News
Teachers must become change agents for education reform
Opinion
12.10.2007
By Ronald D. Valenti
Most students and parents, when asked "What makes a great teacher?" respond by describing someone who both knows their subject matter very well, and respects and cares for children very deeply. Subject area know-how and a passion for serving our nation's youth have long dominated and continue to define quality teaching. However, the two traditional qualities of competence and compassion may soon become three. Leadership, a term generally reserved for school boards, superintendents and administrators, is now being extended to teachers.
In spring 2006, Manhattanville College sponsored a one-day conference on teacher leadership that was attended by 200 teachers, school officials and university personnel throughout Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. Charlotte Danielson, a nationally recognized researcher and author of the 2006 book "Teacher Leadership" was the featured speaker. In addition to hearing Danielson, participants attended works! hops that focused on teacher leader skills, such as setting meeting agendas, chairing committees, mentoring and coaching staff, developing budgets and conducting classroom research. The energy, enthusiasm and expectations of the attendees ran so high, a leadership coalition consisting of the Lower Hudson Teacher Center Network, Manhattanville College, teacher unions and school districts was formed to conduct further studies throughout the region. Manhattanville's graduate program of Educational Leadership developed a 15 credit program for teacher leaders that, upon completion, would give teachers an advanced graduate certificate approved by the state Education Department. Most noteworthy, the coalition supporting teacher leadership represented not only school officials, principals and university educators, but included teacher union presidents and New York state United Teachers regional and state representatives.
The dynamic changes in education since "A Nation at Risk" was first published in 1983 - the study by the National Commission on Excellence in Education that was highly critical of the U.S. education system -have set the stage for many of the dramatic reforms driving a need for teacher leaders. National and state curriculum standards, when combined with increased and expanded student testing at all levels, has made schooling more complex and demanding. Simultaneously, the reform movement of the past quarter century has extended accountability from the district level to each elementary, middle and high school, and beyond that to every teacher's classroom.
Current school leadership is running uphill to keep pace with expanding public expectations, escalating testing requirements, resulting achievement gaps and the exploding need for professional development. Simply stated, the school principal can no longer do it alone. Formal teacher roles, such as department chairs, coordinators and grade level team leaders are an effort at differentiated leadership which brings more hands on deck to help the school principal and administration.
However, even present efforts have been stretched to the limit. Training new teachers and supporting the skills of senior staff have created a growing need for more teacher mentors to help new hires and more teacher coaches to assist the administration with staff improvement. Increased curriculum changes and program revisions are requiring more teacher leaders who specialize in analyzing student performance data and can assist colleagues to adjust pedagogical practice, sometimes almost daily, to modify individual student instruction and to strengthen student achievement.
Current research and thinking suggest that we must travel beyond the formal teacher leader roles of coordinator, grade level leaders, etc., that are grounded in differential leadership theory. We must examine democratic leadership models that empower every teacher to exercise leadership, even in an informal capacity, within the school setting. Every teacher must contribute to classroom research and creative teaching strategies if all pupils are to succeed. Every teacher must become a change agent if true reform is to be achieved.
In January, Manhattanville College, together with coalition members, will be releasing research data and survey results to inform policy makers, such as legislators, the state Education Department, school board members, school superintendents and union leaders, on the teacher leadership roles and skills that are most crucial toward helping building principals improve student achievement and strengthen school performance. Competent and compassionate teachers may no longer be sufficient. Our schools need to cultivate teacher leaders as well.
The writer is superintendent of Blind Brook schools.