Topic 9: Parent Leadership

Shared or distributed leadership is a common element in school improvement research and practice (Walberg, 2007). Often that means distributing decision-making responsibilities beyond the people whose job titles identify them as "administrators." Lead teachers may assume quasi-administrative roles. Leadership and instructional teams make decisions and develop plans, extending leadership to groups with specific purposes. Sharing leadership with parents breaks new ground in many schools, but where it is prevalent, research demonstrates its power in boosting school improvement (Moore, 1998; Redding & Sheley, 2005). More than that, when a school invests in developing the leadership capabilities of parents, it accesses an untapped resource and lifts the life prospects of the parent leaders themselves (Corbett & Wilson, 2008; Henderson, 2010; Henderson, Jacob, Kernan-Schloss, & Raimondo, 2004).