The Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Teacher Leadership: A Review of the Literature

The current review examined teacher leadership research completed since York-Barr and Duke published the seminal review on teacher leadership in 2004. The review was undertaken to examine how teacher leadership is defined, how teacher leaders are prepared, their impact, and those factors that facilitate or inhibit teacher leaders’ work. Beyond this, the review considered theories informing teacher leadership, teacher leadership within disciplinary contexts, and the roles of teacher leaders in social justice and equity issues. Within this review, the most salient findings were (a) teacher leadership, although rarely defined, focused on roles beyond the classroom, supporting the professional learning of peers, influencing policy/decision making, and ultimately targeting student learning, (b) the research was only somewhat theoretical, (c) principals, school structures, and norms are important factors that empower or marginalize the roles of teacher leaders, and (d) very little teacher leadership research exists to examine issues of social justice and equity.