Exploring Professional Leadership

8/10/2019 Exploring Professional Leadership

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Exploring Professional Leadership

Concepts and evidence of

leadership


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Objectives

To provide an avenue for art iculat ionof what we have

learnt and experienced about educational leadership

To share emp ir ical observat ionsof how different types

of leadership function in real school contexts

To enr ich our understand ing of the key

concepts of leadership discussed in

recent research

To enr ich our vocabularyfor discourseon leadership


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Mean anything to U?

The pessimist complains about the direction ofthe wind, the optimist expects the direction tochange, but the leader simply adjusts the sails.

Anonymous

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladderof success; leadership determines whether the

ladder is leaning against the right wall.Stephen Covey


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References

School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence

(http://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image

2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdf)

Distributed Leadership

(http://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/be

nnett-distributed-leadership-full.pdf)

Ten questions for school leaders

(http://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kp

ool-evidence-green.pdf)
http://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/kpool-evidence-green.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://newportal.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7A/87/bennett-distributed-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdfhttp://www.ncsl.org.uk/mediastore/image2/bush-school-leadership-full.pdf


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Defining leadership

30 words in 3 minutes


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Defining leadership

Leadership

Influencevalues vision

Working definition

Leadership is a process of influenceleading to the achievement of

desired purposes. Successful leaders developa vision for theirschools based on their personal and professional values. They

articulate this vision at every opportunity and influence their staff

and other stakeholders to share the vision. The philosophy,

structures and activities of the school are geared towards the

achievement of this shared vision.


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Word of caution

The current emphasis on vision in leadershipcan be misleading. Vision can blind leaders in anumber of ways The high-powered,charismatic principal who radically transforms

the school in four or five years can beblinding and misleading as a role model myhypothesis would be that most such schoolswould decline after the leader leavesPrincipals are blinded by their own vision when

they feel they must manipulatethe teachersand the school culture to conform to it.

(Fullan, 1992, p. 19)


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Leadership & Management

Administration Management Leadership

Maintenance Development

- Maintaining current

organisational arrangement

- Related to implementation

and technical issues

linked with change

influencing others

action in achieving

desirable goals


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What if?

Over-managed Under-led

Under-managed Over-led

Which is more important?

Management or Leadership?


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Brainstorming about types of

leadership

MoralParticipative

Contingent

Post-modern

Transform-ational

Managerial Inter-

personal

Instructional


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Sharpening the focus

Leadership in action

InstructionalTransforma-

tional Participative Moral


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Practicalising theories

Instructional leadership

Researchfindings

Practice

Effective instructional leadership comprises:A sharp focus on learning and teaching

Talking with teachers

Promoting teachers professional growth

Fostering teacher reflection

Some effective strategies:

Modelling

Monitoring

Professional dialogue and discussion


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Transformational leadership

Researchfindings

Practice Higher level of commitment +

Greater capacities = extra effort + greater

productivity

Transformational leadership occurs when one or moreteachers engage with others in such a way thatadministrators and teachers raise one another to higherlevels of commitment and dedication, motivation andmorality.

Successful principals are both transactional and

transformative


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Participative leadership

Research

findings

Practice Collaborative decision making

People are more likely to implement

decisions which they have participated in

making

Evidence of successful implementation of

participative leadership in schools is sparse


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Moral leadership

Researchfindings

PracticeOutstanding heads demonstrate the following valuesand beliefs through their words and deeds: inc lusiv i ty ,equal oppo rtunit ies, equity or just ice, high

expectat ion s, engagement w ith stakeholders, co -

operat ion, teamw ork, comm itment and un ders tanding

Similar to transformational leadership but with astronger emphasis on values and beliefs

Providing schools with a clear sense of purpose The metaphorsthe heart, the head and the hand

of leadership


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Making judgements

Moral

Instructional

Participative

ContingentPost-

modern

Transform-ational

Managerial

Inter-

personal


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Making judgements

Most successful leaders are

likely to embody most or all of these

approaches in their work.

Able to carry out effective situational analysis

and adapt their approaches to the specific

context.


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Triangulation - DOD

Document Study Observation Discussion

Study of SHS

results, SSA,

KPM and other

relevant school

documents to

inform drafting

of enquiry

points and toguide the review

Daily meetings

with Principal

Triangulation processes - meetings and interviews with differentlevels of school personnel (SMC, SIT, MM, LASW and basic rankTs) and stakeholders (parents and students)

Principal's presentation

Evaluation of thedelivered curriculum

school effectivenessis a key indicator ofquality leadership


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Exploring further

What questions would you ask to guide your

onsite inquiry about school leadership?

Which type of school leadership is more likely

to be successful at this stage of educationreform?

How does a school leader strike a

balance between his/her

leadership and managers role in

enhancing school development

and performance?


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To cope with a demanding reform

agenda and avoid burn-out

Sustainable Leadership @

http://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_pri

nciples.pdf
http://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_principles.pdfhttp://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_principles.pdfhttp://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_principles.pdfhttp://www2.bc.edu/~hargrean/docs/seven_principles.pdf


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What have we learnt?

Concepts and evidence of leadership

Evaluating leadership in the course of

school review


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In a nutshell,

Leadership and management are bothimportant

No single leadership style can reign

supremebetter adopt an eclecticapproach to leading and managingeducational change

Quality of leadership represents itself inthe day-to-day running of the school

Exploring Professional Leadership

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