Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap* Introduction The Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap is a tool for aspiring and current teacher leaders to better understand how competencies for success change when transitioning from the role of classroom teacher to teacher leader. These competencies are particularly important in low‐performing, turnaround school environments, where there is an urgent need for instructional improvement that requires committed and effective teacher leadership to guide and manage change. Teacher leaders in turnaround schools assume a diverse range of roles and responsibilities. The Roadmap is not specific to a particular role, but describes changes, or “shifts” in competency‐aligned behaviors that teacher leaders must demonstrate to successfully execute their leadership responsibilities. Mastery of your teacher leadership role will require you to successfully navigate these shifts. For teacher leaders, the Roadmap can assist in identifying specific behaviors that will help them to become more successful leaders. For school leaders, this can be a helpful tool both in identifying staff that may be ready to take on teacher leader roles and for coaching teacher leaders towards readiness. Although the tool addresses all of the turnaround teacher leader competencies, it focuses on competency‐ aligned behaviors that change the most in the transition from teacher to teacher leader.
How do competency behaviors change in the shift from Teacher to Teacher Leader?
Driving for Results
Problem Solving
Influencing for Results
Personal Effectiveness
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014] *Roadmap content is partially derived from the KIPP Leader Progression Roadmap: Teacher to Grade Level Chair, available through TNTP’s Teacher Talent Toolbox.
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Big Picture Competency Cluster shifts: How do competencies shift as you move from teacher to teacher leader? Competency Cluster Driving for Results Achievement
Shift in Teacher Leader Actions and Competencies You now focus on your goals and those of other teachers on your team. You are expected to follow through on commitments to students, as well as other
teachers and the leadership team.
Initiative & Persistence Monitoring and Directiveness Planning Ahead
You delegate tasks to other team members and hold them accountable for their
Influencing for Results
Impact and Influence Team Leadership Developing Others
Problem Solving Analytical Thinking Conceptual Thinking
commitments. Not only do you demonstrate perseverance, you encourage and reinforce it in others on your team. You invest more time to build relationships with team members and to be responsive to their needs. You seek to build an effective team with complimentary skill sets. You now lead meetings. You model and promote team collaboration and productive conflict management. You now oversee lesson plans and curricula for an entire team (not just your classroom or subject). You spend more time analyzing and problem solving school‐wide challenges, not just in your classroom. You study grade‐wide or school‐wide data to track progress and you help other teachers examine their results to drive improvement.
Personal Effectiveness
You must become more sensitive to how others perceive your tone and style, and adjust
your approach as needed. You must earn the trust and respect of former peers whom you now lead. You continue to humbly seek out feedback on your performance both as a teacher and as a leader.
Belief in Learning Potential Self‐Control Self‐Confidence Flexibility
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Page 2
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Behaviors and Actions for Success In order to provide a more detailed description of how specific competencies shift in the move from teacher to teacher leader, the Roadmap provides a rubric that describes typical behaviors and actions that successful teachers and teacher leaders demonstrate in their positions. The rubric does not describe “proficiency levels” for these competencies, but rather describes what “proficient” looks like for someone to be highly effective in either role. Thus it helps teacher leaders to reexamine the competencies that have propelled them to be successful teachers, and how they must modify their behaviors and actions for success as a teacher leader. Depending on the specific roles and responsibilities of the teacher leader, and the unique circumstances of the school environment, certain competency shifts will be more or less important for success. Teacher leaders should utilize the Roadmap to better understand the demands of their positions, and to identify and prioritize competencies for professional growth. The rubric is organized by competency clusters, and for each competency, identifies one or multiple behaviors that must evolve in the transition to a teacher leader role.
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Page 3
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Driving for Results: Relentless focus on student learning results Competency – Behavior
Teacher Behaviors/Actions for Success
Teacher Leader Behaviors/Actions for Success
Sets high student achievement and learning goals for self and team. Focused on individual, team, and school‐wide results and the actions needed to maintain team focus on those results. Takes calculated risks independently when opportunities Achievement – present themselves to improve team and school Risk Taking performance. Helps team teachers see risks as opportunities. Monitoring and Tracks progress of individual, classroom‐level goals. Regularly tracks progress toward meeting goals by analyzing Directiveness – Holds self accountable for meeting milestones. interim assessment results of team. Makes adjustments to Progress monitoring goals and actions as needed. Appropriately delegates tasks to team members. Follows up Monitoring and Regularly meets deadlines but may do so by with teachers regarding delegated tasks to ensure adequate Directiveness ‐ personally putting in extra effort to catch up, or time and resources are available to complete the task as Delegation asking for help when overwhelmed. May be expected. Holds self and team teachers accountable for hesitant to hold other teachers accountable for responsibilities. their responsibilities. Initiative and Persistence Pursues new opportunities when they present Anticipates and seizes new opportunities that align with and New Opportunities themselves. support team goals. Planning Ahead – Makes plans that effectively address short‐ and Methodically backward plans to achieve short‐ and long‐term Backward Planning medium‐term goals, but may be less focused on goals for the team. long‐term needs. Planning Ahead – Secures resources to accomplish projects and Anticipates needs for team projects and accurately scopes Resource Planning classroom needs. and secures resources needed to complete projects. Manages own time and team resources based on team goals Manages time and resources by responding to Planning Ahead – and priorities. Effectively advocates for the importance of requests as they emerge and based on immediate Prioritizing team priorities to the leadership team. needs. Achievement – Goals and results
Sets high student achievement and learning goals for self and classroom‐level results. Achieves success by working toward established goals and completing all required work. Will take risks when encouraged to do so and when other teachers are involved and provide support.
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Page 4
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Influencing for Results: Motivating others and influencing their thinking and behavior to achieve student learning results Competency – Behavior Impact and Influence Adapting style Impact and Influence Developing relationship
Impact and Influence Respect & Appreciation
Impact and Influence Motivating Action Team Leadership Building Culture Team Leadership Collaboration Team Leadership Meetings Developing Others On‐the‐Job Development
Teacher Behaviors/Actions for Success Uses a personal leadership style that is familiar and comfortable when relating to and influencing others. Develops relationships with students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders but not to the extent of intentionally building trust or actively seeking out common goals. Thanks people directly, but may not express gratitude publicly.
Teacher Leader Behaviors/Actions for Success Adapts personal leadership style/approach to influence others. Pays particular attention to the most effective style for influencing team teachers and the leadership team. Develops mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships with other teachers, staff and parents based upon trust, respect and achievement of common goals.
Consistently demonstrates respect and appreciation for others by empathizing and valuing their time and contributions. Gives credit to teachers for their efforts to improve the team. Works to motivate team teachers and other staff to Stimulates others to take action and accomplish goals by articulating the benefits of involvement, even when no direct take action, but tends to overcome resistance by reporting relationship exists. relying on formal authority. Leads the grade level team to create and implement Participates enthusiastically in school‐wide and programs, rituals, and artifacts for the team that represent team rituals, programs and other events that school values. represent the school values. Participates as an effective team member. Promotes collaboration with team teachers, students and Collaborates effectively with team teachers, staff, parents. Holds teachers accountable for cooperating with and leadership team members. other team teachers. Actively and productively participates in team Effectively leads team meetings, including clear agendas, meetings. Makes suggestions to improve team appropriate time management and ensuring that all voices meeting effectiveness. are heard, meeting notes are taken and next steps identified. Seeks out personal growth opportunities to Delegates with development in mind. Recommends continuously develop on the job. placement opportunities to the Principal for roles and assignments that contribute to the personal and career development of team teachers.
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Page 5
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Problem Solving: Applied thinking to solve complex classroom and school challenges. Competency – Behavior Analytical/Conceptual Thinking Use of Data Analytical/Conceptual Thinking Curriculum Analytical/Conceptual Thinking Instructional Improvement
Teacher Behaviors/Actions for Success
Teacher Leader Behaviors/Actions for Success
Uses assessments to improve his/her own teaching. Uses multiple forms of assessments such as observation, Assesses the quality of teaching and learning using student achievement data and student surveys, to measure limited forms of assessment. and improve team teaching and student learning. Supports team teachers by encouraging them to regularly review student data to drive improved teaching and learning. Develops unit and lesson plans aligned to rigorous, Ensures the alignment of grade‐, subject‐ and/or school‐level college‐readiness standards. curriculum with college‐readiness standards, and facilitates effective unit and lesson planning within the team. Recognizes and can personally deliver quality Supports instructional improvement by regularly observing, instruction that yields significant learning. coaching, and modeling effective teaching methods for team teachers.
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Page 6
Turnaround Teacher Leader Competency Shift Roadmap
Personal Effectiveness: Self‐management of emotions and actions to address challenging situations Competency – Behavior Self Control Conflict
Teacher Behaviors/Actions for Success
Teacher Leader Behaviors/Actions for Success
Minimizes conflict wherever possible; when conflict is unavoidable, separates the parties to sort out differences and/or brings the issues to the leadership team.
Models healthy responses to conflict and encourages teachers, students, and parents to manage conflict openly and productively. Has a keen sense of what conflict the team can solve and what conflict needs to be brought to school leadership. Manages change by seeking to understand its effects upon teachers, students, and parents. Guides others through change by helping them explore their resistance to that change. Willingly makes and stands by controversial decisions that benefit the team, the school, and students. Shares with parents, students and teachers the rationale for decisions, particularly when consensus cannot be reached.
Flexibility Managing change
Quickly adapts to change, aligns personal effort to fit changing circumstances. Accepts changes as a natural part of school life.
Self Confidence Difficult Decisions
Explores every alternative before making controversial decisions. This thoroughness provides comfort in the certainty of the choice but may delay difficult decisions that were inevitable from the start. Advocates for the importance of keeping commitments to students.
Belief in Learning Potential Student Commitments
Material based on Contractor’s Property, ©Public Impact [2014]
Consistently keeps commitments made to students and inspires others to do the same.
Page 7
