Teacher leadership: Does it result in higher student achievement? A study of the relationship between different aspects of teacher leadership and student achievement

Teacher leadership is a concept that has lacked a clear and consistent definition in the field of education. Variation exists in how teacher leadership roles in schools have been defined, viewed, and justified by educators and researchers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between aspects of teacher leadership and school-wide reading achievement at the elementary level. The study focused on seven teacher leadership aspects derived and synthesized from existing literature. First the study determined the frequency in which the aspects were supported within individual elementary schools. Next the relationship between each of the seven teacher leadership aspects and student achievement was explored.;The Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS) developed by Katzenmeyer and Katzenmeyer (1998) was given to randomly selected teachers at 22 elementary schools from a large urban school district in Virginia. The most recent scores from the 3rd and 5th grade English: Reading sections of the Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments were also obtained to determine the relationship between each of the individual aspects and reading achievement.;Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were utilized. Findings revealed that of the seven aspects measured by the TLSS, Developmental Focus was rated by teachers as most highly supported in the 22 elementary schools, and Participation was rated as least supported. Findings further determined that only the Autonomy and Participation aspects have a positive and statistically significant relationship with the state mandated reading assessments. The five other aspects (Developmental Focus, Recognition, Collegiality, Open Communication, and Positive Environment) failed to show statistically significant relationships with the reading SOL scores.;The critical finding of the study was that the teacher leadership aspect teachers reported as supported most in their schools (Developmental Focus) was an aspect that has no statistically significant relationship with student achievement, and the aspects that teachers reported as less supported (Participation and Autonomy) were those that do. This has implications for teachers, schools, school districts, policy makers that promote teacher leadership and implications for those focused on improving student achievement and implementing effective school reform.