Teacher leadership - the end of my course, the beginning of its application

Feeling of accomplishment now that I have just submitted my final exam and three-part assignment to signal the end of my second course, the theme of teacher leadership.  This course provided some very interesting details about the paradigm shift from top-down leadership to parallel leadership.  This, by its own nature, requires that the instructor venture outside his/her walls of isolation (i.e. their classroom) and engage their colleagues more openly and collaboratively (and by that, it is explained beyond the formalities and obligatory niceties).  As well, that entails a recognition by administrators that educational leadership is a profession; that professions adhere to a set of standards (autonomy is a bad word); that professionals interpret standards into a set of practices (with the goal of student learning); and practices are evaluated for impact.  Amid some gasps and groans, there should be the ability to recognize that this form of leadership is a benefit to the student:  witnessing adults model democratic, participatory forms of engagement they are the beneficiaries of higher teacher morale and student life because their teachers are more centrally involved  in decision making and other forms of leadership.  And by engaging each other we as teachers are learning, and it has been posited that when teachers learn will their students learn, too.