A mixed methods study of collaborating teacher leadership in Professional Development Schools (PDSs)

Professional Development Schools (PDSs) provide teachers with multiple new opportunities for leadership. As teachers are encouraged to assume new roles outside of the classroom and beyond the school, it is important to examine the concept of teacher leadership in practice--specifically, how it is perceived by those most closely associated with it. This study identifies a shared understanding of teacher leadership from collaborating teachers, using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design in PDSs within a large, diverse southern New Jersey school district-university partnership. The two-phase study examines perceptions about teacher leaders through data collected from the Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) (Angelle & DeHart, 2010) (Appendix B), and individual in-depth interviews (Appendix C) with selected experienced PDS teachers. Overall, the study participants report that there are specific links between their professional and leadership growth as a result of their participation in the school and university PDS partnership. Although several themes emerge from the findings, the teachers suggest that the reciprocal nature of the clinical practice internship component and the reciprocal professional and leadership growth for both the collaborating teachers and teacher candidates are primary factors for increasing leadership capacity. These findings provide added evidence and support for the PDS model to serve as the preferred standard model for teacher education preparation programs