Digital Commons Network^™

Cultivating Culturally Responsive Elementary Teachers In A Suburban Title I School, Angela L. Mack

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Research suggests increased enrollment of students with diverse cultural, racial, linguistic, and social backgrounds will continue in schools across the United States over the coming years; thereby, imposing a challenge for some teachers with differing backgrounds to instruct culturally and linguistically diverse students. Without adequate professional development focused on culturally responsive teaching, it has been purported teachers will continue to adopt deficit perceptions and subpar practices that negatively impact students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Thus, this study aimed to explore how a series of in-service professional development focused on culture, race, and pedagogy may influence teacher perceptions and …

The Experience Of Becoming A Teacher Leader, Cory G. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher leadership has become an increasingly important aspect of school reform and evaluation. Teacher leadership is often viewed as teachers leading either through formal positions or influencing others informally. There is a lot of research describing the benefits of teacher leadership, but there is little that describes the process of a teacher leader and the effects this experience has on the teacher leaders themselves. This study examines the experience of becoming a teacher leader as viewed through interviews with 11 junior high school teachers from a single school district.

The findings of this study suggest the importance of initial events, …

Teacher Leadership In The Context Of Chinese Education, Chudi Zhou, Qian Yang, Ying Dong, Xiaoying Wang

Dissertations

In response to addressing the increasing requirements to enhance the competencies of students and teachers, as well as the quality of schools in the global environment, the need for fostering teacher leadership has been proposed by many scholars and practitioners. School context is regarded as an important influence on the successful development of teacher leadership. While many studies related to teacher leadership have been reported in Western countries, a limited number of studies have been reported within the Chinese educational context. We also observed that among the limited studies, there was a lack of empirical research on how schools provide …

Micropolitical Influences On Teacher Leader Selection & Enactment, Jennifer Lynn Arthur Thomason

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The teacher leader phenomenon is plagued with uncertainty but has potential to be a catalyst for building school capacity and increasing school improvement. Questions remain about defining teacher leadership, roles of teacher leaders, and how they carry out a quasi-leadership role in a traditionally hierarchical system. Research on micropolitics in education, specifically how micropolitical influences within an organization affect teacher leader selection and enactment, is lacking. This phenomenologically informed study explored micropolitical influences on teacher leader selection and enactment through the shared experiences of teacher leaders and administrators. Purposeful, criterion sampling was used to select administrator and teacher leader participants. …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany Bockelmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to implement …

Examining Teacher Leadership: The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle Hiedeman Green

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

The Impact Of Teacher Leadership In Public Schools, Christopher Larson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

The system of education in the United States needs support. Schools are at a constant struggle to maintain a positive climate and culture and retain quality educators. We now live in a world where the grades and performance measures are highly scrutinized. Schools are measured against each other and society wants to see outstanding achievement data from their school systems.

Working within Moustakas’s phenomenological approach, this qualitative phenomenological study will investigate the extent to which teacher leadership advances school climate and culture. The study will be conducted in four public schools in North Dakota: Two that have teacher leadership …

Telling Principals' Leadership Stories: Administrative Perceptions Of Promoting Teacher Leadership., Adam Whitney Hicks Ed.D.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous definitions, leadership roles, and methods of approaching teacher leadership are discussed in various areas of research; however, no efforts have been made to analyze the administrators who consciously cultivate it in their staff. Using a phenomenological design, this study identified twelve administrators—four elementary, four middle school, and four high school principals—who were found to cultivate teacher leadership, and explored both how these leaders defined teacher leadership, as well as examined how they worked to consciously cultivate it among their staff. Burns’ Transformational Leadership Theory (1978) is the study’s theoretical framework. The findings of the study outline a new definition …

An Evaluation Of Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Implementation Effectiveness And Outcomes Of Teacher Induction Programming In Minnesota Public School Districts, Shorena Dolaberidze

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Background

“No matter the quality of their preparation, new teachers encounter many distinct challenges as they navigate their first months and years in the classroom” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p.1). To empower new teachers and strengthen their performance during instructional times, as well as enhance the effectiveness of their contribution school wide, many school districts implement induction programming. “Research demonstrates that comprehensive, multi-year induction programs accelerate the professional growth of new teachers, reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, provide a stronger return on states’ and school districts’ investment, and improve student learning” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p. 2)

Wong …

Flatten The Hierarchy To Elevate The Profession: The Need For Teacher Leadership To Reinstate Educators As Professionals, Sarah Wasser

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to discover how flattening the educational hierarchy by creating career ladders for teachers as teacher leaders can help elevate teachers to a professional status and elevate their professional self-perceptions. A historical look at education yields a field that has been embattled by politicians, philanthropists, intellectuals, business leaders, social scientists, media outlets, activists, and the public (Goldstein, 2015; Mehta, 2013b, 2013a). Isolation is an ingrained factor that is inherent in the profession itself. There is very little emphasis on sustained learning and growth. Teaching, like nursing, social work, and other highly feminized fields, does not …

Exploring The Relationship Between Teacher Leadership And Student Achievement In High-Poverty Schools, Chaundra Snuggs

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This quantitative study was developed to gather an understanding of how teacher leadership may affect student achievement in high-poverty schools. This study used Angelle and DeHart’s (2010) Teacher Leadership Inventory to assess teachers from two elementary schools, one low performing and the other high performing. Teacher leadership is explored through four variables including sharing leadership, sharing expertise, supra-practitioner, and principal selection. By investigating how teacher leadership may affect student achievement, this study may provide influential information for teacher leaders, principals, and other educational stakeholders who desire to learn more about student achievement in high-poverty schools. This study should add to …