

(Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009; Lieberman & Miller, 2004; Mangin & Stoelinga, 2008).

Creating Teacher Leaders In Action

Principal's Viewpoint on Creating a

"Caring Community of Learners"

Formal & Informal Teacher Leaders

“Informal” Positions

• Teachers of influence choosing NOT to leave the classroom, but influencing others via– Casual conversations– Sharing teaching materials– Facilitating professional development– Peer coaching & mentoring– Organizing action research groups– Leading book studies– Obtaining a knowledge base for core issues – Identifying solutions for problems that can

lead to better schools.

“Formal” Positions

- instructional coach,

- mentor,

- department chair

- etc.

Barriers to Teacher Leadership

• Teachers often feel they do not have the knowledge and skills to lead other adults.

• Egalitarian norm of school cultures discourages teachers from drawing attention to themselves

• Strong “teacher identity” vs “administrator identity” (e.g., that is “their” job, not mine)

• Lack of resources and time for teachers to do more (over-reliance on a few teachers)

• Comfort of principal to really share power

Lots of Different “Fears” (Sanocki, 2013)

- Fear of negativity.- Fear of adult drama.

- Fear of becoming unhealthy as a school.- Fear of being evaluated in their teacher leader role by their administrators.

- Fear of being perceived as a kiss-up.- Fear of being perceived as false.- Fear of being perceived as stupid.

- Fear of being perceived as too friendly with administration.- Fear of casting judgment on others.

- Fear of failure.- Fear of losing identity and connections with colleagues.

- Fear of not being respected as a professional.- Fear of not having the right amount of resources.

- Fear of not making a difference.- Fear of not making connections with kids.

- Fear of not understanding the changes and evolution in education.- Fear of not progressing as a school.

- Fear of rejection.- Fear that others will think I want to be principal.

- Fear that people will not come on board..

Yet, Fears Can Be Overcome Yet, Fears Can Be Overcome (Sanocki, 2013)(Sanocki, 2013)Recommendations for Educational Leaders Recommendations for Educational Leaders

Collaborate to build learning communities.

Provide a safe culture in which teacher leadership can thrive.

Collaborate to understand and minimize egalitarianism, seniority structures, and administrative gatekeeping.

Actively and safely discuss teacher leader introspection to reveal the fears and hopes of teacher leaders.

And, There are Lots of Teacher Leaders to Be Found…

• “Within every school there is a sleeping

giant of teacher leadership that can be a

catalyst for making changes to improve

student learning…. By helping teachers

recognize that they are leaders, by offering

opportunities to develop their leadership

skills, and by creating school cultures that

honor their leadership, we can awaken this

sleeping giant of teacher leadership”

(Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009, pp. 2-3).

Teacher Leadership Identification Activity

• Who are the Potential

Teacher Leaders in Your

School & What Specific

Skills Might Each Bring?

Thoughts to Consider

• Match the unique needs at your school with individual teachers who have potential for leadership

• Think about those who may have skills and talents yet to be discovered. Encourage them to help fill a niche in your school.

• Work to develop leadership roles for many teachers. Avoid calling on the same teachers and strive to discover new potential for leadership in your school.

Teacher Leader Assessment Tools

• Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument - self-assessment tool for teachers to reflect upon their personal beliefs and strengths regarding their potential role as a teacher leader (see attachment pp. 10-13).

• Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS) - tool for principals to gather information from all teachers in a building regarding the extent to which a culture of active teacher leadership is occurring (see attachment pp. 14-17).

Source: Awaking the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders by Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009)

Distributing Power: Creating the Environment for Leadership Capacity (Creating Professional Learning Communities)

Professional Learning Communities

Core Elements

• Supportive and Shared Leadership

• Shared Values and Vision

• Collective Learning and Application of Learning

• Supportive Conditions

• Shared Personal Practice (i.e., Peer Review & Feedback)

Distributing Power: Creating the Environment for Leadership Capacity

• Essential to assess and enhance a school’s leadership capacity including– the broad-based, skillful

participation of teachers in the work of leadership,

– teachers’ understanding of sustainable school improvement (Lambert, 2003, 2006).

• The Leadership Capacity Framework includes of four possible school environments– quadrant 1 involves low

skillfulness and low teacher leadership participation levels,

– quadrant 4 involves high levels of both skillfulness and teacher leadership participation.

• Lambert notes that complex issues do not divide neatly into boxes, and schools may find themselves in more than one box.

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Leadership Capacity Framework (See attachment p. 18)

Figure 1. Leadership capacity of four school types (adapted from Lambert, 2006, p. 240).

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Leadership Capacity Transition Phases (See attachment p. 19)

Instructive Phase Transitional Phase High Leadership Capacity Phase

Principal as teacher, sponsor, director Principal as guide, coach Principal as colleague, critical friend, mentor

Personal attributes and behaviorsLearns continuallyThinks strategicallyValue/vision drivenSets norms with staffSupervises/ensures staff accountabilityConvenes conversationsHonors historySponsors staff growthAccepts responsibilityBreaks dependenciesClarifies rolesArticulates strategiesCreates safe, “holding” environment

Personal attributes and behaviorsLearns – attends to epiphaniesThinks strategicallyTranslates values into vision languageLets go, provides support, and sticks aroundScaffolds with ideas and questionsMediates rolesDevelops structures that build reciprocal relationshipsCoaches for instructional improvement

Personal attributes and behaviorsLearns continuallyThinks strategicallyValue/vision drivenContinues and expands behaviors initiated in earlier phases

Instructs staff (or arranges for instruction) in:Collaboration, group processes, and teaming;Conversation and dialogue;Inquiry/data use;Trust building;Best instructional practices;Communication skillsFacilitation;Conflict resolution; andAccountability

Guides staff to:develop shared vision;establish process observation or norms;use inquiry;question assumptions;conduct constructivist conversations;identify and solve problems;surface/mediate conflict;find resources (time, professional development, monies); andplan

Participates with other members of the community to:think strategically;share concerns/issues;share decisions;monitor and implement shared visions;engage in reflective practices (reflection/inquiry/dialogue/action);monitor norms and take self corrective actions;build a culture of interdependency;self-organize;diversify and blend roles;establish criteria for self-accountability;share authority and responsibility (dependent on expertise and interest, rather than role); andplan for enculturation of new staff and succession

Use formal authority to convene and maintain conversations, challenge complacency or incompetence, and make certain decisions

Use formal authority to sustain conversations, insist on professional development and inquiry agenda, mediate the demands of the district and state, and set reform pace

Uses formal authority to implement community decisions, mediate political pressures, work with less than competent staff, and work on legal and reform challenges

Wrapping Things Up

• Bottom Line: Research

has linked Empowering &

Distributive Leadership to

improved student

outcomes!

Two Means to “Distribute” Leadership

• Finding and Empowering Teacher Leaders (& Removing Barriers to Teacher Leadership)

• Creating the Environment for Leadership Capacity (Professional Learning Communities)

Cohort A Example

• Delsa Chapman

– Principal at Lansing S.T.E.M. Magnet Academy

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Renewal Activity Brainstorming & Sharing

• Working with your partner,

brainstorm on potential

activities this coming year

related to “Distributing and

Empowering Leadership.”

Sharing Power is Fun!

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