What is the relationship between teachers' engagement in transformational leadership and the organizational structures that support teacher leadership?. What is the relationship between teachers' engagement in transformational leadership and the organizational culture that supports teacher leadership?.
Teachers that reported organizational culture supportive of teacher leadership engaged in more informal leadership activities. Teachers who reported a readiness for
Data analysis reveals a strong relationship between organizational culture supportive of teacher leadership and informal leadership engagement (p-value = 0.007) and shows a clear relationship between culture and teacher's level of informal engagement. This is an interesting finding because of the above-mentioned positive association between informal leadership and a culture supportive of teacher leadership.
Teacher engagement in formal and informal leadership varies by Grade Level and Years Teaching
Disappointed that classroom teachers were eliminated from the school leadership team, teachers in the open-response survey suggested more opportunities for teacher voice on department, campus, and district committees. As the #1 key theme in the Teachers of the Year focus group, Teacher Voice included the suggestion for TOYS to promote greater teacher voice for their colleagues.
Teachers reported the importance of Empowerment as an individual and organizational condition supporting teacher leadership engagement. They emphasized the
Another agreed, adding: "I don't want to cause friction." A third said, "When you teach in isolation, you feel like there's no voice, there's no connection." Finally, the importance of TOYS peer review was highlighted as an example of active Teacher Voice. A lack of empowerment emerged for teachers who felt that there was no point in getting involved or their voice was irrelevant in school decisions. When asked to what extent they felt empowered, one interviewee was silent for 33 seconds before responding: “I don't feel.
One teacher explained that he felt constrained by the system: "I don't want to be told to teach a certain way." Additionally, in the survey, teachers indicated a lack of empowerment by expressing personal feelings, including "I feel oppressed, I (act) isolated" and "I feel like I'm drowning." Reflecting a similar lack of confidence and reluctance to offer ideas, additional comments were included: “I don't want to step on anyone's toes, I don't want to rock the boat, I don't want to overstep my boundaries, and I don't want to make waves.”. Although TOY is recognized for outstanding excellence in and out of the classroom, group members have recognized varying degrees of empowerment at the individual and organizational levels.
You mind your own business, keep your head down, do your job, you don't think anyone is paying attention." Another added that it was a challenge to feel empowered “when you've been told to stay in your lane…it's not conducive for teachers to go individually (to administrators) with problems or concerns,” and another reflected on their response to a lack of empowerment and shared: "I close my door."
Teachers reported a lack of campus and district-wide communication and
Keep teachers informed and provide more opportunities to share with teachers what is happening at school.” Survey participants shared the difficulty of engaging in transformational teacher leadership “when I have no idea what is happening on campus and when there is little to no active communication happening within my school.” Listen… respect our ideas,” and “Join us and brainstorm,” “Have a pow-wow with teachers and talk… share ideas,” and “Keep teachers informed and give us a heads up.” One interviewee mentioned the data collected from school surveys and said: “We don't know what happens to it. One side of the coin is the 'I don't know' dilemma, where teachers are not aware of the possibilities, involvement processes or communication about participation.
When asked about informal leadership, one interviewee responded, "The process of informal leadership ... I don't think there is one ... I'm not aware of it, or I would probably be interested." The teachers link this lack of awareness to a lack of communication on campus and in the district. As one teacher stated in an interview, “I don't know that I know it's out there…I don't know that it's happening,” and another reflected, “If you're not on the leadership team, you don't know , what the management team is doing." Lack of communication about processes contributes to impaired teacher leadership, and the organization can work to strengthen these information channels. One respondent wrote: "The administration chooses in advance." One interviewee described, “I know they ask people to serve on committees from time to time, but it's not really often,” and another stated, “If you're not invited to the leadership meetings, you don't really have much. of pathways (to engagement)." One teacher offered, "I would volunteer, but the administration chooses...they choose you." Yet another acknowledged, "Management ... I would do it ... if asked." Currently, a lack of communication contributes to confusion about participation processes and to an unspoken culture of waiting to be asked.
The participant shared, “They can't fix what they don't know, and they may have no idea what's being said.”
Teachers reported the need for expanded Collaboration with colleagues in and across their campus and district to facilitate teacher leadership engagement. Collaboration
We just hope someone will see and say, 'Oh, that's a good idea.' We just hope they'll come and ask - it's safer." One TOY believed more directly. Although one TOY reported a high level of cooperation with a department meeting almost daily, another TOY shared, "There are some days I don't even see an adult." One TOY recognized the challenge for teachers who were a Department of One without opportunities for collaboration.
As one TOY said, “We've gotten a lot of new teachers—if we just had a faculty meeting and asked them, 'What are you struggling with.' As one TOY shared, “We never meet with other campuses.” When a TOY discussed the need for more campus-to-campus collaboration, a TOY reflected, “Each campus is its own island ... we can all see each other's opening day in August and then we're off, it's done, we don't see them, we just not. We don't get the opportunity to collaborate as a whole district at all, and I wish it could be different.
It feels separate.” One TOY advocated for the campuses to think like a single district and eliminate a perceived sense of campus rivalry.
Teachers reported a key support needed for teacher leadership included a stronger culture of Appreciation. Emphasizing how little things can make a significant difference in
One TOY said, “(It's important to) include all the voices… what do you see in K-2 or K-3 that might help someone in 4th-5th. classes, so when (students) get there, (teachers know) this is where class ended and this is where we're going to continue it.” They said, “It's almost like a campus-to-campus competition.” Another added: “There is a lack of willingness to participate. Each school is seen as a separate school, but we should all work together.” Teachers felt that working together and sharing experiences across campuses would increase opportunities for teacher leadership.
TOYs proposed a district-wide roundtable to hear ideas from all campuses and for TOYs to serve as a facilitator for cross-campus collaboration. On the positive side (which was less often expressed in this topic), teachers emphasized the impact that recognition by administration has on teacher engagement. Another interviewee explained: “It makes me feel like I'm doing my job well when I go to the (administration) with a problem and it is recognized and addressed.” Teachers who felt appreciation from administration and fellow colleagues agreed, “It's the little things.”
One TOY shared the importance of hearing words of appreciation to validate the impact of their leadership, especially when “I lose focus on the impact I'm making… and others saw that in me that I really didn't see at the time. ” .
Teachers reported a key knowledge, experience, and support for teacher leadership included a sense of Purpose (the “why”) on two levels: organizational - school vision,
One teacher shared, "Admin point black said (to me), 'You can't imagine how much I appreciate you doing that.'" That teacher felt validated and respected by their administrator, and that simple but powerful statement of appreciation has motivated them to get involved and go the extra mile. As one teacher said, "Explain the no's." Teachers need to know why their involvement matters, and to see the impact of their participation. A cautionary note was articulated by one interviewee when they said, "Without the why, people fill in the blanks."
When asked about the motivation for teacher leadership, interviewees currently engaged in leadership responded: "I think I can still help people" and "When I see a need, I'm there." One teacher affirmed the role their daily work played in the big picture by saying, "My part is important." Another reflected on their current engagement saying, "I want to make a difference," and another commented, "I believe what I'm doing matters." One teacher explained their rationale for engagement by asking, “What if I could have been a better teacher…or I could have been a better leader…or I could have been something better?” One teacher gave purpose to engagement by explaining, "I must have an end to my beginning." Teachers must believe that their participation makes a difference. As one teacher thought, "Why do I have to leave the classroom to be a leader?" Teachers believe they can stay in the classroom and still have an impact on the entire school through leadership engagement. Teachers' commitment to students emerged as a motivating factor for engagement: one teacher said, "I'm the voice for that child." These teachers saw engagement as a way to improve teaching and impact students' lives.
Although the theme of improving school conditions did not specifically emerge in the qualitative measurements as a driver for engagement, this finding emerged compellingly in the quantitative survey data through a 4-paper.
Teachers reported the need to strengthen Relationship-Building opportunities in the district to increase teacher leadership engagement trough meaningful friendships,
To the question To what extent would the following factors motivate you to engage in management activities. The response I would take on a leadership position to improve the current conditions at my school emerged as the top choice with 82% of respondents choosing somewhat or a great deal (Table 21). The implication is that when teachers see their participation as a positive force for school improvement, they are more motivated to engage.
Motivation for Engagement
