The Role of Teacher Leadership in Coaching, Mentoring, and Collaborative Improvement

This literature review examined the role of teacher leadership in enhancing instructional quality, professional growth, and school improvement, with a focus on coaching, mentoring, and collaborative practices in both international and Philippine contexts. Drawing on recent studies (2020–2025), the review highlighted how teacher leadership strengthened instructional capacity and fostered leadership identity at the teacher level, while improving school culture, collaboration, and instructional alignment at the institutional level. Coaching and mentoring were identified as key mechanisms that operationalized leadership practices, while collaborative structures such as professional learning communities and Learning Action Cells amplified their impact. Comparative analysis revealed similarities in collaborative emphasis across contexts; however, Philippine schools faced challenges related to structural support, policy maturity, and resource constraints. The findings reinforced theoretical frameworks, including Distributed Leadership Theory and collective efficacy, underscoring teacher leadership as a form of organizational capital. Practical implications included the need for formalized coaching, leadership training, institutionalized mentoring programs, and policy support. Identified research gaps pointed to the need for longitudinal, quantitative, and mixed-method studies, particularly in rural school settings. Overall, teacher leadership emerged as central to sustainable school improvement and needed to be systematically institutionalized rather than treated as incidental.