Teachers as leaders : empowering teachers to lead instructional change

Abstract

The role of the school principal is vital to the functioning, performance and success of the school. Principals are responsible for all aspects of school management including functioning as instructional leaders, evaluators, data specialists, behavioral managers, and substitute teachers. Given the myriad of responsibilities of the school principal, their role as the leader of instruction is often forced aside due to the immediate daily demands from students, families, and staff members. Strengthening the leadership voices of classroom teachers and capitalizing on their expertise and resources has potential to lead to significant and sustained change in schools. This research study focused on the role of the building principal in developing a shared, sustainable leadership model in order to build organizational leadership capacity. In this study, teacher perceptions of current and potential leadership opportunities within their schools were explored.