“Are We an Advisory Board or a Decision Making Entity?”: Teachers’ Involvement in Decision Making in Instructional Leadership Teams

ABSTRACT

This study explored teachers’ involvement in decision making processes in instructional leadership teams (ILTs) in three high-poverty high schools. Two factors influenced the extent of teachers’ involvement and authority in decision making processes on the team: 1) the design of teachers’ roles on the ILT and 2) routines used for agenda setting, facilitation, and discussion in ILT meetings. Although administrators often constrained teachers involvement and influence in decision making processes, study findings suggest that more inclusive approaches to involving teachers in decision making can enhance decision quality and are essential for cultivating teachers’ commitment to implementation.

Acknowledgment

I want to gratefully acknowledge the colleagues who supported the design of this study and provided feedback on earlier drafts, especially Jennie Weiner, Jon Supovitz, Ann Jaquith, and Bryan VanGronigen.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Stanford/SFUSD Partnership.