Patterns of teacher leadership in secondary schools: Empowered, demotivated, and struggling teacher leaders

Increasingly, teachers are acknowledged as crucial actors whose informal leadership is essential for educational quality. This study aims to better understand teacher leadership in secondary schools, by exploring its intensity, context, impact, and the interaction between them. Semistructured interviews with 16 informal teacher leaders in secondary education in the Netherlands are conducted. The results show that teacher leaders use different intensities, that school contexts both reinforced and hindered teacher leadership, and that the impact varied among teacher leaders. We identified three patterns of teacher leadership: (a) empowered teacher leaders in reinforcing contexts with positive/desirable impact; (b) demotivated struggling teacher leaders in hindering contexts with negative/undesirable impact; and (c) struggling teacher leaders with high motivation but in hindering contexts and with mixed impact. We conclude that teacher leadership does not automatically lead to positive outcomes (such as motivation, school development, and improved classroom practices) but can also result in negative consequences (such as demotivation). We suggest opening up the dialogue in schools with colleagues and school principals about teacher leadership using the three identified patterns as a starting point.