Distributing leadership . . .

Sunday evening has become one of those times that I have reserved for blogging, usually with the TV in the background. Tonight, Costas is interviewing Michael Phelps and his mother, a middle school principal in Baltimore. It is refreshing to hear the success story in their words and the respect and love that they have for each other.


A lot of potential blog topics have been swimming around in my mind as we approach the start of a new school year. We have a primary election on Tuesday with the State Superintendent of Instruction position on the ballot. This could become an interesting race as there are many in our profession upset with Terry who see Randy Dorn as a formidable and worthy opponent. I could share some thoughts about this race, but I usually stay away from politics.


This year in our state we will see schools and districts not meeting NCLB's adequate yearly progress in greater numbers. I know this is the situation for our school system. So, I could share some thoughts about this potential public relations issue.


Though either of these topics may be worthy of a blog post, I want to start a conversation about teacher leadership and why it is both so important and so difficult to achieve. I make no secret of my belief that we must distribute leadership throughout our system if we are going to realize our Classroom 10 goals. There are not enough administrators in any system to provide the direction and support over time that are necessary to develop and implement curriculum and instructional practices that place young people in situations to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success in post high school learning and work.


Some questions to consider in no particular order:

• What are the attributes of successful teacher leaders?
• Who becomes a teacher leader?
• What do teacher leaders do?
• Why is it difficult to sometimes be a teacher leader?
• What knowledge and skills does one need to successfully perform the role of teacher leader?
• What support do teacher leaders need from administrators?
• Is being a teacher leader the same as performing administrative functions with out the pay?
• Is this just for teachers or should we consider the same support for leaders in other classifications in our system?

What other questions do you have as you think about the need for distributing leadership beyond those with the title and positional authority? I'll share more of my thinking on some of these questions in upcoming posts.