"It's always been a promising time for teacher leadership. It's just never been a successful time," writes noted educator Roland Barth. Why? Barth points to five obstacles: administrator resistance, the taboo in teaching against elevating oneself higher than one's peers, the fact that teachers' plates are full, the…

The nature of relationships among the adults within a school has a greater influence on the character and quality of a school and on student accomplishment than anything else. However, educators rarely discuss the matter of how adults interact in schools because the topic is too volatile. These relationships can be categorized in several ways. In…

One portion of the interview took place before Herzog became a principal and one part after. (IRT)

Principalship need not be a futile attempt to satisfy the demands of many different parties. Rather, a climate of cooperation can be established through mutual teacher/administrator support. (DCS)

This booklet describes the work of teacher leaders. Section 1, "The Teacher Leaders," describes today's teacher leadership. Section 2, "What Is Teacher Leadership?" explains that all teachers have leadership potential, and when teachers lead, principals extend their own capacity, students live in a democratic community of…

Teachers harbor extraordinary leadership capabilities--a major untapped rsource for improving U.S. schools. This article explains how principals can share leadership by articulating goals, entrusting and relinquishing authority, involving teachers in decision-making, assigning responsibilities wisely, sharing responsibility for both success and…

Although much has been written about school reform in the past decade, insufficient attention has been given to the important relationships among the adults within the school and to a consideration of how their abundant trapped energy, inventiveness, and idealism might be encouraged. This book addresses this deficiency by emphasizing schooling's…

Teachers can take effective schoolwide leadership roles if the principal encourages each teacher to take responsibility for an aspect of school life that the individual teacher cares strongly about. Such opportunities to engage in school leadership are attractive for teachers because (1) they offer possibilities for improving teaching conditions;…

Examines ways principals can make more effective use of their central place in the professionalizing of teaching. Suggests that principals ought to create environments that enable teachers to discover their own skills and talents. Principals' support groups and centers can be helpful in facilitating this process. (DR)

Outlines 10 areas requiring teacher leadership in schools; discusses benefits for students, teachers, the school, and the principal; and lists impediments (workload, time, testing constraints, colleagues' disapprobation, and unsupportive principals). Determined, goal-driven teachers have the power to unlock one another's leadership potential and…

Describes the preoccupation of U.S. schools with "list logic": a conception of educational improvement that relies on the identification and prescription of a myriad of characteristics of effective schools, administrators, and teachers. Suggests reasons for this phenomenon and advocates the alternative of "communities of…