April 19, 2001, Washington, DC - What position is most often presented as the most critical link in increasing student achievement? What role appears to many to be one of the most undervalued, underestimated, and underutilized in American society? Who is responsible for this situation and for its remedy? Some responses to these questions are addressed in the latest report from the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in which the vital potential leadership role of the teacher is examined.

While noting that "the system has not been organized to treat teachers as leaders," IEL's Task Force on Teacher Leadership nevertheless concludes that "the existing system is ripe for teacher-driven change from within-that is, for stronger teacher leadership in the classroom, school system, and larger policy environment." It is time for more teachers to move more explicitly into leadership roles.

The task force, co-chaired by Mary Hatwood Futrell, Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at The George Washington University (and past-president of the National Education Association), and James A. Kelly, Founding President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, addressed the obstacles schools face in ensuring that more teachers have a voice in the decision-making that impacts student learning and the classroom. The task force report, Leadership for Student Learning: Redefining the Teacher as Leader, is intended as a tool for communities to initiate discussion and action.

"Teacher quality and student achievement are concerns in every community-as well as hot political issues just about everywhere. So, we went directly to the teachers as well as experienced leaders from a variety of sectors to address the issue of teacher leadership," said Michael Usdan, IEL's president and director of the two-year initiative.

Teachers have an abundance of expertise, experience, and creativity as well as the untapped capacity to lead school reform. Yet, the general perception of their profession is often negative, and, as the report says, these "clashing images" of teachers continue to impede their transition to more meaningful roles in school leadership. In an era of high stakes testing and the ever-increasing politicization of education, the leadership potential of this huge (3 million strong at present) and diverse group, so central to educational improvement, remains largely untapped.

The report also acknowledges that "part of the quest for improvement must come from within." Teachers must actively seek out opportunities for professional growth and personal development. Local union leaders should continue to be active in matters affecting instruction and other school-focused issues. School systems and society at large must do a better job of supporting teachers with adequate instructional materials, professional salaries, and professional development opportunities. Stakeholders from outside the system such as higher education, business, and the mass media also have important roles in ensuring that teachers are prepared for and involved in leadership decisions affecting student learning and the classroom.

The report highlights some promising practices, such as:

• The Milken Family Foundation's TAP (Teacher Advancement Program) which is piloting an effort in five Arizona schools to provide opportunities for professional growth and career advancement along with salaries competitive with those in other fields.
• TURN (the Teacher Union Reform Network), launched by American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association locals, to promote new forms of union/management collaboration and recast unions to focus more of their work more on student achievement and related instructional issues.
• A growing number of teacher education programs that have developed alternative routes to teaching, such as: The Navaho Teacher Education Program; the California Math/Science Teacher Corps Project; and, The Delta Effective Leaders in Teaching at Arlington program of The George Washington University.

The Leadership for Student Learning: Redefining the Teacher as Leader report is the third to be released through a series of forums over the past several months. The first report, Leadership for Student Learning: Reinventing the Principalship, was released in December 2000. The second report, Leadership for Student Learning: Restructuring School District Leadership, was released in February 2001. The fourth task force report will address state leadership and is scheduled for release in May 2001. At the forums, panels of educators as well as private sector and political representatives, have been asked to respond to the task force reports.

The School Leadership for the 21st Century Initiative is made possible by funding from the Metropolitan Life Foundation, which provided special support for the work of the Task Force on Teacher Leadership; the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement; the Ford Foundation; The UPS Foundation; and The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Copies of the Teacher report (and previous task force reports, as well as forum transcripts) are available free of charge via IEL's Web site at www.iel.org or by e-mailing, faxing, or writing Mary Podmostko, Project Associate, Institute for Educational Leadership, 4455 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 310, Washington, DC, podmostkom@iel.org, or 202-872-4050 (fax).

For more than thirty-five years, the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL)-a non-profit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C.-has worked to achieve better results for children and youth. At the heart of our effectiveness is our unique ability to bring people together to identify and resolve issues across policy, program and sector boundaries. As a natural outgrowth of our work, we have created and continue to nurture diverse networks across the country. Today, IEL is working to help individuals and institutions increase their capacity to work together. We are building and supporting a cadre of diverse leaders, strengthening the capacity of education and related systems, and informing the development and implementation of policies. Our efforts are focused through five programs of work: Developing Leaders; Strengthening School-Family-Community Connections; Governing; Connecting and Improving Systems that Serve Children and Youth; Improving Preparation for Work.