Guide to Creating Teacher Leader Positions. White Paper

The past several years have seen a growing interest in, and adoption of, Teacher Leader (TL) programs throughout the country and among TIF 4 grantees. Often, these programs have been embedded within large- scale career ladder compensation systems. Several recent writings describe this recent growth surge, design issues in the creation of a total TL program, and examples of TL programs. In this Guide, we focus on creating individual TL positions, not on creating a TL program as a whole. We assume that a decision has already been made to create TLs and that the task is to determine the specifics of the TL roles. The individual TL position is the foundation and building block of a TL program. Without effective creation of TL positions, there cannot be effective TL programs. So this guide could also be used as part of a larger evaluation of a TL program and its positions. Creation of a TL position revolves around several decisions, starting with making choices about the district's instructional improvement strategies. From this flow decisions about major instructional tasks and subtasks to support the strategy, assignment of the tasks and subtasks to the TL position and other positions, description of the new TL position, allocation of hours to the position, staffing and training for the TL position, and elements of the TL appointment.