Leading the way by sharing the load: Building teacher leaders to strengthen adult learning and advance teacher practices

Katharine DeBenedictis • Cahn Fellow 2023

The role of the Principal as an instructional leader is most important, however it is often usurped by managerial tasks, leaving less time for school leaders to be in classrooms supporting and giving feedback, or facilitating critical professional learning for teachers. This leaves great opportunity for teacher leaders to serve in coaching and mentoring roles. Principals frequently ask their strongest teachers to share their best practices with others. Being knowledgeable and talented in the classroom may give a teacher credibility, but does not necessarily prepare them with the skills necessary to lead adaptive change in a school. Without the proper training and development, a teacher may never fulfill the role of effective teacher leader, capable of impacting true school progress.

Our 2023-2024 leadership journey was one that involved not only the development of Fellow and Ally, but a shared experience with our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT). Throughout our collaborative efforts and study, we grew more effective in our individual leadership and as a cohesive group striving towards a shared goal. Whereas we set out to improve literacy instruction by supporting large scale teacher practices across our school, we quickly realized that in order to make a true, sustainable impact on student learning, we had to first support the small group of teachers we assumed needed the least. By elevating the leadership skills of our instructional team, we sparked a wave of positive change that not only supported student achievement but also reignited a passion for learning among our teachers, proving that investing in our teachers as leaders can yield profound results for everyone.