Teaching and leading in public education are some of the hardest jobs in America, made more difficult by tight budgets and staff shortages. Across the spectrum, role expectations have begun to outstrip what is realistic for a single human being to do.
Find out how Lockhart ISD has designed new teacher leadership roles with the goal of empowering teachers and rethinking how leaders spend their time – all the way up to central office.
After three years of piloting this approach, learn how Teacher Leader Andrea Whatley has become more fulfilled, Principal Jamee Griebel is focused mostly on coaching and Deputy Superintendent Stephaine Camarillo has gotten out of the weeds.
Download the companion toolkit here, and see below for written responses to questions our panelists didn’t get to answer during the webinar due to time.
Additional questions from the webinar
Q: Can you talk a little bit about how/if the lever leader role replaces other Can you talk a little bit about how/if the lever leader role replaces other “traditional roles” such as instructional coach, grade level chair? Do you still have dedicated digital learning/edtech specialists/coaches or is that rolled into the Lever Leader position as well?
A: As Lockhart ISD was designing the shared leadership model five years ago, we reduced the number of district instructional coaches to support the budgetary transition into the Lever Leader model. We still have department chairs in secondary and team leads in elementary and continue to discuss with our campuses how these roles fit into this new model.
Q: Can you talk about special education and extensive paperwork requirements within this process? Is there a Special Education Lever Leader?
A: We do not have a Special Education Lever Leader but do have one special education teacher who is partnered with a general education teacher and is on the special education leadership pathway. As we continue to grow our model, these specialized areas are part of the planning process.
Q: How has this model helped teachers with work/life balance? Lever Leaders have figured out some balance. What evidence do you have that teachers are feeling the same balance?
A: The Shared Leadership Model was designed to build teacher leadership across the district in administrative and non-administrative roles to retain, greater compensate and empower excellent teachers. We wanted teachers to share responsibility for the leadership of the campus and increase the teacher’s level of influence with decision making, resulting in the attainment of excellent and equitable student outcomes. The balance teachers are feeling is the streamlined instructional support from the campus level. Equally important, the teacher voice is what brings balance into the teaching role in general. Because Lever Leaders still teach half the time, they can speak to and influence what is working and not working for all the teachers in their building. How are you funding these positions? The positions are budgeted from the general funds.
Q: Is this model also being used at the secondary level?
A: Yes, but we have learned that the model is and should look different at the secondary level. There is a focus this year in understanding and adjusting how it should look by working with our secondary leadership teams to determine where the differences exist within the model.
Q: When talking about operating at the right level of leadership, what amount of coaching is the principal engaged in? How does this change the role of the principal as instructional leader?
A: The Principal coaches Assistant Principals, who in turn coach their Lever Leaders. The Principals work on a gradual release timeframe with their respective Assistant Principal(s) based on their experience. The instructional leadership role is now shared with the team and the transition for Principals is the understanding that their leadership level is responsible for creating the conditions for success of the entire campus and all leadership levels working in that environment.
Q: Instead of hiring central office directors, you said you gave at-bats to principals, gave them stipends, and allowed them to be lever leaders of certain areas. Can you give some examples of this?
A: One example is that we did not fill the the Director of Bilingual Education role in the 2023-24 school year and instead gave an at-bat to a Principal who has a background in bilingual education. She was provided a stipend and absorbed the responsibilities of that role. She was just recently promoted into that director role for 2024-25. Additionally, another Principal was provided a stipend to onboard a new elementary campus allotted Lever Leader positions this year.
