Ready to Lead, But How? Teachers’ Experiences in High-poverty Urban Schools

Citation:

Johnson SM, Reinhorn SK, Charner-Laird M, Kraft MA, Ng M, Papay JP. Ready to Lead, But How? Teachers’ Experiences in High-poverty Urban Schools. Teachers College Record. 2014;116 (10) :1-50.

Abstract:

We examine how teachers in six high-poverty, urban schools of one school district respond to and participate in leadership beyond their classrooms. We found that teachers wanted to participate in developing and implementing their school’s plans for change. When teachers believed that their principal took an inclusive approach to leadership, looking to them for ideas about how to improve the school, they were energized, committed to the joint effort and readily remained “in the game.” However, when teachers thought that their principal took an instrumental approach to leadership, expecting them to comply with fixed plans or to passively endorse administrative decisions, they expressed frustration and tended to withdraw to their classroom, sometimes intending to leave the school.