Teacher Leadership in the Context of International Schools: The Key Attributes and Development of Teacher Leaders

Abstract Teacher leaders have been acknowledged for playing a significant role in supporting student learning. The impact of these key individuals often centers upon influencing the professional work of colleagues and having the capacity to make important leadership decisions that shape aspects of the school beyond their classrooms.Currently, the body of research on teacher leadership in international schools is limited. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the body of knowledge related to teacher leadership in the context of international schools and is motivated by the following three research questions: (1) What types of teacher leadership roles (formal and informal) exist in international schools? (2) What are the most important attributes for teacher leaders? (3) What programs and/or activities do teacher leaders identify as valuable in developing the attributes of a successful teacher leader?All Principals and Teacher Leaders (formal and informal) served as the accessible population for the study. Principals and Teacher Leaders completed surveys in accordance with their roles in order to gather data for the study. The significance of the study was based upon the practical implications of possible findings. With a broader understanding of how teacher leadership is being enacted, the most important attributes of teacher leaders, and how teacher leaders are developed, international school leaders was able to use the findings for strategic efforts to support teacher leadership. Knowledge of the most important attributes may help with developing criteria for selection and evaluation of teacher leaders, while an understanding of how teacher leaders are developed may provide insight into the type of professional development or experiences necessary to cultivate this category of leaders.