Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This article presents findings from a grounded theory study of how secondary teachers in high-need schools perceived their values and roles as they co-constructed leadership. The authors analyzed interviews with seven award-winning teachers and 10 award documents. The teachers perceived their leadership as connected to values of empowering and connecting with others, improving educational experiences for students, and innovating. The teachers’ perceptions of their values and roles contrasted with some of the purposes of their award programs. Findings provide insights about constructivist leadership theory, implications for teacher leadership training programs, and potential to support teacher leaders in high-need schools.

Keywords

teacher leadership leadership theory high need schools teacher awards constructivist leadership theory

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berg

J. H.

Zoellick

(2019). Teacher leadership: Toward a new conceptual framework. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 4(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-06-2018-0017

Bradley-Levine

(2012). Developing critical consciousness through teacher leader preparation. Journal of School Leadership, 22(4), 751–770. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846120220

Campbell

J. L.

Quincy

Osserman

Pedersen

O. K.

(2013). Coding in-depth semistructured interviews: Problems of unitization and intercoder reliability and agreement. Sociological Methods & Research, 42(3), 294–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124113500475

Charmaz

(2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage.

Daly

(2010). Social network theory and educational change. Harvard Education Press.

Derrington

M. L.

Anderson

L. S.

(2020). Expanding the role of teacher leaders: Professional learning for policy advocacy. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 28(68), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.28.4850

Digón Regueiro

Sánchez Blanco

(2022). Education as fiction: Market ideology and best teacher awards. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 30(4), 455–472.

Drago-Severson

Blum-DeStefano

(2013). A new approach for new demands: The promise of learning-oriented school leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 16(1), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2012.741265

Fairman

J. C.

Mackenzie

S. V.

(2012). Spheres of teacher leadership action for learning. Professional Development in Education, 38(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.657865

10.

Franco

Patrick

S. K.

(2023). State teacher shortages: Teaching positions left vacant or filled by teachers without full certification. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/state-teacher-shortages-vacancy

11.

Guest

Bunce

Johnson

(2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903

12.

Gurr

Drysdale

(2018). System leadership and school leadership. Research in Educational Administration & Leadership, 3(2), 207–229. https://doi.org/10.30828/real/2018.2.4

13.

Gutiérrez

(2016). Strategies for creative insubordination. Teaching For Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 7(1), 52–60. https://journals.charlotte.edu/teem/article/view/1756

14.

Harris

Muijs

(2004). Improving schools through teacher leadership. McGraw-Hill Education.

15.

Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. § 1021. (1965). https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1021

16.

Ingersoll

Merrill

May

(2016). Do accountability policies push teachers out? Educational Leadership, 73(8), 44–49.

17.

Ives

Falk

(2024). Effects of the presidential awards for excellence in mathematics and science teachings (PAEMST) on teacher leadership trajectories. School Science and Mathematics, 125(1), 426–439. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.18304

18.

Jacobs

Gordon

S. P.

Solis

(2016). Critical issues in teacher leadership: A national look at teachers’ perceptions. Journal of School Leadership, 26, 374–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461602600301

19.

Johnson

S. M.

Reinhorn

Charner-Laird

Kraft

Papay

J. P.

(2014). Ready to lead, but how? Teachers’ experiences in high-poverty urban schools. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 116(10), 1–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811411601005

20.

Kasapoglu

Karaca

(2021). Teachers’ views on teacher leadership: A qualitative analysis. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17(6), 66–82. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2021.382.5

21.

Katzenmeyer

Moller

(2009). Awakening the sleeping giant: Helping teachers develop as leaders. Corwin Press.

22.

Klar

H. W.

Brewer

C. A.

(2013). Successful leadership in high-needs schools: An examination of core leadership practices enacted in challenging contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49(5), 768–808. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X13482577

23.

Koerber

Marquez-Mendez

Mensah

Fasching

Schrader

P. G.

(2023). Sustaining teacher needs: A systematic narrative review exploring teacher retention, attrition, and motivation. Literature Reviews in Education and Human Services, 2(2), 1–20.

24.

Lambert

(2002). Toward a deepened theory of constructivist leadership. In Lambert

Walker

Zimmerman

D. P.

Cooper

J. E.

Lambert

M. D.

Gardner

M. E.

Szabo

(Eds.), The constructivist leader (2nd ed., pp. 34–62). Teachers College Press.

25.

Lambert

(2003). Leadership redefined: An evocative context for teacher leadership. School Leadership & Management, 23(4), 421–430. https://doi.org/10.1080/1363243032000150953

26.

Lisy

Campbell

Park

(2025). The emergence of science teacher leadership in the context of the pursuit of teaching science for social justice. School Science and Mathematics, 125(5), 569–582. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12662

27.

Lotter

Yow

J. A.

Lee

Zeis

J. G.

Irvin

M. J.

(2020). Rural teacher leadership in science and mathematics. School Science and Mathematics, 120(1), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12383

28.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Table 204.10. Number and percentage distribution of teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by selected characteristics: Selected years, 2000-01 through 2022-23. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_204.10.asp

29.

Nerlino

(2020). A theoretical grounding of teacher leadership. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 5(2), 117–128.

30.

Rocco

M. L.

Priest

K. L.

(2023). Extending the scope of leadership identity development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2023(178), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20559

31.

Schott

van Roekel

Tummers

L. G.

(2020). Teacher leadership: A systematic review, methodological quality assessment and conceptual framework. Educational Research Review, 31, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100352

32.

Scornavacco

Kelly

M. R.

Boardman

(2022). Leading with curricular co-design: An exploration of teacher leadership through the co-design process. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 17(4), 333–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751211017595

33.

Shen

Reeves

Zheng

Ryan

Anderson

(2020). The association between teacher leadership and student achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 31, Article 1000357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100357

34.

Simon

Johnson

S. M.

(2015). Teacher turnover in high-poverty schools: What we know and can do. Teachers College Record, 117(3), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811511700305

35.

Sinha

Hanuscin

(2017). Development of teacher leadership identity: A multiple case study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 356–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.004

36.

Small

M. L.

McCrory Calarco

J. M.

(2022). Qualitative literacy: A guide to evaluating ethnographic and interview research. University of California Press.

37.

Spillane

J. P.

(2006). Distributed leadership. Jossey-Bass/Wiley.

38.

Spillane

J. P.

Morel

R. P.

Al-Fadala

(2023). Framing educational leadership as a multilevel distributed practice: A systemwide perspective. In Tierney

Rivi

Smith

Ercikan

(Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (4th ed., pp. 82–90). Elsevier Ltd.

39.

Thien

L. M.

Adams

Kho

S. H.

Yap

P. L.

(2023). Exploring value-driven leadership: Perspectives from school leaders. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 18(3), 534–551. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751221097988

40.

Trabona

Taylor

Klein

E. J.

Munakata

Rahman

(2019). Collaborative professional learning: Cultivating science teacher leaders through vertical communities of practice. Professional Development in Education, 45(3), 472–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2019.1591482

41.

Weiner

Woulfin

S. L.

(2018). Sailing across the divide: Challenges to the transfer of teacher leadership, Journal of Research on Leadership in Education, 13(3), 210–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1942775118766319

42.

Wenner

J. A.

Campbell

(2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134–171. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316653478

43.

Whitworth

Wenner

Tubin

(2022). Science teacher leadership: The current landscape and paths forward. In Luft

Jones

M. G.

(Eds.), Handbook of research on science teacher education (pp. 257–272). Routledge.

44.

Windlinger

Warwas

Hostettler

Klumb

P. L.

(2025). How vertical and shared constructive leadership impact teachers’ daily work engagement and affective states: A micro-longitudinal study. International Journal of Leadership in Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2024.2442626

45.

York-Barr

Duke

(2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255–316. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074003255

How Teachers Co-Construct Leadership in High-Need Schools: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References