Teacher Leadership: The Missing Factor in America’s Classrooms

Abstract

Few will argue that great schools are the by-products of great teachers. What is less obvious to most people is that the best teachers do not manage their students, they lead them. Far too often, teachers are characterized as managers, which explains our educational system’s focus on classroom management, rather than leadership skills. Improving our nation’s educational system depends, in large part, on demonstrating to our teachers that students, at all levels of education, respond best to leadership. The most effective teachers are transformational, authentic, and servant leaders.

Keywords:

• Transformational leadership
• authentic leadership
• servant leadership
• management