A presentation by Louann Bierlien-Palmer for the June 2016 ACL Principal Training workshop by Western Michigan University.

1. Achievement Centered Leadership
Radisson Conference Center, Kalamazoo
22-24 June 2016
Western Michigan University
A PROGRAM for PRINCIPALS and ASPIRING PRINCIPALS
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2. Walter L. Burt, Ph.D., WMU Associate Professor
J. Mark Rainey, Ed.D., Education ConsultantD r . L o u a n n B i e r lein - P a l m e r
Module II : Distributive & Empowering Leadership:
Developing Teacher Leaders
Facilitated by
Dr. Louann Bierlein Palmer
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3. 3
Initial Self-Assessment Items
1) The majority of our teachers are involved in school leadership activities via
committees or other organizational structures.
2) We have an environment in which teachers feel very comfortable in offering
input on needed improvements.
3) The majority of our teachers engage in peer observations and feedback.
4) We have an environment in which teachers work together closely on school
improvement activities.
5) We have one or more fairly strong professional learning communities in place
within our school.
6) We have a culture of collective responsibility among all teachers and staff
within our school.
Quick Self-Assessment –
On a Scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), rate your school:

4. 4
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S
Session Objectives
1. Review the concepts and research
supporting empowering and distributive
leadership.
2. Understand several key methods for
“distributing power.”
3. Complete application activities to assess
your own organization’s status in key
areas.
4. Generate ideas for one or more
“empowering leadership” renewal
activities for school year 2016/17 (and
beyond).

5. 5DTL
Distributive & Empowering Leadership
What is Distributive & Empowering Leadership?
• The “sharing” of leadership with
others, or sharing the “power of
influence” which comes with
leadership.
• Many different words are often
used to describe a similar
concept: shared leadership,
collaborative leadership,
empowering leadership
• Distributive leadership is not
necessarily the “act” of
distributing power, but the
mindset (or perspective) a given
leader takes about how to
operate within a given
organization (Spillane, 2006) .

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6
DTL
Research & Leadership
• Leadership acts as a “driver” in
building a school’s academic
capacity, and research has found
that a more team-oriented and
collaborative approach to school
leadership is directly linked with
improved teaching and learning
(Hallinger & Heck, 2010).
• Research is becoming very clear,
that leadership and the
appropriate “sharing” or
distributing of power associated
with leadership makes a difference
(Leithwood, Mascall, & Straus,
2009; Marzano & Waters, 2009;
Reeves, 2006).
Research on Distributive &
Empowering Leadership Reveals…

7. 7DTL
Teacher Support
Research Reveals…
Research Reveals…
• However, it important to note that shared leadership is only
“indirectly” related to student achievement.
• The power comes from helping teachers:
– Organize themselves into professional
learning communities;
– Engage in reflective discussions about instruction;
– Participate in practitioner-focused action research; and
– Have a sense of collective responsibility for student
learning (Louis et al., 2010)
Research Reveals…

8. 8DTL
Empowering Creativity
How to Best Distribute Power
1. Finding and Empowering Teacher Leaders (& Removing
Barriers to Teacher Leadership)
2. Creating the Environment for Leadership Capacity (e.g.,
Professional Learning Communities)

9. 9DIDM
WMU-ELRT TRAINING WITH DIDM
99DTL
Teacher Leaders’ Influence
Distributing Power: Finding & Empowering Teacher
Leaders
Teacher leaders are teachers
who successfully influence
the behavior, beliefs, or
actions of others thereby
increasing the capacity for
student achievement and
success (Lester, 2008)
Such Teacher Leaders:
(1) lead within and beyond the
classroom;
(2) contribute to a community of
learners and leaders;
(3) influence others toward
improved practice; and
(4) accept responsibility for
achieving outcomes
(Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009).

10. 10DTL
Teachers’ Influence
Why Teacher Leadership?
• Research tells us to create teacher leaders (since teachers
have a direct connection to learning outcomes)
• Tenure in schools for teachers is longer than most
administrators.
• Demands of a building administrator today exceed time
and expertise.
• Building administrators often have limited expertise in
areas where teachers have fluency (e.g., curriculum
content)
• Teachers are on the “in” when often times administrators
are on the “out.”

11. 1111DTL
Sustainable Opportunities
Research on Teacher Leadership has found:
• enhanced professional efficacy and retention of
excellent teachers;
• less resistance to change as teacher leaders positively
influence other teachers;
• more career enhancement and opportunities for self-
improvement;
• enhanced accountability for results; and
• increased chances for sustainable reforms.
(Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009; Lieberman & Miller, 2004;
Mangin & Stoelinga, 2008).

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What Does the Field Say?
Principal's Viewpoint on Creating a
"Caring Community of Learners“
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMLy7HPaorY&NR=1

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Teacher Educational Approaches
Formal & Informal Teacher Leaders
“Informal” Positions
• Teachers of influence choosing NOT to
leave classroom, but influencing others via
– Casual conversations
– Sharing teaching materials
– Facilitating professional development
– Peer coaching & mentoring
– Organizing action research groups
– Leading book studies
“Formal” Positions
- instructional coach,
- mentor,
- department chair

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Obstacles
Barriers to Teacher Leadership
• Teachers often feel they do not have the knowledge and skills
to lead other adults.
• Egalitarian norm of school cultures discourages teachers from
drawing attention to themselves
• Strong “teacher identity” vs “administrator identity” (e.g.,
that is “their” job, not mine)
• Lack of resources and time for teachers to do more (over-
reliance on a few teachers)
• Comfort of principal to really share power

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Teacher Leader Fears
Lots of Different “Fears” (Sanocki, 2013)
- Fear of negativity.
- Fear of adult drama.
- Fear of being perceived as a kiss-up.
- Fear of being perceived as false.
- Fear of being perceived as stupid.
- Fear of being perceived as too friendly with administration.
- Fear of casting judgment on others.
- Fear of failure; that people will not come on board.
- Fear of losing identity and connections with colleagues.
- Fear of not being respected as a professional.
- Fear of not having the right amount of resources.
- Fear of not making a difference.
- Fear of not making connections with kids.
- Fear of not understanding the changes and evolution in education.
-- Fear of rejection.
- Fear that others will think I want to be principal.
.

16. 1616DTL
Overcoming Fears
Yet, Fears Can Be Overcome (Sanocki, 2013)
Recommendations for Educational Leaders
 Collaborate to build learning communities.
 Provide a safe culture in which teacher leadership can thrive.
 Collaborate to understand and minimize egalitarianism,
seniority structures, and administrative gatekeeping.
 Actively and safely discuss teacher leader introspection to
reveal the fears and hopes of teacher leaders.

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Creating Leaders
And, There are Lots of Teacher Leaders to Be Found…
“Within every school there is a sleeping giant
of teacher leadership that can be a catalyst
for making changes to improve student
learning…. By helping teachers recognize that
they are leaders, by offering opportunities to
develop their leadership skills, and by
creating school cultures that honor their
leadership, we can awaken this sleeping giant
of teacher leadership” (Katzenmeyer &
Moller, 2009, pp. 2-3).

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Developing Skillsets
DTL
Adapted
Teacher Leadership Identification
Activity
• Who are the Potential
Teacher Leaders in Your
School & What Specific
Skills Might Each Bring?
Thoughts to Consider
• Match the unique needs at your school
with individual teachers who have
potential for leadership
• Think about those who may have skills and
talents yet to be discovered. Encourage
them to help fill a niche in your school.
• Work to develop leadership roles for many
teachers. Avoid calling on the same
teachers and strive to discover new
potential for leadership in your school.

19. 1919DTL
Assessments
Teacher Leader Assessment Tools
• Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument - self-
assessment tool for teachers to reflect upon their
personal beliefs and strengths regarding their potential
role as a teacher leader (see Attachment A).
• Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS) - tool for
principals to gather information from all teachers in a
building regarding the extent to which a culture of active
teacher leadership is occurring (see Attachment B).
Source: Awaking the Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders by
Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009)

20. 2020DTL
Professional Learning Community
Adapted
Distributing Power: Creating the Environment for
Leadership Capacity
Professional Learning Communities Core Elements
• Shared and Supportive Leadership
• Shared Values and Vision
• Collective Learning and Application
• Shared Personal Practice (i.e., Peer Review &
Feedback)
• Supportive Conditions – Relationships & Structures

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Learning Communities
Adapted
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PCLs or Teachers Who are Simply Meeting?
• Many schools are now
engaged in professional
learning communities – but
are they really PLC’s (or just
teachers meeting
together)?
• PCL Assessment Tool by
Olivier, Hipp, & Huffman
(2008).
• See Attachment C

22. 2222DTL
Leadership Capacity
Adapted.
Distributing Power: Creating the Environment for
Leadership Capacity
• Essential to assess and enhance a
school’s leadership capacity
including
– the broad-based, skillful
participation of teachers in the
work of leadership,
– teachers’ understanding of
sustainable school
improvement (Lambert, 2003,
2006).
• The Leadership Capacity Framework
includes of four possible school
environments
– quadrant 1 involves low skillfulness
and low teacher leadership
participation levels,
– quadrant 4 involves high levels of
both skillfulness and teacher
leadership participation.
• Lambert notes that complex issues do
not divide neatly into boxes, and
schools may find themselves in more
than one box.

23. 2323DTL
Leadership Capacity Framework
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Quadrant 1
Principal as autocratic manager
Limited (one-way) flow of information; no shared visions
Codependent, paternal/maternal relationships; rigidly defined
roles
Norms of compliance; blame; program coherence technical
and superficial
Lack of innovation in teaching and learning
Student achievement is poor, or showing short-term
improvements on standardized measures
Quadrant 2
Principal as “laissez-faire” manager; many teachers developing
unrelated programs
Fragmentation and lack of coherence of information, and
programs’ lack of shared purpose
Norms of individualism, lack of collective responsibility
Undefined roles and responsibilities
Spotty innovation with both excellent and poor classrooms
Student achievement appears static overall (unless data are
disaggregated)
Quadrant 3
Principal and key teachers as purposeful leadership team
Limited uses of school-wide data, information flow within
designated leadership groups
Polarized staff, pockets of strong resistance
Strong reflection, innovation, and teaching excellence among
selected teachers; program coherence still weak
Student achievement static or showing slight improvement
Quadrant 4
Principal and teachers, as well as parents and students, are
skillful learners
Shared vision results in program coherence
Inquiry-based use of information to inform decision and
practices
Roles and actions reflect broad involvement, collaboration,
and collective responsibility
Reflective practice consistently leads to innovation
Student achievement is high or improving steadily
Figure 1. Leadership capacity of four school types (adapted from Lambert, 2006, p. 240).

24. 2424DTL
Leadership Capacity Framework
.
Personal attributes and behaviors
Learns continually
Thinks strategically
Value/vision driven
Sets norms with staff
Supervises/ensures staff
accountability
Convenes conversations
Honors history
Sponsors staff growth
Accepts responsibility
Breaks dependencies
Clarifies roles
Articulates strategies
Creates safe, “holding”
environment
Personal attributes and behaviors
Learns – attends to epiphanies
Thinks strategically
Translates values into vision
language
Lets go, provides support, and
sticks around
Scaffolds with ideas and
questions
Mediates roles
Develops structures that build
reciprocal relationships
Coaches for instructional
improvement
Personal attributes and behaviors
Learns continually
Thinks strategically
Value/vision driven
Continues and expands behaviors initiated in earlier phases
Instructs staff (or arranges for
instruction) in:
Collaboration, group processes,
and teaming;
Conversation and dialogue;
Inquiry/data use;
Trust building;
Best instructional practices;
Communication skills
Facilitation;
Conflict resolution; and
Accountability
Guides staff to:
develop shared vision;
establish process observation or
norms;
use inquiry;
question assumptions;
conduct constructivist
conversations;
identify and solve problems;
surface/mediate conflict;
find resources (time, professional
development, monies); and
plan
Participates with other members of the community to:
think strategically;
share concerns/issues;
share decisions;
monitor and implement shared visions;
engage in reflective practices
(reflection/inquiry/dialogue/action);
monitor norms and take self corrective actions;
build a culture of interdependency;
self-organize;
diversify and blend roles;
establish criteria for self-accountability;
share authority and responsibility (dependent on expertise
and interest, rather than role); and
plan for enculturation of new staff and succession
Use formal authority to convene
and maintain conversations,
challenge complacency or
incompetence, and make certain
decisions
Use formal authority to sustain
conversations, insist on
professional development and
inquiry agenda, mediate the
demands of the district and state,
and set reform pace
Uses formal authority to implement community decisions,
mediate political pressures, work with less than competent
staff, and work on legal and reform challenges

25. 2525DTL
Summary
Wrapping Things Up
• Bottom Line: Research
has linked Empowering
& Distributive
Leadership to improved
student outcomes!
Renewal Project Ideas:
• Finding and Empowering
Teacher Leaders (& Removing
Barriers to Teacher Leadership)
• Creating the Environment for
Leadership Capacity
(Professional Learning
Communities)
• And do not forget about
empowering student leaders as
well!

26. 2626DTL
Practitioner Advice
Adapted
Distributing Power: Advice from Former Cohort
Principal
The 3 “E’s”
• Engagement – Creating an environment for
leadership capacity
• Encouragement – Helping teachers become active
practitioners through school processes, events, and
real time/action research.
• Empowerment – Removing barriers to leadership by
valuing individual passion and commitment while
providing job-embedded opportunities to share
personal talents.

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Renewal Example
DTL
Previous Cohort Leadership Example
• Bloomingdale
Middle/HS Team

28. 28
DTLD
Renewal Activity Brainstorming & Sharing
• Working with your
partner, brainstorm on
potential activities this
coming year related to
“Distributing and
Empowering Leadership.”
DTL

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Distributing & Empowering
Sharing Power is Fun!