Key competencies for teacher leadership practice

The achievement of the organizational goals is significantly hinged on the competencies of its human resource. Schools therefore seek to have competent teachers who possess the right competencies to bring about school improvement as well as improved student outcomes. Teachers who successfully initiate school improvement take up leadership roles and possess the right competencies to execute their teacher leadership roles. This study sought to find out how the key competencies of teacher leadership practice are manifested. The study adopted a mixed methods approach where multiple tools were used to collect data using questionnaires from 118 teachers and 3 Interviews s, principals, observation and documents. Findings showed that the key competencies for teacher leadership were collaboration, communication, personal and interpersonal skills, pedagogical content knowledge and system knowledge skills. These competencies are manifested through the outcomes of the teacher leadership practice which include mentoring, leading initiatives, being instructional leaders, as well as increased teacher efficacy. This study consequently recommends that appointment to teacher leadership positions and any training for potential teacher leaders should focus on these competencies