Leading and Sustaining Communities of Practice

Abstract

The important role of the leaders, including the principal and middle-level leaders in developing a culture of growth and professional learning within a school community has been well documented in contemporary scholarship literature. This chapter examines this role and that of the middle-level professional development leaders within the context of a regional secondary school in Victoria, Australia. This school excelled in the ways in which it engaged its teaching staff in various Communities of Practice over a three-year period. Qualitative data revealed that the principal and key middle-level leaders had an expansive vision and were able to move their staff to engage with each other collaboratively and constructively to support the professional learning of all teachers, but especially the early career teachers. They were also able to model distributive leadership that radiated out to other departments in the school. This chapter concludes with ways in which the principal and middle-level leaders can best support and sustain the Communities of Practice within their school community.