Administrative Strategies to Enhance Teacher Leadership in Advancing Faith-based High School Improvement Plans
Degree Date
12-13-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Dr. Frederick Dressen
Abstract
For schools to improve, administrators must work with the entire staff to make positive changes. According to current research, an effective way to do this is to incorporate teacher leaders into the school improvement process (Hanover Research, 2023; Rechsteiner et al., 2022; Shen et al., 2020). This qualitative case study examined how principals of private, faith-based high schools perceived the role and impact of teacher leadership in advancing school improvement initiatives. Grounded in distributed and collaborative leadership theory, the study explores three primary questions: 1) How does teacher leadership influence and impact a high school’s improvement process? 2) What challenges and opportunities arise when engaging teachers in school improvement? and 3) What strategies enhance teacher leadership in the school improvement process?
Data was collected through semi-structured video interviews with eight principals from faith-based high schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Five themes were revealed through analysis: collaborative capacity building, strategic selection and role alignment, institutional and relational support structures, transparent and effective communication, and demonstrable school improvement outcomes.
The top recommendations included creating a systematic selection process based on identifiable skills and expertise, as it aligns with written role descriptions, providing structural and relational support for effective collaboration and leadership through professional development and relational support, and developing measurements for demonstrable school improvement outcomes, and then communicating and celebrating successes.