Teacher Leader KnowledgeBase

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

The Teacher Leader KnowledgeBase aims to raise awareness of the teacher leader role at the district level and to support teachers aspiring to the teacher leader role through master's degree-level university programs.

Task 2: Assess Personal Leadership Capacity

Guideline: Regardless of whether a teacher aspires to be a teacher leader, the interested teacher should assess his or her personal leadership capacity. Some of the elements of personal leadership capacity include understanding leadership abilities, possessing a level of self-confidence, reacting positively to situations, understanding complex matters and having influence with peers. This task provides resources to assess personal leadership capacity.

Resources

Tools

Leadership Assessment Tool Inventory

This link is to a series of leadership assessment tools available through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The series of eight assessments addresses different aspects of leadership. As noted at the website, "These exercises assess your ability to apply critical management skills to identify and solve key organizational problems. Scores are automatically calculated and compared to reference distributions of the scores of random samples of managers."

Teacher Self-Assessment Tool

REL Midwest researchers conducted a review of the literature on teacher leadership and worked with stakeholders in the Midwestern states to identify the most critical competencies necessary for successful teacher leadership. The literature and stakeholder input shaped the content of the tool.

References

Becoming a Servant Leader: Do You Have What it Takes?

This link is to a resource on servant leadership from the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The document identifies eleven characteristics of servant leadership, along with self-assessment questions to consider.

Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty

This article from the MIT Leadership Center presents the view that the capacity for leadership is individual and collective. The author suggests a framework of four leadership capabilities: "sensing, relating, visioning and inventing." A teacher considering a leadership role may find reflecting on these capabilities useful.

Presentations

Effective Literacy Practices Video Library

This video library offers extensive examples to help educators strengthen early literacy outcomes for K-3 students. Six effective literacy practices are highlighted to deepen teachers’ understandings of literacy learning. The practices may be incorporated into teaching in the classroom, small groups and one-on-one instruction. The web-based modules, listed and linked at the bottom of this page, consist of a short video and a downloadable reference guide.