Klar, Huggins, & Roessler Fostering Distributed Leadership for Supporting Teacher Learning

Klar, H. W., Huggins, K. S., & Roessler, A. P. (2015). Fostering distributed instructional leadership: A strategy for supporting teacher learning. In J. Glanz & S. J. Zepeda (Eds.), Supervision: New perspectives for theory and practice. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Summary: In this chapter, Klar et al. describe the story of Innovation High School and how its leader, Ms. Blankenship, used distributed leadership and differentiated supervision to enhance teacher learning. Ms. Blankenship, as principal and instructional leader, used both forced and unforced methods of collaboration. Forced methods included holding weekly Friday meetings and rearranging teachers’ desks in circles outside of classrooms. These forced methods led to unforced methods of teachers informally talking about their instructional practices and ways to improve their teaching and their students’ learning. The chapter also described how Ms. Blankenship differentiated her supervision with three of her department chairs to develop them as leaders. Of most importance, but perhaps least recognized, was how Ms. Blankenship’s methods created the environment for conversations around practice. It was these conversations that led to powerful changes in teacher learning.