UNLEASH THE POTENTIALS OF TEACHER LEADERS FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

JOEY CUNANAN

School’s improvement and achievement is often associated with teachers’effective implementation of instruction and this is frequently attributed to the strategies employed by the school head in leading a school. The collaboration of the teachers and the school head is most often the ingredient of successful and effective school. An uplifting idea is that teachers are regarded as answer to, not problem of, the issues that concern and challenge schools. Teachers who are likely empowered provide their best practices for the improvement of their students wherein their pedagogical activities are not anymore limited within the boundaries of the classroom. It sounds very ideal but this has been a common exercise of effective schools.

The concept of teacher leadership continues to receive empirical research that check on its impact to school performance particularly to the students’ achievement. As defined by experts, teacher leadership builds on the attitude and commitment of teachers to effect beyond one’s learning environment. The principle of teacher leadership focused to some concepts that include collegiality, dynamism, support, equality, change, influence, and partnership.

There is already a paradigm shift when it comes to the roles of a teacher. Gone are the days that teachers are contained inside the classroom to teach values, contents, and skills. Currently, teachers exercise both formal and informal leadership roles. Effective teacher-leaders subscribe to the idea of mobilizing change to continuously improve instruction, organize and lead school practices’reviews, provide of curriculum knowledge, participate in decision making, conduct trainings to fellow teachers, and evaluate teachers. Through these identified roles, it is assumed that teacher leaders may successfully acquire the competence of a school principal. In connection, to become effective teacher leaders, they must espouse the values of equity, service, community, growth, and results. The main idea of these values is anchored on the beliefs that will benefit the learner, the self, and the school.

Teacher leadership sprouted from teacher empowerment. This has been the experience that most teachers have urged them to become principals. The influence of their school heads and the support of the school staff opened the bigger and wider perspective of school administration. The ideas of teacher leadership are indeed true in its essence and viable for aspiring school leaders. This is the simplest yet the grandest training ground for those who want to become leaders. And as for me, teacher leaders are auspicious enough to master the craft while within and beyond the classroom. Finally, the challenge for teacher-leaders: immerse yourselves and master the art.

— oOo—

The author is from Madapdap Resettlement High School

MAILA LAGMAN PENOR

Filipino teacher leaders come from all backgrounds and with a wide variety of skill sets. They share a common desire to use those skill sets to benefit students, improve learning, and contribute to the school’s success.

The Philippines’current landscape of education requires that all teacher leaders, across a wide spectrum of experience and with all these skill sets, participate in the changes and transformations that are necessary.

Just as excellent teachers approach their practice from an array of perspectives and with many talents, teacher leadership requires many individuals’ strengths and interests, coming together for the benefit of young learners and the profession.

While teacher leadership is a general term, there is actually a more specific model that define the ways in which teachers can blaze new paths in education. It is categorized as instructional leadership, policy leadership, and association leadership.

Instructional leadership is perhaps the most basic building block of teacher leadership. Outstanding professional practice must underpin all other efforts, and great teachers must step forward and take the mantle of great teacher leaders.

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. With that said, successful teacher leaders do not keep their effective practices to themselves, they spread that knowledge to others in order to benefit all students.

Meanwhile, policy leadership are when excellent teacher leaders are willing to step up and step out of their classrooms to serve in school, district, state, or national policy leadership capacities, which help shape and eventually implement the policies that best support student learning.

Association leadership, on the other hand, is one of the proven ways to bring great instructional and policy teacher leaders together. Association leadership means understanding how to create and guide meaningful, positive, and powerful collective action.

It also means learning to lead members of large and significant groups, and steering the activities of those members in the direction of desired change. Within the context of the association, teacher leaders can build bridges with administrators and other stakeholders in order to advance quality instructional practice and the right policies to make that practice possible.

A unified voice on behalf of students, and the professionals who teach them, will be heard. Association leadership can play a major part in uniting voices and lifting them up together.

As a teacher myself, I see all of these leadership models as a strong grounding in creating and supporting change in the education profession that will benefit all students.

I believe that these three models offer helpful ways to look at teacher leadership and understand its capacity for impact. By bringing these pathways together, we can create a wide road to successful teacher leadership.

— oOo—

The author is Teacher I at Bacolor Elementary School Proper