In previous articles in the “Teachers Are Leaders” series, I’ve explored how teacher leadership isn’t just a title, but rather an identity and mindset that enables educators to make a significant impact regardless of their formal position. Teacher leaders help manage the complex demands of enhancing student achievement and influence colleagues, principals, and the entire school community to improve teaching and learning practices. But some educators who aren’t familiar with the concept of teacher leadership might wonder: What exactly does this work entail?

Defining the work: Teacher Leader Model Standards

The Teacher Leader Model Standards, developed by the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium (n.d.), outline seven key domains of influence that comprehensively define the work of teacher leaders. The purpose of these standards — like all model standards — is to stimulate dialogue among stakeholders of the teaching profession about the full range of knowledge, skills, and competencies that teachers need in order to assume leadership roles in their schools, districts, and the profession at large. They articulate how teacher leadership can work in tandem with, but also be distinguished from, formal administrative leadership roles to support good teaching and promote student learning.

To develop the standards, the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium reviewed research, examined existing state-level teacher leadership programs, met with researchers, and learned from teacher leaders about the challenges and successes of their roles. They explored critical concepts such as adult learning models, negotiation, collaboration paradigms, learning communities, facilitation skills, advocacy, and professional development.

They identified seven key domains of work for teacher leaders, each one outlining a critical area of leadership that impacts teaching, learning, and school culture. While the domain labels themselves are descriptive, it’s worth drawing attention to how teacher leaders enact these in daily practice.

• Domain I: Fostering a collaborative culture to support educator development and student learning.Teacher leaders build trust and shared responsibility among colleagues, promoting an inclusive and collaborative culture. They model and facilitate productive dialogue and group processes to support continuous improvement.
• Domain II: Accessing and using research to improve practice and student learning. They help translate research into action, guiding peers to use inquiry and data analysis as tools for improving instructional decisions and outcomes.
• Domain III: Promoting professional learning for continuous improvement. Through job-embedded learning, teacher leaders design and lead professional development that responds to real-time classroom needs and fosters reflective practice.
• Domain IV: Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning. Grounded in deep pedagogical knowledge, teacher leaders support instructional change through coaching, observation, and collaborative planning focused on student needs.
• Domain V: Promoting the use of assessments and data for school and district improvement. They lead data-informed conversations that go beyond numbers, creating space for reflection and action to improve student learning at all levels.
• Domain VI: Improving outreach and collaboration with families and community. Recognizing the powerful role of families and communities, teacher leaders help bridge school and home through culturally responsive communication and inclusive partnerships.
• Domain VII: Advocating for student learning and the profession. Teacher leaders extend their influence beyond classrooms, championing policies and practices that support students, schools, and the teaching profession as a whole.

Domains in action: A powerful illustration

The depth and reach of these domains come to life as I reflect on the leadership work of Patrick Marcolini, now a math coach at Hampton City Schools in Hampton, Virginia. Early in his teacher leadership journey, Pat transitioned from classroom teacher to Title I math teacher, a role focused on supporting instructional improvement in mathematics. I worked alongside him during my time as assistant principal at Captain John Smith Elementary.

Aware of the shift from peer to informal leader, Pat prioritized building trust and strong relationships. He quickly realized that handing out resources wasn’t enough to create lasting instructional change. Instead, he coplanned and cotaught lessons, modeled strategies, and partnered with teachers to embed research-based practices into instruction, reflecting the essence of Domains I, II, and IV.

Pat also guided teams in analyzing student data to inform small group instruction (Domain V). As he moved into his current coaching role, his work has continued to reflect the standards. He provides side-by-side, in-context coaching (Domain III), and supports new teachers in communicating with families (Domain VI). Through it all, Pat’s leadership has remained grounded in trust, focused on instruction, and aligned with what’s best for students.

Where teacher leaders stand: A call to action

So, what work should teacher leaders do? They should engage across the seven domains outlined in the Teacher Leader Model Standards: fostering collaboration, using research, promoting professional learning, improving instruction, utilizing data, collaborating with families and communities, and advocating for students and the profession.

Teacher leadership is not simply a checklist; it is a mindset and a movement. By embracing these domains, we empower teacher leaders to transform classrooms, elevate their peers, and strengthen school communities. As Katzenmeyer and Moller (2001) suggest, teacher leaders are the sleeping giant capable of catalyzing deep and lasting change. It’s time we recognize and awaken that potential.