Instruction is perhaps one of the most basic building blocks of teacher leadership. Leadership in instructional practice means something more than being the best possible teacher within the four walls of one classroom—it means reaching out and sharing great teaching with others, including fellow educators, but also extending to a broad range of stakeholders. Successful teacher leaders do not keep their effective practices to themselves; they share that knowledge with others in order to benefit all students.
Also in this section:
- Overarching Leadership Competencies
- Association Leadership Competencies
- Policy Leadership Competencies
- Foundational Leadership Competencies
Coaching and Mentoring
| Emerging | Developing | Performing | Transforming |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Value the importance of their professional growth and development for the benefit of the students. • Invite colleagues to observe their teaching practices. • Engage in peer assistance for personal growth and development. | • Promote a collegial environment of trust and respect. • Foster the development of colleagues and value their skills and abilities. • Guide colleagues to make their own professional decisions by asking appropriate questions and encouraging reflection. | • Engage in formal roles of coaching and mentoring. • Utilize multiple measures to identify effective teaching and successful student learning. • Identify and promote colleagues who would be good mentors and/or leaders. • Connect colleagues based on strengths, needs, and personal and academic qualities, and determine methods to meet those needs. | • Lead the creation of new systems and/or innovate existing systems to foster the development of other teacher leaders by envisioning what they need and developing systems to meet those needs on a large scale. • Create opportunities for fellow teacher leaders to design coaching and mentoring opportunities in their own contexts. |
| Evidence Indicators of growth at the emerging stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Strive to develop professionally beyond their current practice in a manner to positively impact their students including collegial interaction, course participation, workshop attendance, etc. • Allow colleagues to observe their practice and gather evidence for their improvement. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the developing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Establish a trustworthy work environment with colleagues in which there is an open exchange of ideas. • Work with other teachers to provide information about their own practice to promote growth and development. • Seek opportunities to give and receive feedback on instructional practice. • Provide targeted professional development based on data analysis and instructional needs. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the performing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Provide formal coaching or mentoring to colleagues. • Collect evidence and provide colleagues with meaningful feedback about their practice. • Build collegial communities based on needs and foster an environment of learning and teaching among colleagues to inform and improve their practice. • Seek additional teacher leaders to serve as coaches or mentors to colleagues and match them based on strengths and needs. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the transforming stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Work within or beyond their school and/or district to establish systems that encourage and support teacher leader development. • Determine the vision of teacher leaders and enable teachers to fulfill that role. • Prepare and support teacher leaders for future mentoring and/or coaching roles. • Bring mentorship and/or coaching systems to a broader scope. • Design appropriate coaching and mentoring programs for schools, districts, and/or states. • Build and sustain outside partnerships and programs to support the needs of mentors and/or coaches in schools, districts, and/or states. |
Facilitating Collaborative Relationships
| Emerging | Developing | Performing | Transforming |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Understand the importance of a collaborative culture, articulate the need for such a culture, and work with colleagues to create a productive environment. • Show a willingness to work as part of a group to address and implement resolutions to needs and/or challenges. | • Collaborate about policies and initiatives that impact teaching and learning. • Articulate how collaboration can improve teaching and learning. • Know how to build consensus and peer capacity on issues related to student learning. | • Facilitate collaboration for the improvement of existing— or the innovation of new—programs, policies, and initiatives. • Connect colleagues to meet one another’s needs in their developmental stages; working, when necessary, to bridge gaps of time and place. | • Bring together diverse perspectives and contexts by uniting them in shared work and vision. • Engage stakeholders to collaborate effectively regardless of time or place. • Objectively evaluate and learn from decision-making processes and outcomes. |
| Evidence Indicators of growth at the emerging stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Seek opportunities to learn about the importance of a collaborative culture and identify the positive results of a collaboration. • Work with others to develop a collaborative culture. • Determine the collaborative culture of their school or environment. • Compare their current collaborative culture to their new understanding. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the developing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Develop a deep understanding of policies and initiatives that impact teaching and student learning. • Engage in collaborative discussion with colleagues about learning and teaching. • Establish data-based structures to engage with colleagues about their practice. • Develop and/or participate in groups like professional learning communities or teacher-based teams. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the performing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Implement initiatives and/or policies through collaboration. • Connect and support colleagues to meet their developmental needs. • Facilitate collaboration that bridges gaps of time and place. • Participate in a constructive, collaborative culture to make decisions and implement resolutions | Evidence Indicators of growth at the transforming stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Build a systemic collaborative structure among schools’ districts, and/or states programs. • Evaluate and learn from decision-making processes and the decisions impact. • Reflect on their leadership skills and impact on others in order to build a stronger collaborative environment. • Develop a shared vision and ownership of work based on differing perspectives from diverse stakeholders regardless of place, background, or other factors. |
Community Awareness, Engagement, and Advocacy
| Emerging | Developing | Performing | Transforming |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Recognize the unique needs, culture, and context of students and advocate for their learning and well-being. • Demonstrate awareness of their community by advocating for unique student needs with sensitivity to culture and context. | • Use a deep understanding of cultural, educational, and political concerns and issues to address student needs. • Create a strategic plan to engage various communities to address student needs. | • Facilitate the creation of partnerships including those among colleagues, communities, parents, policymakers, and students. • Inspire and improve the community. • Address the current future needs of student • Elevate the teaching profession. | • Lead and support stakeholders to revitalize the culture and community within which students live, grow, and develop. • Make a deliberate effort to connect to disenfranchised and/or disengaged populations to create a sense of belonging in various educational settings. |
| Evidence Indicators of growth at the emerging stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Identify the unique needs, cultures, communities, and contexts of students. • Identify how the unique needs, cultures, and contexts of students impact those students learning and well-being. • Identify current and new methods of advocacy for students in their schools. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the developing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Develop a deep understanding of their cultural, political, and educational settings. • Develop a strategic plan to create interest and connect with schools, families, community partners, and other stakeholders. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the performing stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Facilitate an action plan to create productive partnerships with students and colleagues, parents and community partners, and stakeholders and policymakers to address the needs of students. • Build and strengthen the school and community connection by connecting schools and families with community partners and other stakeholders. • Elevate and strengthen the teaching profession; e.g., host a teacher career day or publish an op-ed during American Education Week. | Evidence Indicators of growth at the transforming stage include, but are not limited to, the following evidence: • Effectively lead and strongly support stakeholders and policymakers to impact the culture and community of their students. • Identify broad and diverse stakeholders to advocate for disenfranchised and/or disengaged members of the community and lead, organize, and support advocacy efforts. • Foster a spirit of community and sense of belonging. |