The standard – what does the research say and where is the evidence base?
The Australian Professional Standard for Principals (APSP) is “a public statement setting out what school principals are expected to know, understand and do” (AITSL, 2014, p. 3) in order to provide effective schooling for Australia’s young people. The Melbourne Declaration (2008, p. ) articulates the need equity and excellence in Australian schooling and that “all young Australians become: successful learners; confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens”. In order to achieve these goals the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) was formed in 2008 to oversee the development of a “robust and comprehensive” national curriculum
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5) cites Leithwood and Jantzi’s 2005 analysis of effective leadership practices in which four categories of effective leadership practices were identified: setting directions, helping individual teachers, redesigning the organisation, and organizational management. The APSP (2014) includes these elements either under the banner of “leadership requirements” or “professional practice”.
The three foci for effective leadership which are identified in the APSP (2004) are illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2: AITSL (2014) Australian Professional Standard for Principals and the Leadership Profiles. Melbourne: Education Services Australia.
Figure 3: A synthesized model of leadership for learning. (Hallinger, 2010, p. 127).
Hallinger’s conceptual model (see Figure 3), derived after completing a literature review spanning the last 40 years, is not dissimilar to the APSP in that it identifies values, leadership and knowledge experience as key elements in the relationship between leadership and student outcomes (2011). This model acknowledges the wider community and other stake holders also impact on leadership and student outcomes (Hallinger,
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Vision and values
Leithwood and Jantzi argue the ability to articulate a clear vision is an essential attribute for school leaders (2008, p. 507). Goal setting is a powerful motivator for change and when leaders are able to clearly communicate inspiration vision to those they lead, it is possible to harness this motivation to bring about school improvement in student learning (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2008, p.507). Clearly defined goals encourage school community to contribute to common goals and also streamlines decision making as only options that align with the vision need to be considered (Hallinger, 2010, p.129).
When discussing research into high performing schools, Matthews argues, “Clear pupil-centred vision and purpose ensured pupils reached their potential. Maximising young people’s well-being and achievements was at the heart of these schools” (2010, p.9). The inclusion of vision in the APSP is substantiated by research evidence gathered for at least the last 40
Firstly, focusing on The Australian Professional Teaching Standard (AITSL) 1: Know students and how they Learn. Achievable through experiencing and using Literacy in my community to build relationships, develop a sense of inclusion and diversity and develop planning skills, by engaging with professionals to plan and design engaging resources for all aged children (AITSL, 2014). Secondly focusing on (AITSL) Standard 7.3: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/ carers and the community. To acquire skills and strategies in time management and communication with professionals and relevant individuals. Lastly, to focuses on (AITSL) Standard 7.4: Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities. By understanding the role of external professionals and community representatives to broaden Literacy networks and investigating the interpersonal relationships, The Pyjama Foundation has with community service organisations, Education Sectors, Federal, State and Local Government. Ultimately providing me with an exemplar of the sustainability of one of society’s most valuable group of individuals.
Abstract: There are numerous definitions of leadership, all of which contain elements related to people (the leader and the follower(s)), communicating in person or by the written word, actions (organizing, directing, coaching, and/or motivating), and for a purpose (meeting a goal(s) or accomplishing a task(s)) (ADP 6-22) (Fisher 2015) (Bolden 2013) (Hogan 2005). Additionally, everything done occurs within a given context. Effective leaders are poised, proficient, pertinent, and practical in the application of the art of leadership. This means leaders are ready to engage the group with effective methods and
In order to move forward in producing good leaders, one must enhance their capabilities and knowledge among the embedded mission and vision that is tailored towards the school. Betty believes that her school’s mission and vision statement is very broad and generic. She believes that the mission and vision statement is very weak and ineffective. In order to move forward and make a difference in children’s life, Betty stated that she will conduct 3 effective practices that will be used by her personally. She stated that these practices will enhance her capabilities of accomplishing her institution’s stated mission and/or vision. First, she plans to go back to school to retain higher education and knowledge toward education and producing effective
Education Services Australia, AITSL. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers . Retrieved from Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL): http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
After tallying up the responses and reflecting on the interpretations of my findings, I was somewhat surprised to learn that my directive and collaborative approach to supervision was equal at 40% each and my nondirective approach was much less than I would have desired at 20%. My initial amazement comes from the fact that I typically learn and grow best in collaborative and nondirective settings, and I believe most students, educators and others in different fields do as well. These are the types of learning environments that I fostered as a classroom teacher and continue to do in my current role as a Library Media Specialist. Most of my professional growth and inspiration to become a leader is attributed to working in environments where leaders were open to ideas, trusting, caring and transparent and to think that my beliefs and practices may not be parallel is a bit startling. However, this inventory has encouraged me to deeply reflect on the bases of my beliefs and provided me with a different frame of self-awareness that will be beneficial as I move into my role as a school leader.
First, would be to study articles and books about accomplished and effective practices. The second practice according to Mooney & Mausbach (2008) is to reflect these practices critically according to the needs of the own school or district. Finally, educators need to exchange thought and ideas about the accomplished and effective practices and the reflection of how these could be implemented in the own school or district. These discussion should be open conversations that do not include decision making. Mooney & Mausbach (2008) emphasize that a vision should be a continuous process.
The journal article reports on a study of graduate level, educational leadership student’s knowledge of the mission, vision, values, and goal statements and their impact in school settings. The leadership students had limited recollection of the mission, vision, values, and goal statements. The leadership students had no impact on school improvement and organizational change. The lack of understanding of the mission, vision, values, and goals amongst leadership within schools undermine the culture, unity, foundation, development, and success of schools.
When an opportunity for leadership presents itself, it puts a person in a position of influence where they then inherit the responsibility of using their influence for the betterment of the organization. Education in the 20th century has brought with it reforms and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Read to Succeed, and thus the need for leadership which holds its responsibilities in the highest regard. Each of these initiative have come with added pressures and accountability for school leaders to show adequate progress and performance on rigorous standardized tests taken by students (Allen, Grisby & Peters, 2015).
My most recent experience in regards to leadership and the school and department improvement process has been in establishing a true Professional Learning Community (PLC) within Air Academy High School. I serve as a PLC lead for the science department. Through this process, we hope to make great gains in student achievement and staff actively participates in continuous professional learning leading to increased staff performance. After reviewing state testing data the site plan team, on which I participate, noticed discrepancies between the performance of male and female students. In addition to gender discrepancies, the team noticed that there were some teachers with classes that were much larger than colleagues who taught the same subject.
In recognition on how to be an effective leader, past researches in leadership has discovered that leadership is a critical aspect to an organization and it will continue to evolve, in line with the development of human-to-human relationships (Daft & Pirola-Merlo 2009, p. 4, Rast et al. 2012 p. 646). Yet, to be a leader, there are at least six key factors that must be met by a person, namely: followers, influence, intention, personal responsibility and integrity, shared purpose and change (Daft & Pirola-Merlo 2009, p. 5). However, even if someone has fulfilled those
One of the topics in organizational development today is leadership. Leadership is what individuals do to mobilize other people in organizations and communities. According to Kouzes & Posner, there are five practices and ten commitments of exemplary leadership. The five practices of exemplary leadership include: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. In the Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner found similar patterns and actions of leadership that created the essentials to achieve success. Utilizing the research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, I have created a leadership plan that would apply to the Admission Department at Texas Wesleyan University.
In order to determine the leadership effectiveness, we must understand that how teachers, as well as other individuals, construct their notions of effective leadership are based on their or within the organization itself (Rosser 2003). The conceptual framework The conceptual framework for this study was derived from the four integration leadership model developed by Bolman and Deal (1998). Bolman and Deal identified four perspectives called frames: human resource, structural, political and symbolic. The structural frames are associated with scientific management, administrative principles and bureaucracy. Thus, this frame represents a rational perspective associated with hierarchies. Leaders with structural frame solve problems by creating new rules, procedures, or processes or by restructuring the organization. The human resource frame is associated with human relations. This frame views individuals as resources and encourages participative decision making, to meet people’ needs, to motivate individuals to realize their own goals, and to attain the goals of the organization. Leaders deal with human resource problems adjusting their organization to fit people or by adjusting the people to fit the organization. The third leadership frame is the political frame. Political leaders are realistic and pragmatic advocates and negotiators, build network, power bases and create alliance. The last frame is symbolic frame. Symbolic leaders invent shared meaning for
Educational administration is unique, the study of leadership and education first originated in the USA, and since then has had numerous and varied orientations and ideas. In the past educational administration was assumed to be just another type of administration (Bates, 2008). It was often thought that if someone were a good administrator in one field or setting, then this would be translatable to another setting like education. This theory is based on the assumption that there is a science behind administration that has universal principles and techniques that can be widely applied, this theory movement dominated over three decades of education administration (Starratt 2003, p5). During this period abstract theory developed independently of changes in the world, which were occurring socially and in classrooms. It also moved educational administration away from education concepts like curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. Challenges to this thinking occurred; new and emerging perspectives lead to a focus on individual approaches and a reconnection with educational concerns and the work of learning (Bates, 2008). Resources, class sizes, funding, standardisation of curriculum and leadership are some examples of these changes and reforms. Modern contemporary work in the field of education administration takes a range of different approaches including a large focus on culture, accountability, leading for learning and teacher leaders (Starratt 2003). This essay will historically
In this section I provide an account of how I begin as a head teacher and how I take the lead in a pilot developing integrated services in partnership with the local authority. I reflect on the compromises I had to make after the school was identified as a school eligible for National Challenge (NC) funding . As previously, I consider my identity, I also step aside to consider ‘performitivity’, a concept I believe changed the identity of leaders (as league tables were published) and capable of changing the identity of leaders in the future.
Nevertheless, the three leadership strategies I have researched to improve my personal growth are as follow: