First Level Leadership in Schools: Evidence from Secondary Schools Across Australia

This article presents the results of an investigation into the phenomenon of ‘first level leadership’ in schools. The current theorisation of school leadership largely includes senior and middle leaders. Yet there is evidence in schools, as well as recent research, about the existence of ‘first level leaders’. Some scholars might argue that this equates to teacher leadership, but that term is often confounded with middle leadership. First level leadership includes the efforts of teachers who hold positions of responsibility, but experience smaller spans of influence than middle leaders. The study reported here represents the initial phase of a multi-phase research program aimed at clarifying who first level leaders are and what they do. The aim of the present study was to identify evidence of first level leadership from role descriptions, explanations of governance and leadership structures. The official websites of 675 secondary schools from all sectors and states of Australia were investigated to identify potential first level leadership positions, resulting in evidence from 87 schools. Confirmation of these positions was achieved through descriptions of responsibilities and jurisdictional documents such as role descriptions. The positions included coaches, coordinators and assistant heads. The article concludes with implications for educational leadership theory as well as policy and practices relating to developing school leaders.