Exploring two classroom teachers' experiences as they aspire to become literacy instructional leaders

Abstract

Classroom teacher leadership has encompassed both formal and informal leadership roles--from organizational roles, such as department head, to instructional roles, such as literacy coach or facilitating a book study group. In an era of Race to the Top and challenging economic times, states like Washington have revised their teacher evaluation systems to include instructional leadership. New administration evaluation systems require administrators to demonstrate how they are developing and supporting teachers to become effective instructional leaders. In this study, I document how two teachers participating in a district-developed literacy-reform initiative enhanced their own literacy classroom instructional practice and became instructional leaders for their peers. Using Mangin's framework on distributed leadership, I examine how districts, schools, and teachers can shape the process of developing classroom teacher leaders and ultimately enhance literacy instruction for students.