part 1 (harris) effective leadership in education c.s.m. - m

Tr Ldrship and Sch Imprvmnt 1

Teacher Leadership and School Improvement

Alma Harris


. . . the superhero images of leadership do not work. And it remains that mandates and incentives are not powerful enough to function as engines that will drive our efforts to improve schools. In tomorrow’s world success will depend upon the ability of leaders to harness the capacity of locals, to enhance sense and meaning and to build communities of responsibility.(Sergiovanni, 2001, p. 55)

. . . Headteacher effect is small and that most effects on students were indirect. This led to the recommendation “that more attention should be given to school conditions through which such leadership flowed”.(Leithwood and Jantzi, 2000, p. 50)


Leaders lead from the centre of a complex myriad of human relationships. Their leadership is dependent upon others and the relationships they have with others.

(Fullan, 2001)

“In a learning organisation leaders may start by pursuing their own vision, but as they listen carefully to others’ vision they begin to see that their own personal vision is part of something larger. This does not diminish any leader’s sense of responsibility for the vision – if anything, it deepens it.”

(Senge, 1990, p. 352)


Leadership for School Improvement

. . . Transformational leadership. This style of leadership is people rather than organisation-oriented and requires a leadership approach that transforms the feelings, attitudes and beliefs of others. In other words, it transforms ‘school culture’.

(Harris, p. 73)


Transformational leadership: problems.

1) Sustainability of transformational leadership approaches over time;

2) Availability of high-quality headteachers who are transformational in their leadership approaches.

(West et al, 2000, p. 39)


Although schools need to be led by individuals (who do make a difference) that overarching leadership has to be replicated right through the organisation and found in every aspect of school life.

One of the most consistent findings from studies of effective leadership is that authority to lead need not be located in the person of the leader but can be dispersed within the school in between and among people.

(Elmore and MacDonald, 2000; Day et al, 2000)


Trust is the essential link between leader and led, vital to people’s job, status functions and loyalty, vital to fellowship. It is doubly important when organizations are reaching rapid improvement, which requires exceptional effort and competence, and doubly so again in organizations like schools that offer few motivators.

(Evans, 1998, p. 183)


Leadership: . . . is reconceptualised as a set of behaviours

and practices that are undertaken collectively.

. . . is a dynamic between individuals within an organisation.

. . . encompasses a broad group of people that contribute to the school’s distinctive culture and community.

This view of leadership focuses on the relationships and the connections among individuals within a school. It is separated from person, role and status but reflects the dynamic created out of shared purpose and being part of a school community.


Distributed Leadership “. . . the ability of those within a school to work

together, constructing meaning and knowledge collectively and collaboratively.”

(Lambert, 1998, p. 5)

“. . . Successful schools create collaborative environments which encourage involvement, professional development, mutual support and assistance in problem solving”.

(Hopkins et al, 1996, p. 177)

What people do is driven not by what is rewarded, or what works, nor by self-interest. Instead, it is led by a sense of what is right and in the interests of the whole school.


Implications

A model of leadership “where leadership and leader are not the same”.

(Lambert, 1998, p. 8)

Leadership is a shared and collective endeavour that engages all members of the organisation. It means the context in which people work together and learn together, where they construct and refine meaning leading to a shared purpose or set of goals. This model of leadership implies a redistribution of power and a realignment of authority within the organisation.


The categorisation of leaders and followers becomes redundant as leadership is distributed throughout the organisation. The central idea is that leaders and followers are collaborators in accomplishing group tasks and frequently exchange leadership roles.

A distributed model of leadership:1 Different power relationship2 Implications for the division of labour3 Opens up the possibility of all teachers

becoming leaders at various times.

= a collaborative form of working among teachers

(Harris, 2003, p. 77)


Teacher Leadership . . . Is premised upon a power redistribution –

emphasising collegial ways of working, encompassing mutual trust and support.

. . . Is collaborative as it is premised upon change that is enacated collectively.

. . . Is premised upon the belief that leadership potential is widely spread amongst organisational members.

This federal (not hierarchical) view is “both tight and loose; tight on values, but loose on the freedom to act, opportunity to experiment and authority to question historical assumptions”.

(West et al, 2000, p. 39)


Teacher Leadership in Action All teachers harbour leadership capabilities waiting to

be unlocked and engaged for the good of the school.

PENDING Clarification of goals and purposes and sharing them

more widely within the school. If the relationship between the goals set and the organisational aspirations match, subsequent implementation of change is more likely to be successful. This is because teachers understand what the broader purposes are and what will be expected of them.

Encouragement and recognition – change breeds stress and anxiety, hence the need for social support.


Harris (2003, p. 79), identifies four discernable and discrete dimensions of the teacher leadership role within school improvement:

1. The way in which teachers translate the principles of school improvement into the practices of individual classrooms.

2. Participative leadership wherein teachers are empowered and given some ownership of a particular change or development.

3. A mediating role wherein teacher leadership is a source of expertise and information – drawing upon additional resources of expertise and external assistance.

4. Forging close relationships with individual teachers where mutual learning takes place.


Conclusion Teacher leadership is premised upon the

ability to empower others to lead.

If schools are to be learning communities this cannot be achieved by operating with models of change and improvement dependent upon individual leadership. Consequently, a new paradigm is emerging, one that is premised upon the leadership capability of the many, rather than the few.

(Harris, 2003, p. 81)

part 1 (harris) effective leadership in education c.s.m. - m

Documents