AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF A TEACHER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM ON THE PERCEPTION OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Abstract

Teacher leadership is mandated in North Carolina through a set of standards and an evaluation instrument. However, no state endorsed development opportunities were available for teachers who did not demonstrate leadership at an adequate level when measured against the evaluation instrument. A consistent, research-based definition of leadership has not been developed. Six themes of leadership (vision-setting, knowledge/ability, influence, ethics, results-oriented/accountability, and collaboration) were found that created a framework for the study. A large, urban district in North Carolina developed a teacher leadership program. This study sought to examine the effects of a district training program, titled the Institute for Teacher Leaders (ITL), on the leadership behaviors demonstrated by the participating teachers. The study utilized a survey based on the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Instrument. The survey collected the ITL participants' perceptions prior to the training and after the training in each of the six themes of leadership. ITL participants' teammates and principals also responded to the survey. Descriptive statistics were compiled and analyzed to determine if there were trends. Fisher's Exact Tests were computed to determine if there were significant relationships between ITL participants' perceptions prior to the training and after the training. Fisher's Exact Tests were also computed to determine if there were significant relationships between the ITL participants' perceptions and their teammates' and principals' perceptions. Although there were no significant relationships found, descriptive data did show trends of increased leadership abilities in each of the six themes. Additional research needs to be conducted to determine the impact of leadership training on the abilities of teachers.