To support the professional knowledge development of all teachers, schools in North America have implemented teacher-leader roles (Angelle & DeHart, 2011; Fullan, 2003; Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins, 2008). The effectiveness of developing professional knowledge depends upon numerous variables such as school culture, collaborative environments, resources, and organizational paradigms. It follows, then, that understanding what influences teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership can determine best practices of implementing teacher-leader roles within schools and across school divisions. The literature reviewed in this study falls into four main categories: School culture, Distributed Leadership as Teacher-Leadership, Teacher-Leader Roles, and Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher-Leadership. Furthermore, the purpose of this study was to investigate high school teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership. Research, using a quantitative instrument, focused on conducting an inquiry into teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership and what influences teachers’ perceptions. The study investigated the differences in perceptions according to these specific considerations: attained education level, teaching experience, formal teacher-leader roles, and gender. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the differences in high-school teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership within the context of one Saskatchewan urban school division according to educators’ attained education level, teaching experience, formal teacher-leader roles, and gender. To that end, the study investigated teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership based on four factors of teacher-leadership: supra-practitioner, sharing expertise, sharing leadership, and principal selection (Angelle & DeHart, 2011). Moreover, the following research questions previously referred to helped sharpen the focus of the study: 1. What are the differences in teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership according to different degree levels attained? 2. What are the differences in teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership according to varying teaching experience? 3. What are the differences in teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership according to teachers who occupy formal teacher-leader roles compared to those who do not occupy formal teacher-leader roles? 4. What are the differences in teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership according to gender? This study used a quantitative methodology to examine high school teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership through Angelle and DeHart’s (2012) Teacher Leadership Inventory resulting in empirical evidence collected via one-way between-groups ANOVA- the results of which provided both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics indicated the spread of scores through variance, standard deviation, and range while describing independent and dependent variables (Creswell, 2012). Inferential statistics helped to “compare groups or related two or more variables” (p. 187). Independent variable of the study included; degree level attainment, years of teaching experience, occupying a position of formal teacher-leadership, and gender. Furthermore, the dependent variables included Sharing Expertise, Sharing Leadership, Supra-Practitioner and Principal Selection. The findings of the data showed statistical difference in the dependent variables Sharing Expertise and Sharing Leadership. As a result of this study, implications for theory include whether the TLI needs to consider a Canadian context. In addition, implications of practice revealed in this study supported the use of the Teacher Leadership Inventory (Angelle and DeHart, 2012) as a possible screening instrument for teachers’ perceptions of teacher-leadership. Finally, implications for further research; this is the second study to use the Teacher Leadership Inventory, as such, it will be beneficial to use the TLI in more applications to collect additional data and to identify norms for the instrument.

ABSTRACT TEACHERS’ AND TEACHER LEADERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE FORMAL ROLE OF TEACHER LEADERSHIP by Jerry Kelley The accountability and responsibilities of schools have intensified greatly over the past two decades and school improvement has become a strong focus of many schools, thus requiring a greater understanding and use of formal teacher leadership if schools are to meet high standards. This research studied teachers’ and teacher leaders’ beliefs concerning the formal role of teacher leadership in three elementary schools. A qualitative study was conducted, utilizing surveys and interviews to collect data concerning teachers’ and teacher leaders’ perceptions of the formal role of teacher leadership. All teachers at three elementary schools were invited to complete an electronic survey and nominate teachers they believed were formal teacher leaders. Nominated teachers meeting the study’s criteria as a formal teacher leader were invited to complete a self-administered teacher leader self-assessment survey. Based on the results from the surveys, nine teachers, three from each school, were invited to participate in an interview process with the researcher. Analysis of all data collected throughout the study suggests that even though formal teacher leadership is valued by most teachers, there exists a disconnect between teachers’ and teacher leaders’ beliefs of what formal teacher leadership should look like ideally in their schools versus their perceived reality of formal teacher leadership. Areas such as collaboration, recognition, and understanding of the formal role of teacher leadership, as well as policies that affects these areas were all found to hold discrepancies in these schools.