Asking the RightWhen teachers come together to answer tough questions

about instruction in their schools, they taketeacher leadership to the next level.

Casey Reason and Lisa Reason

Although teachers often view their leadership as aquasi-administrative endeavor, teacher leader-ship is about leading change from the class-room. Giving input on new administrative poli-cies and helping the principal make key

management decisions are important activities, but [he mostessential work in school doesn't takejilace in the principal's office.

Teacher leaders need to bring thefocus back into the classroom. Oneeffective way to do this is throughcollaboration and inquiry: Teacherleadership teams should developspecific questions about teaching andteaming in their schools and answerthese questions as a group.

We have had the opportunity tostudy inquiry and teacher leadershipfirsthand through our work with cheGalileo Teacher Leadership Consor-tium in Detroit, Michigan, andthrough teacher leadership training sessions that we haveconducted in the United States and internationally To focusteacher leadership and strategic inquiiy on meaningful schoolimprovement, schools can follow this five-step process.

Step 1: Identify the questions that are being asked atidanswered in your school.When adults come together, they fonnulate questions. Onehundred people on a plane develop a similar inquiry agendaduring the course of the flight: Will the plane be on time? Willthe airline lose our luggage? Will we be safe? Our history as aspecies has a lot to do with the fact that, generation aftergeneration, human beings have asked and answered impor-

The more awareteachers hecome oftheir capacity to drivechange, the morelikely it is that deepchange will occur.

tant questions related to their survival and life experienceswithin their tribes and communities.

All schools have an inquiry agenda, whether they are awareof it or not, When that agenda is filled with issues thatteachei^ are powerless to change, teachers are less effective intheir work and experience higher levels of frustration. For

example, as consultants in teacherleadership, we worked with a group ofteachers in a small high school in ruralAuckland, New Zealand, Reluctant totalk about student achievement, theteachers focused most of their energyon their dissatisfaction wilh theadministration. Instead of asking suchquestions as, How can we developleadership capacity in our students?the teachers were asking. What'swrong with our principal? Given theenergy they put into their quest, theyhad become adroit at identifying theadministration's shortcomings. Not

surprisingly, this school had gone through four principals in10 years- During that time, the staff had never asked, Whatdoes the principal need from us to be successful?

We found quite a different situation while working with astaff of almost 200 teachers at Rangitoto College, a large andsuccessful public school in Auckland serving students ages13-19. There, teachers were looking for students to adoptthe "Rangi-way," which was their way of saying that adminis-trators, teachers, and parents endorsed the same high set ofstandards.

Teachers were clear about the questions their work wasdesigned to answer. Specific questions included. How can WL-help our students lead with vision and integrity? and How can

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Questionswe help each student discover and explore his or her gifts?Teachers were specific about developing creativity, leadership,and scholarly atiributes within the hearts and minds of thesiudenis they served- Moreover, they used [heir incjuir)' state-ments in conjunction with school improvement planning.

Teachers don't realize jusi how powerful they are in estab-lishing the organizational culture in a school. Teams ofteachers often work together for decades. They developpowerful and sophisticated social networks that have greatpotential influence in the school district. When a new prin-cipal comes in, his or her success is driven by these socialnetworks' relative acceptance of the new agenda. This is whyformalizing teacher leadership is so important to the future of[he teaching profession; The more aware teachers become of[heir capacity to drive change, the more likely it is that deepchange vidll occur.

Teacher leaders should close the doors one afternoon andhave an honest discussion with one another about the ques-tions that are being asked and answered in their building. Inone school in which we worked, most of the bulletin boardspace in the faculty lounge was taken up v̂ dth "Thank God It'sFriday!" announcements or countdowns to holidays or retire-meni. Tlie teachers realized that the implied question theywere consistently asking was, How soon will it be over?

Another teacher admitted that most of the conversations inthe building revolved around the question, What's wrong withthese kids and their parents?

Effective teacher leaders don't spend time in inquirypursuits over which they have no control. In high-performing schools, teacher leaders ask empowering ques-tions that they can help answer. Asking, How can we helpparents in the community see how importam it is for allstudents to graduate from high school? sets up a goal thatteachers can influence.

Step 2: Choose strategic inquiry pursuits that directly relateto teaching and learning.High-performing schools naiTow their list of pursuits andfocus on areas that have the most potential for improvingstudent learning. For example, improving cursive writing intbe elementar}' grades may be an importam goal, but il ma>'be less essential than other priorities in language arts. Strongteams of teacher leaders should look at student needs and

ASSOCIATION FOR SUPERVISIOM AND CURRICULUM D E V E L O P M B N T 37

A school in Afghanistan that was built as aresult of a teacher leader's efforts. Boys andgirls attend separately.

decide which pui-suits will have a deepand meaningful effect. Sacred cows maywind up on the endangered species listin favor of more essential pursuits.

Teacher leadership teams shouldbegin by developing broad inquirytopics rather than specific questions.1 he staff in one New Zealand schooldeveloped the following inquiry focalpoints: (1) learn to work together as astaff. (2) make a better connection withthe community, (3) improve studentachievement in math and language ans,and (4) resolve conflict among depart-ments. The teachers knew they neededto grow in these areas and believed thatthese focal points would help themimprove student achievement.

Having established the initial focalpoints, teacher leaders should thenwrite several short, powerful questions.For exatnple, one high school mathdepartment asked, How can we improvethe transition from 8th to 9th grademath? The teachers were frustratedbecause the district hadn't doneanything to resolve ihis problem. Theydecided to call their own meeting; allsecondary math teachers came togetherto address the problem. They realizedthey needed to do some curriculummapping to identify the gaps instudents' skills as they entered 9thgrade. They also decided to conduct aformal transition for 8th grade students.Students would go to high school one

day in the spring lo begin tolamiliarize themselves withthe new 9th grade expecta-tions. What was most powerful aboutthe teachers' inquiry pursuit, however,was their ownership of the process.Eventually, the central office camearound and provided some help. Theresult was a smoother transition intnath. The teachers fell empowered.

In one Auckland school, teachersasked. How can we improve ourcapacity lo learn together? They reahzedthai much of the resenlment thatteachers experienced on the job resultedfrom lack of understanding amongdeparttnenLs. Each department hadfound safety in "island-making." Whenschoolwide issues came up, teacherswere suddenly forced to work outsidetheir comfort zones. So the teacherslobbied their principal for additionalcollaborallon time.

Another school, discouraged bystudents' disinterest in science, decidedto make science more engaging. Theschool sent several teachers to scienceworkshops to bring back ideas thatwould breathe life into their instruc-tional strategies. It added this ilem toeach departmental meeting for an entireyear. Each tnonth, teachers broughtlessons that worked to the group. Theyrealized that they could achieve bothrigor and engagement in science becausethe department now sought bothoutcomes.

Teachers can layer questions withmore than one inquiry outcome. For

example, math teachersmay have the goal of improvingstudents' transition from 8th to 9thgrade math. They may also have thegoal of learning to work together moreeffectively as a department. To thai end,they may ask. How can we improvestudents' transition from 8th to 9thgrade math while improving our abilityto ieam and grow as a department?Succeeding in this inquiry suddenlytakes on a new ditnension. There ismore emotion behind the question, andthe depamnent has twice the chance forsuccess. The two outcomes interrelatebecause improvement in one dependson improvement in the other.

And by working together, theteachers slay the old dragon—blamingone another for failing students. Instead.by getting focused and specific, theteam becomes strategic in its inquirypursuits.

The school in rural Auckland wherestaff wanted to do a better job ofworking together decided to implementprofessional leaming communities andis progressing quite enthusiastically. Inthe name of making better connectionswith the community, teachers set upongoing parent dialogues at timesconvenient for the region's workingfamilies. Teachers sought to improvestudent achievement in math andlanguage ans by developing common

38 EDUCATIONAL LEADi-RSHiP/SnPTtMBnK 2007

assessments and collaborative gradingpractices.

How many questions should a teamidenlify? The fewer the better. Ofcourse, the longer a team of teacherleaders works together, the better itbecomes at matiaging multiple inquirypursuits,

Step .3: Identify the emotional relevanceojeach i»u/uiry topic.One of the most important finding inbrain research is that emotion is adriving force behind learning (LeDoux,1996). If we don't see emotional rele-vance in what we experience, we oftendon't ailow that information to sink in.For example, a yellow car drives by;your brain acknowledges the experienceand then lets the memory go. But if thatyellow car is being driven by a long-lostrelative you've been searching for foryears, you will suddenly experience anemotional connection. You will vividlyrecall both the car and the driver.

Given the importance of emotion tothe learning process, we can improveour inquiry statements by establishingtheir emotional genesis. A team ofleacher leaders should ask such ques-tions as. Why is this inquiry topicimportant? What does making progressin this area mean to us? What does itmean for our students and community?

Teachers in the school in ruralAuckland said that learning to worktogether was important because theyknew that, by collaborating, they couldbetter serve iheir students and get moreenjoyment from their work. Making abetter connection wath the communitywould help them become moreemotionally connected to students andtheir families and more understandingof the challenges they faced in thecotnmunity They believed thatimpro\ing student achievement m matliand language arts was essential toensure that all students had a chance ata prosperous economic future. Finally,the teachers agreed that resoKingconflict among departments was impor-

tant because it would help them experi-ence deeper levels of joy and fulfillmentin their work and get the most out ofthe creative teacher leaders in thebuilding. Suddenly, they went fromhaving inquiry topics that surfaced outof habit—such as, What's wrong withthe principal?—to having a handful ofstrategic focal points with definedemotional drivers. By defining theemotion, the teachers released bothindividual and collective passion fortheir pursuit.

Establishing the inquiry's emolionalconnection also enables teacher leadersto see beyond their limiting beliefs. Forexample, the most important inquiiy fora team of teachers we worked with in

All schools have aninquiry agenda,whether they areaware of it or not.

Texas revolved around reducing theschool's 40 percent dropout rate. Theteachers realized that, by keepingstudents in school, they could influencean entire generation in terms of lifeexperience and standard of living. Goalsthat contributed to student gradua-tion—such as improving the mathscores—suddenly had great emotionalrelevance.

As these teachers thought about theirchallenge, they knew that reducing Lhedropout rate from 40 ]3ercent to 20percent would be an outstanding accom-plishment. However, given the emotionalcontent of the pursuit, team membersbegan to ask alotid. Wliy should we letany of these students go? Given what wasat stake, everyone decided to shoot for a0 percent dropout rate.

To encourage big dreams and unleashcreative energies, teams of teacherleaders can assign a team member the

job of monitoring limiting beliefs. Thisinvolves making sure that every teammember gets to respond and reflect andthat no one discourages those whoexpress hig dreams. The monitor willneed to watch out for subtle promptslike eye rolling, deep sighing, and otherchecking-out behaviors on the part ofthose who see challenges before oppor-tunities. In addition, the monitor canask. How can we do more? How can wemake our outcome even moreoutstanding?

Teacher leaders have a deeply heldconviction that it's possible to changethe world. By meeting regularly andfocusing on transforming teaching andlearning, they begin to reap rewards.First, the team grows closer as a greatersense of community takes root withinthe school. Second, team membersdevelop the courage and skill sets neces-sary to confront barriers and nurture aculture of success (Crowther. Kaagan,Ferguson, & Hann, 2002). Teacherleaders come to hold high aspirationsfor themselves, their colleagues, theirprincipal, and their students.

Step 4: Work as a team and takeownership oj inquiiy pursuits.Considering the turnover at the boardand administrative levels in most schooldistricts, teachers are often the mostconsistent voice in schools year afteryear. This is why it is so important thatteacher leaders not work in isolation.Creating a professional learningcommunity encourages teams of teacherleaders to help one another grow andevolve as leaders and learners.

To bring teacher leadership andstrategic organizational inquiry togetherin a meaningful way, teachers must havetime to consistently meet and collabo-rate within a cotnmuniiy of learning.However, schools that haven't adoptedthese protocols shouldn't considerthemselves unable to proceed. Indeed,teachers don't need pennission Iromtheir principal to collaborate. In theabsence of administrative support, they

A S S O C I A T r O N FOR S U P E R V I S I O N A N D C l.l R R t CU LUM D 1! VllLO P M H N T 3 9

can bravely move forward and createtheir own opportunities for collabora-tion. They can collectively investigatehow to more effectively serve theirstudents, thus reducing their level ofstress and improving student outcomes.

Teacher leaders need to find a way towork together, even if it nieans meetingbefore or after school from time to time.To accommodate time constraints andexpand the opportunity for collabora-tion, several prominent teacher leadersin Northville, Michigan, launched anonline forum last year for teachers intheir district interested in this kind ofconnection. The forum enabled busyteachers to log on and converse withcolleagues any time of the day or night.This strategy' was helpful because itfacilitated collaboration among teacherswho worked in buildings at somedistance from one anoLher within thislarge school district.

Teacher leadership teams in schoolsare owners and investors in their school,not tenants (Barth, 1990). If [here is asuccess at school, do the teachers ownit? If there is a failure, do they own thatas well? In some schools, success isbarely noticed, and failures are assignedto the principal, superintendent.parents, and the board of education.

When we worked with a group ofteachers in Florida, one teacherremarked, "I understand that ourteacher leadership team needs to ownthe problems in our school. But what dowe do about the principal? She pubhclytakes credit for everything." This teacherand her colleagues came to acknowl-edge that the only people who reallyo\Mi a school's success or failure, froman emotional point of view, are theteacher leaders who know the truth.Teacher leaders have a mission in theirprofession. Credit from the principalmay or may not come during thatjourney The deeply satisfying rewardscome from working together and recog-nizing the influence of one's work, notonly on student performance, but alsoon teachers' own collaborative leaming.

Step 5: Take the inquiry public.One of the most powerful ways to gainmomentum in responding to an inquirv*statement is to find others who supportthat outcome. Teacher leaders shouldask themselves. Who else is devoted toresponding to this inquiry? Whichcommunity or civic groups areconcerned about this outcome? Whatare parents doing about this issue? Haveany politicians adopted this issue intheir platforms? Are any local, state, ornational groups already working on thisissue? Highly effective teacher leadershave the capacity to create networks far

Teachers don't needpermission fromtheir principal tocollaborate.

beyond their classroom in support oftheir cause. Chances are, most inquirypursuits are also important to othermembers of the community Gettingthat support is likely to improve theopportunity for meaningful growth.

Perhaps the best example we Ve seenof a teacher leader taking her inquirypublic is that of Khris Nedam, a 3rdgrade teacher at Amerman ElementarySchool in Northville, Michigan. Foralmost 10 years. Khris has been on amission to lead change and innovation.She asked. How can we bring bothleaming and medical support to a groupof needy children?

Her quest has led to the constructionol a six-room schoolhouse, with 16teachers serving 650 students whootherwise might not have received aneducation. Because nutrition andmedical care were also in question, aclinic and kitchen were constmcted aswell. What makes Khris's efforts sospecial is the fact that this school,kitchen, and clinic are located in the

rural countryside of Afghanistan, aboutthree hours southwest of Kabul.

Teacher leaders have the capacity tolead advances in social sustainabilityand quality of life for the community(Crowther et al., 2002). Khris is ateacher leader who has taken thiscapacity to a much larger community.She networked witb other passionateteacher leaders throughout the worldand engaged them in her inquirypursuit. She solicited numerous bene-factors, communicated with nationaland intemational political leaders, andcut tbrough miles of red tape. Once shetook her mission public, she foundsupport from people as close asNorthville, Michigan, and as far away asAustralia. Khris's profound inquiry topicresulted in deep levels of collaborationthat will change the lives of a generationof children (see www.kids4afghankids, com).

The Possible DreamTeacher leadership and strategic organi-zational inquiry are deeply intercon-nected and interdependent. Withoutpassionate inquiry, teacher leaders willnot push to the outer limits o^ theircapabilities. Without an emotionallyrelevant quest, they are unlikely toembark on those deeply fulfilling jour-neys in service. Schools that identify ameaningful quest are much more likelyto make substantial progress under theguidance of empowered teacher leaderswho believe that anything is possible, 13

ReferencesBarth, R, (1990), Improving school/rom

within, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,Crowther, R, Kaagan, S,, Ferguson, M., &

Hann, L, (2002), Developing teacherleaders. Thousand Oaks, CA; CorwinPress,

l-eDoux,J, (1996). The emotional brain. NewYork: Simon and Schuster,

Casey Reason (caseyreason@gmatl,com)and Lisa Reason (lisa,reason@gmail,com} are consultants regarding changeand leadership of learning organizations,

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