Outcomes – Teacher Leadership
The Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership is constructed around three recurring themes that emerge from the conceptual model. The first of these themes refers to developing teacher leaders who have a deep understanding of the nature and the ethics of leadership in a socially and politically democratic society. The second theme builds on the first and encompasses objectives dealing with developing teacher leaders who are capable of both promoting professional learning and facilitating improvement in instruction and student learning through collaborative decision-making. Finally, the third driving theme centers on developing teacher leaders who are reflective learners with the skills to gather information and understand the nature and value of formal inquiry as it leads them to promote the use of data within the democratic environment of schools. Outcomes are aligned with the Teacher Leader Model Standards (TLMS) developed by the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium in 2011.
We believe that teacher leaders must lead with vision, strength of conviction, and a firm grounding in the belief that all can learn and grow. We foster a philosophy of leadership that embraces the strengths of all democratic institutions, and that provides voice to all participants
Theme 1 – The nature and ethics of leadership in a democratic society
Teacher Leaders:
- are deeply committed to the premise that a democracy is built upon, and sustained by, a strong and vital system of public education. (TLMS Domain VII)
- have a clear understanding of the nature of leadership, of themselves as leaders, of the moral and ethical imperatives of leadership, and a clear grasp of the environment in which teacher leaders function.
Theme 2 – Leaders as agents of positive and sustainable change through democratic collaboration
Teacher Leaders:
- have the skills to initiate, build and maintain a collaborative culture, develop human potential, build learning communities, generate resources, operate in rich and diverse cultural settings, and who view others as worthy and valuable individuals. (TLMS Domain I)
- plan team-based job-embedded sustained professional learning, use adult learning theory, facilitates professional learning by teachers, uses technologies, collects & analyzes data on PD and effect of student learning, advocates for time for PD, and provides constructive feedback to teachers. (TLMS Domain III)
- use data to improve curriculum, instruction, assessment, school organization, and school culture, engage in reflective dialog with teachers, serve as mentor, coach, team leader, promote strategies that use technology as well as address issues of diversity and equity. (TLMS Domain IV)
Theme 3 – Leaders as reflective learners who appreciate the value of formal inquiry in understanding the context of schools in a democratic society
Teacher Leaders:
- understand, and continuously reflect upon the critical nature of valid data to improve student learning; who are able to apply sound inquiry methodologies; who are able to analyze complex data sets, draw strategic conclusions, and develop strategic plans, build collaborative work teams, formulate effective implementation plans and evaluate results. (TLMS Domain II)
- Know current research on classroom and school data, help teachers identify and use multiple assessment tools, collaborate in design, implementation and interpretation of student data to improve student learning, work with others to use data to promote change in instructional practices or organizational structures. (TLMS Domain V)
- Promote interactions among teachers, family and community, model communication and collaboration with diverse families, facilitate teachers’ understandings of culture and diversity, and collaborate to meet needs of family and community. (TLMS Domain VI)
These themes and the program objectives serve as the basis of the individual course objectives and student competency expectations. These objectives in turn lay the foundation for both the activities, internship and the development of a portfolio and culminating project.