We based our exploratory study on the premise that the role of a K-12 teacher in the classroom is that of a leader. Teachers must identify as leaders to effectively navigate the challenges of teaching and learning. In our research, we developed and validated a tool containing both quantitative and qualitative items to assess the attributes of the leader identity of teachers in the context of their role as a classroom teachers. The responses of the 91 K-12 teachers who participated in our research revealed variations in the levels of leader identity attributes based on individual differences. We found most teachers tended to perceive the primary role of a teacher as a conveyer of knowledge, and yet strongly agreed that teachers are critical role models. We also found a disconnect between why they became teachers and their perceptions of the role of a teacher. Following our results, we interpret our findings, provide associated implications, and offer directions for future research.

In the typical K-12 classroom, there is one adult in the room—the teacher. Also, in that room are the students, sometimes more than 40 children per teacher. The teacher is responsible for organizing the students in the room, getting their attention, inspiring them to engage, assuring they are learning, and assessing their progress. The activities of a teacher are those commonly associated with effective leadership, such as inspiring and motivating others, providing a vision for the future, acting as mentors and building community, and implementing a vision ). Yet, in our search of the literature, we found that teacher preparation programs do not tend to include a focus on teachers being leaders, and, when leadership is considered in K-12 settings, the focus is on school (or district) administrators and teachers with school-level roles The standards focus on the role of the teacher outside of the classroom, such as mentoring other teachers, instructors at a teacher leadership academy, and facilitating teacher conversations about instructional interventions. Thus, teacher leadership standards are focused almost exclusively on teachers working with colleagues or engaging in leadership roles outside of the classroom.

Missing from the teacher leadership literature (and standards) is empirical evidence detailing the leadership activities and perceptions of teachers in their role as instructors of their students. Thus, while teachers engage in the activities of leaders in the classroom, we are unable to locate empirical studies documenting teachers' identifying as leaders. The lack of empirical research on teachers' perceptions of themselves as leaders indicates that teachers (and others, such as teacher educators) may not perceive teaching as a leadership role. We argue there is a need to research the leader identity of teachers in the classroom to understand teacher leadership more fully.

The critical role of leadership to teacher effectiveness for decision making, inspiring others to learn, resolving situations of conflict, and the lack of preparation and recognition of teaching as a leadership position, led us to wonder if teachers hold a leader identity in the context of the classroom teacher. Further, we wondered, to what extent do teachers embrace and express attributes of a leader identity as part of their role in the classroom as a teacher? The dearth of empirical studies focused on teachers as classroom leaders indicates that there is a gap in the teacher leadership literature that needs to be addressed.

Review of Literature

Leader Identity

The tasks and expectations of leaders require a range of dispositions, knowledge, and skills. In recognition of the expectations of leaders, scholars such as have posited that there are essential attributes of all leaders which influence individual leader identity. These ubiquitous attributes are fundamental to the extent to which an individual identifies (internally) as a leader. Therefore, leader identity is considered  The essential attributes of leader identity include leader contextualized self-regulation self-efficacy for leading ( self-determination, implementation intentions, and resilience and persistence. If the expression of leader identity attributes is similar to other identities, then the self-identification as a leader is likely to be influenced by context, related to experience, associated with expectations.

For example, a teacher may perceive herself as a leader in the role of department head, but not as a leader in her role as a classroom teacher. Thus, when examining the leader identity of K-12 teachers, it is critical to take into account their range of roles, their responsibilities, interactions with others, and the setting in which they are leaders.

As with other identities people may hold, leader identity is highly personal and develops with time and experience. The relevance of holding a leader identity, in relation to the extent to which teachers perceive their role in the classroom as a leader, justifies examining the levels to which they hold and express the attributes of leader identity in their roles as classroom teachers. Specifically, we are interested in which leader identity attributes teachers are more likely to perceive they embrace and express, in relation to their classroom practice and teaching role. The potential for teachers to perceive the leadership of a teacher in the classroom to be different than leadership outside the classroom justifies examining teachers' leader identity in the context of teaching.

Leader Identity of Teachers

We consider leader identity to be the internalization of the identity of self as a leader. Identity may be self-claimed (which is considered identification) in which one claims an identity without regard to the perspective of others as is the case with social identity. People tend to hold multiple identities such as those associated with gender, ethnicity, lifestyle, professional position, relationships, and other personal and professional variables  Identities may evolve, be gained (e.g., becoming a parent), or be lost through time (e.g., no longer being a student).

It is possible for teachers to claim to be a leader based on their perceptions of self-validating their identity, or they may be granted the identity as a leader based on the validation of others. The leader identity of teachers is complicated by the potential for holding multiple roles in a school. For example,  consider leadership of teachers to be, “teachers who maintain K−12 classroom-based teaching responsibilities while also taking on leadership responsibilities outside of the classroom”  which indicates the identity of leader is granted to teachers. who suggests that the leader identity of teachers is a progression resulting from teachers not initially recognizing teaching as a leadership role. Also distinguishes between teaching and leading, indicating that teachers commonly “maintain their identity as a teacher while preparing to be leaders”, which may reflect a culture in which teachers are not commonly granted a leader identity in their role of teaching. devotes an entire chapter to what teachers do as leaders by claiming, “teacher leaders work as teachers but exercise leadership with their colleagues” (p. 28). Thus, leader identity is granted to teachers when engaging in leadership roles outside of teaching. Yet, successful teaching requires the expression of the attributes of a leader to be successful (e.g., motivating others, sharing a vision, team building, etc.), which provides a warrant for examining the leader identity of teachers.

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