Dr. Julie Swaggert and Dr. Mike Coquyt led two sessions at the Minnesota Middle School Association Annual State Conference

Dr. Julie Swaggert and Dr. Mike Coquyt led two sessions at the Minnesota Middle School Association Annual State Conference

Dr. Julie Swaggert and Dr. Mike Coquyt (Graduate Studies) presented at the Minnesota Middle School Association Annual State Conference on December 3rd. Dr. Swaggert and Dr. Coquyt lead two sessions titled, Teacher Leadership: Understanding, Growing and Empowering Teacher Leaders.

Teacher leadership is a way to empower teachers to reach their fullest potential.  The Teacher Leader Model Standards (TLMS) were presented to offer some form of a conceptual framework in regards to teacher leadership. The study of teacher leadership is not new; however the actual practice of teacher leadership is. The teacher leader model standards consist of seven domains. Each domain contains a number of different functions that describe the role of teacher leaders both in schools and in school districts.  Some schools have well documented processes that empower teacher leaders, while others are in their infancy in their exploration of teacher leadership.

The Learning Outcomes for the presentation were:

1.     A practical understanding of teacher leadership, using the Teacher Leader Model Standards created by the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium;

2.     Strategies to develop teacher leaders;

3.     Strategies to create a culture of teacher leadership; and

4.     A plan of next steps and professional growth opportunities for teacher leaders.