How do international schools enhance teacher commitment in taking up leadership responsibilities?

This study contributes to research on leadership development within school contexts by examining how emerging leaders, who also have teaching responsibilities, are encouraged and supported in their leadership roles. To accomplish this aim, this paper first reviews pertinent literature on teacher leadership and the international school context. It then reports on findings from a small-scale mixed-method study. All participants were serving in international schools that offer the international Baccalaureate program. The findings show that main areas of challenge for which the emerging leaders desired support were related to leading and developing people, an area in which they perceived formal guidance to be lacking. Desired support in this area emphasized school-based mentorship that included psychological support and opportunity for guided reflection over formal training. The findings reinforce the importance of strong context-based leadership development that occurs in conjunction with formal training and of school principals prioritizing leader development practices.