Program
Teaching M.A.
Number of Pages
63
Year Approved
2026
First Advisor
Molly Wickam
Second Reader
Gregory Nelson
Abstract
In K-12 education today, teachers are frequently being called upon to lead. Not only are they receiving increasingly more responsibilities, but they are relied upon more to support students and fellow staff in a variety of ways. Therefore, it is important to understand if the development and utilization of teacher leadership is a necessary method to provide schools with a way to support educators and other stakeholders. This literature review explores how teacher leadership is defined and practiced relative to the prevailing leadership models used in K-12 education, and identifies the impacts of teacher leadership on grades K-12 teachers, school communities, and students. The empowerment of teachers as leaders has the potential to positively impact teachers’ wellbeing, personal and professional growth, retention, and job satisfaction. Additionally, there is some evidence that utilizing teacher leaders improves school communities and student outcomes and achievement. Potential challenges that could limit the success of teacher leadership include existing school cultures, formality of leadership roles, ill-defined leadership responsibilities and expectations, ego, and dynamics among colleagues. Overall, there is a need for consistency in definitions of teacher leadership, research on the impacts of teacher leadership at varying levels of education, and continued empirical research on the efficacy of teacher leadership, specifically on student outcomes and achievement.
Degree Name
Teaching M.A.
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Birkeland, J. (2026). Impacts of Teacher Leadership on K-12 Teachers, School Communities, and Students [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1289
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