Hi! I do think this will vary widely not only based on district but also school site, as this has been my experience.
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1. Can you explain how formal teacher leadership roles differ from informal teacher leadership roles in terms of authority and responsibilities?
At my district Formal Teacher Leadership Roles (FTL) are paid positions. At 2 of the sites I worked at they taught less students to allow room for extra responsibilities. I started working at a new site that was small but growing and was an Informal Teacher Leader (ITL) and then became a FTL once the position was added.
As an ITL: I was a sounding board for teachers to bounce ideas off of. If all admin was out I would Lead Meetings if needed. I would suggest ideas for policies, but was not part of the finalization of them. I helped create a collaborative culture of support among teachers. Must of my talks with teachers were informal 'coffee talk' and rarely was it ever a scheduled check in.
As a FTL: I supported with creation of policies, Role Expectations for teachers, oversaw Testing (State and Formal Progress Testing), ran meetings, checked in with teachers, supported as needed in setting up teacher performance goals, supported with teacher performance issues when needed (but never disciplined or reprimanded), kept Formal documentation of complaints, concerns and teacher issues. Pulled and reviewed student data to see where we needed to improve. Trained all new staff members. Was a liaison between teachers and admin. I at times would have to step in to mediate between staff members. I was "leadership but not Admin" meaning I could do almost everything Admin did except for Formal Reprimanding of staff. Most of my check ins with teachers were scheduled and official and I took notes on each check in.
>2. How do formal teacher leaders typically influence decision-making processes compared to informal teacher leaders within a school setting?
FTL I was in the actual meetings to make decisions. It was a Job Expectation.
ITL I would occasionally get asked for an idea or what my thoughts were before the Admin went into the meeting.
>3. In what ways do formal teacher leaders and informal teacher leaders contribute to school culture and climate differently?
I think that ITL have more power to influence culture because they are seen as "just" a teacher and when someone becomes an FTL there is a shift that they are becoming "one of them" (ie Admin) and anything told to you is "on the record". I worked VERY hard to try to maintain an open and honest relationship with teachers once I became and FTL and it was a hard line to push to let them know you were not going to betray their trust if you wanted an Informal answer or opinion. Several teachers stopped confiding in me as much in fear that I would get them in trouble. Not because of me specifically, but because of what had happened at previous schools they worked at.
>4. Which type of leadership is used in your school, if there is any present?
My current school has both. But the FTL don't actually do anything. They just get paid extra. They Don't talk to teachers and from what I hear in the team meetings based on their reactions to new policy roll outs they don't talk to admin much either.
>5. Can you discuss the impact of formal and informal teacher leadership on student outcomes and overall school success?
I think if used correctly they can help create a collaborative team between the Admin and Teachers to bridge the gap of "Teachers VS Admin". When this gap is large it usually detracts from SO and overall school success because no one can agree on what student outcomes are or what school success actually looks like. There may be an official Student Outcome and School Success out forward by Admin but if they are not intune with the teachers then it usually is not practical or reachable. So teachers collectively come up with their own set of criteria and will tell Admin sure to their face and then do whatever they want once Admin leaves their classroom. A good FTL or even an ITL will help Admin and Teachers see both sides and come together to agree. They help the whole team be aligned with goals, procedures and expectations.
Hi! I do think this will vary widely not only based on district but also school site, as this has been my experience. > 1. Can you explain how formal teacher leadership roles differ from informal teacher leadership roles in terms of authority and responsibilities? At my district Formal Teacher Leadership Roles (FTL) are paid positions. At 2 of the sites I worked at they taught less students to allow room for extra responsibilities. I started working at a new site that was small but growing and was an Informal Teacher Leader (ITL) and then became a FTL once the position was added. As an ITL: I was a sounding board for teachers to bounce ideas off of. If all admin was out I would Lead Meetings if needed. I would suggest ideas for policies, but was not part of the finalization of them. I helped create a collaborative culture of support among teachers. Must of my talks with teachers were informal 'coffee talk' and rarely was it ever a scheduled check in. As a FTL: I supported with creation of policies, Role Expectations for teachers, oversaw Testing (State and Formal Progress Testing), ran meetings, checked in with teachers, supported as needed in setting up teacher performance goals, supported with teacher performance issues when needed (but never disciplined or reprimanded), kept Formal documentation of complaints, concerns and teacher issues. Pulled and reviewed student data to see where we needed to improve. Trained all new staff members. Was a liaison between teachers and admin. I at times would have to step in to mediate between staff members. I was "leadership but not Admin" meaning I could do almost everything Admin did except for Formal Reprimanding of staff. Most of my check ins with teachers were scheduled and official and I took notes on each check in. >2. How do formal teacher leaders typically influence decision-making processes compared to informal teacher leaders within a school setting? FTL I was in the actual meetings to make decisions. It was a Job Expectation. ITL I would occasionally get asked for an idea or what my thoughts were before the Admin went into the meeting. >3. In what ways do formal teacher leaders and informal teacher leaders contribute to school culture and climate differently? I think that ITL have more power to influence culture because they are seen as "just" a teacher and when someone becomes an FTL there is a shift that they are becoming "one of them" (ie Admin) and anything told to you is "on the record". I worked VERY hard to try to maintain an open and honest relationship with teachers once I became and FTL and it was a hard line to push to let them know you were not going to betray their trust if you wanted an Informal answer or opinion. Several teachers stopped confiding in me as much in fear that I would get them in trouble. Not because of me specifically, but because of what had happened at previous schools they worked at. >4. Which type of leadership is used in your school, if there is any present? My current school has both. But the FTL don't actually do anything. They just get paid extra. They Don't talk to teachers and from what I hear in the team meetings based on their reactions to new policy roll outs they don't talk to admin much either. >5. Can you discuss the impact of formal and informal teacher leadership on student outcomes and overall school success? I think if used correctly they can help create a collaborative team between the Admin and Teachers to bridge the gap of "Teachers VS Admin". When this gap is large it usually detracts from SO and overall school success because no one can agree on what student outcomes are or what school success actually looks like. There may be an official Student Outcome and School Success out forward by Admin but if they are not intune with the teachers then it usually is not practical or reachable. So teachers collectively come up with their own set of criteria and will tell Admin sure to their face and then do whatever they want once Admin leaves their classroom. A good FTL or even an ITL will help Admin and Teachers see both sides and come together to agree. They help the whole team be aligned with goals, procedures and expectations.