Teacher leadership as a model of school leadership and professional development

JONATHAN DOHERTY, LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY, UK A changing picture of school leadership Over the last few decades, roles in schools have changed in response to an evolving educational landscape. School leadership includes not only includes headteachers now, but staff at all levels, supporting their career advancement (ET2020, 2019). Classroom teachers are assuming greater levelsof responsibility and leadership, moving between roles in ‘flatter’ career structures. Atwal (2019) stresses the importance of learning-focused leadership in schools, where every member of staff, regardless of their role, is a leader. They focus on their own learning as practitioners and on outcomes for the students they teach. This brings with it opportunities to make leadership decisions and for teachers as leaders to impact significantly on teaching, learning and whole-school development. This article aims to explain and champion the concept of teacher leadership as a powerful model of leadership in scho