This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on listening to the voices of women teacher leaders regarding their leadership experiences within one elementary school. The question guiding this dissertation was “How do women elementary school teacher leaders perceive leadership?”

Within the stories of the participants, two essential theme clusters emerged: power-over leadership and power-with leadership. The concept of power-over leadership described the experiences of the teacher leaders as they attempted to negotiate the dominant leadership style of the building administrator. This leadership style indicated that the school is structured as a traditional hierarchy, with one having power over many. Within this culture, teachers were dependent upon the administration for any type of bestowed leadership. Administrative actions within power-over leadership were found to be the following: using administrative power to penalize, principal chooses leaders, and showing favoritism. This power-over leadership had a profound impact upon the relationships that women teachers had with their peers. Because peers bought into the paradigm of power-over leadership, teacher leaders experienced resistance and conflict in their relationships with peers.

The second essential theme cluster, power-with leadership, reflects the needs of these women teachers. The participants identified connection as a critical need. In finding this connection, the women teachers in this study desired a culture in which they worked together as a team of teachers as leaders, leadership reflected shared beliefs and a common purpose, and the classroom was recognized as a site for leadership. It is within this framework that women teachers stated that they were able to lead in the ways reflective of power-with leadership. Power-with leadership actions were found to be leading with intention, supporting others, and nurturing leadership by many. Ultimately, the participants were caught in “the space between” what is and what could be for their leadership. Their desire for power-with leadership was frustrated by the power-over leadership that reflected the norm within their building. This study has implications for the design of schools that would allow women teacher’s leadership voices to be heard.