Decentralized Leadership in a Talent Development High School
Central Administration
Freshman
Centre
Business
Academy
Hospitality
FAME
Academy Principal
Academy Principal
Academy Principal
Academy Principal
TL
TL
Team A
Team B
Travel
TL
TL
Team C
TL
Technology
TL
Entrepreneurship
TL
Culinary
TL
Arts
TL
Career Academy Pathways
Career Academy/Small Learning Community
250 – 350 Students
16-20 Teachers
Pathway 1
Career Focus
Pathway 2
Career Focus
150-180 Students
8-10 Teachers
Core Curriculum
“Real World” Experiences
Team Leader
150-180 Students
8-10 Teachers
Core Curriculum
“Real World” Experiences
Team Leader
Goal: Common Prep. Period for majority of team with a team leader
Pathway/Teacher teams
• Consist of 8-10 teachers from various
disciplines; generally two ELA, two Math,
two Social Studies, Science, and teachers of
elective courses
• Scheduling goal: have a majority of these
teachers share a common planning period
• Work together to support 150-180 students
who share a common career interest
What do teams of teachers do
together?
Share the same group of students.
Discuss and solve discipline problems yourselves.
Identify students’ needs and address them.
Reward students together.
Support each other in the classroom.
Leave your work at work.
Work together with parents to help students.
Plan together.
Clarifying Roles,
Responsibilities
and Support
Research Reports on the
Extent of Typical
Superior-Subordinate
Misunderstanding
Job as
Employee
sees it
75%
Match
Areas of
agreement
between
boss and
subordinate
25% What the boss expects the
employees to pay attention to, but
the employee does not perceive as
important
Job as Boss
sees it
25% What the employee is paying
attention to that the boss does not perceive
to be important
Clarifying Roles,
Responsibilities
and Support
Guiding Questions…
1) What are your expectations of an Academy
Coordinator? Team leaders? Counselors?
Members of a teacher team?
2) In what ways can an Administrator support
Academy Coordinators? Team leaders?
Counselors? Members of a teacher team?
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Team roles and responsibilities
vary from school to school based
on local circumstances but the
following roles generally exist in
some form or fashion on every
effective teacher team. The titles
or names may vary but the
responsibilities are consistent.
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Team Leader
– Responsible for mobilizing the adults on the
team to move forward as a group and position
themselves to be focused on the students on their
team.
– Responsible for the performance both
academically and culturally of the students on the
team they are assigned.
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Co-Team Leader or Assistant Team Leader
– Works with team leader to create agendas for team
meetings
– Chairs team meetings in absence of team leader
– Produces a team newsletter
– Coordinates and leads team/parent conferences
Communicator
―Is responsible for all team communications with
parents and students
―Maintains log of parent contacts in team
notebook
―Communicates all schedule changes to parents
and team teachers
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Recorder
– Maintains team notebook
– Maintains and consistently updates team calendar
– Arranges for and distributes all necessary forms and
copies material the team will need
– Provides academy coordinators, counselors, and team
members with weekly summary notes of team meetings
• Activities Coordinator
– Responsible for activities which build the leadership of
individual students (and groups of students) within the
specific team. This will include both in-school positive
reinforcement and communication with parents, staff,
and news media
– Hallway decorations and academy theme
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Data manager
– Collects team data
– Interprets data and shares data so everyone can
understand its significance
• Encourager
– “Catches” team members supporting students
– Plans activities for teachers on the team to build
collegiality, cohesion and trust
– Recognizes teachers’ professional, personal and
educational accomplishment
– Thanks team members, school faculty, community
partners, parents, etc for their support with team
events or projects
Team Member Roles and
Responsibilities
• Community Coordinator
– Establishes and maintains contacts with community and
business partners
– Point person for developing ‘real-world’ experiences and
opportunities for students
• Researcher
– Researches topics of interest for teachers
– Shares current research and best practices with team
teachers
– Share recent articles and publications related to team
experiences or goals
Delegating Responsibilities on Teams
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lateness
Discipline
Budget/Supplies
Fundraising
Instruction
Tutoring
Detention
Celebrations
Interventions and Supports
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hallway Decorations
Trips/Events
Speakers/Assemblies
Communication with
parents
Student leadership
Student with special needs
Record Keeping
Collecting and sharing data