The principal\u27s role in the development of teacher leadership: A case study

This study explored the principal\u27s role in the development of teacher leadership in a school in the process of change. The single, case study was conducted in a large urban elementary school, grades K-5, within a major, western metropolitan school district. The nature of teacher leadership was examined along with the actions, behaviors, and thoughts of the principal which fostered the development of teacher leadership. Change process activities that were influenced or facilitated by teacher leadership were also studied; Primary sources of data collection included field observations, document reviews, and interviews conducted on a regular basis for a period of one semester. The phenomenon of teacher leadership was analyzed within the holistic, social context of the school and the influence of the initiator style of principal leadership; Data revealed seven descriptive categories of teacher leadership. The categories found included (a) anointed, (b) task, (c) status, (d) scholarly, (e) instructional, (f) collegial, and (g) professional teacher leadership. Specific actions, behaviors, and thoughts of the principal were observed as being associated with and promoting the development of the teacher leadership categories. These actions, behaviors, and thoughts were grouped into four principal factors including (a) communication, (b) maintenance, (c) enablement, and (d) transition. Additionally, three areas of change processes were found to be influenced through teacher leadership. These areas included (a) instruction, (b) curriculum development, and (c) school improvement; Out of the data, three stages of teacher leadership development were identified. Stage I was self leadership, Stage II was collaborative leadership, and Stage III was transformational leadership; A grounded theory of teacher leadership was discovered through conceptualization of teacher leadership categories and the discovery of conceptual linkages between the principal\u27s actions, behaviors, and thoughts and teacher leadership. A developmental model reflective of the grounded theory was presented. The model included the three developmental stages of teacher leadership, the categories of teacher leadership aligned with each stage, and the principal factors which attributed to the development of each teacher leadership stage. From this model, implications for educational administration were drawn