Distributed LeadershipEmpowermentAcknowledgementCollaboration

Richard ElmoreDistributed leadership does not mean that no one is

responsible for the overall performance of the organization.

It means, rather, that the job of Administrative leaders is

primarily about enhancing the skills and knowledge of

people in the organization, creating a common culture of

expectations around the use of those skills and knowledge,

holding the various pieces of the organization together in a

productive relationship with each other, and holding

individuals accountable for their contributions to the

collective result.

Why Distributed Leadership?

“There are an increasing number of studies that highlight a powerful relationship between distributed forms of leadership and positive organizational change…patterns of leadership distribution matter within an organization.”

“[The evidence base] suggests that there is something powerful and important about distributed leadership. It suggests that school redesign is unlikely unless patterns of leadership practice are dramatically altered and flattened.”

Distributed leadership through the looking glass by Alma Harris and James Spillane

Common Threads: 5 Great Schools article

Collaboration: Professional Development Focus

Empowerment: Voice in decision-making process

Focus: Common Goal

Acknowledgement: Freed from other duties to focus on school-wide goals

Other Threads?

Leaders: Born or Made?

Born

Made

Leaders: Does everyone have expertise to offer?

Some All

Do schools need a principal?

Principal Responsibilities

Teacher Responsibilities

Both

What problems could distributed

leadership solve in your school?

What challenges do you anticipate if

moving to a distributed

leadership model?

Questions to Ponder

•How is leadership distributed in my

school?

•Is this pattern optimum?

•How do we extend leadership distribution

to teachers, parents, and students?