The Teacher Leader Model Standards

The Teacher Leader Model Standards—like all model standards—are designed to stimulate dialogue among stakeholders of the teaching profession about what constitutes the knowledge, skills, and competencies that teachers need to assume leadership roles in their schools, districts, and the profession. 

These standards were developed by the Leadership Exploratory Consortium, a diverse group of organizations (including the National Education Association), institutions of higher education, practitioners, and state education agencies. The Consortium examined research, conducted surveys, debated, and shared experiences to produce a comprehensive set of standards. 

The Standards consist of seven domains describing the various attributes of teacher leadership: 

• Domain I: Fostering a collaborative culture to support educator development and student learning 

• Domain II: Accessing and using research to improve practice and student learning 

• Domain III: Promoting professional learning for continuous improvement 

• Domain IV: Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning 

• Domain V: Promoting the use of assessments and data for school and district improvement 

• Domain VI: Improving outreach and collaboration with families and community 

• Domain VII:  Advocating for student learning and the profession 

Additionally, the Standards can be used to inform the development of curriculum and professional learning opportunities to support teacher leaders’ professional growth. They can also be used to develop higher education programs.  NEA, in partnership with the Center for Teacher Quality and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, used the Teacher Leader Model Standards as a foundational document to develop the Teacher Leadership Competencies.