School Leadership Development Research Articles

Transformational Leadership Style Training for School Leaders

This research focused on the training of school leaders in transformational leadership - which is recommended for educational leaders all over the world (Alkhasawneh, 2018) - and to determine if it impacts their leadership skills or not. Based on relevant literature and training need analysis, training was planned and given to 120 in-service school heads for one month. The research was quasi-experimental that used a one-group pre-test post-test design because no similar group was available. The experimental group was divided into two groups; public and private, for a comparison. Also, a follow-up study was conducted to keep it nearer to the experimental approach. The training delivered to the school principals comprised of selected content about the concept of leadership and transformational leadership. This content was reinforced by real-world examples and relevant leadership activities. Participants were assessed under pre-defined grading criteria that were their attendance, participation, and performance in quizzes and assignments during the training. After completion, they were observed and evaluated for their leadership skills at their workplaces and awarded with the points. This quantitative data were analyzed by using mean, standard deviation, and paired sample t-test for knowing and comparing the results. It was found that the transformational leadership style training had improved the effectiveness and leadership skills of school leaders. Similar training courses have been endorsed by training participants for enhancing the leadership styles of school leaders.
 Keywords: School Leadership, Transformational Leadership Development, School Leadership Development, Transformational Leadership in Schools

School Leader Preparation and Development Programs: What Teachers Want

This article aims to contribute to the literature on school leader preparation and development programs. It seeks to do this by identifying and discussing elements that current faith-based education system teachers would like to see embedded in the creation of aspirant and novice school leader preparation and development programs. This research utilised a qualitative research design, adopting semi-structured interviews to collect employee perceptions. These teachers identified a five-element framework for leadership programs: School and Community; Working With and Through Others; System Understandings and Practice; Leadership Wellbeing; and Special Character. This paper proposes a number of recommendations that may assist in the development of aspiring and novice school leadership preparation and development programs within this faith-based education system.

Timor-Leste: reforming the education system through school leader capacity building and school-based teacher professional development

ABSTRACT After decades of conflict with Indonesia, Timor-Leste is gradually rebuilding its education infrastructure and reclaiming its identity as an independent country. In the first decade post-independence the education sector faced many challenges, including a lack of school buildings and resources, the need to replenish and upskill the Timorese teacher workforce, and inappropriate curriculum. In more recent years, a locally written child-centred curriculum has been rolled out and a systematic and ongoing school leadership and teacher professional development programme has gradually been established. The programme requires school leaders to support ongoing teacher professional development, and to participate in regular mentor visits. The underlying change model focuses on school leader capacity building, so principals work with their teachers to improve their classroom skills, with resultant impact on student learning. This article provides details of the leadership programme and reports some results for the school regions initially involved regarding leader and teacher skills improvement and student learning outcomes. The results provide early indications of the value for developing countries of a leadership capacity-building and school-based teacher professional development programme which involves a whole-of-system approach and ongoing mentor support and monitoring.

A Professional Development Model for School Leadership

ABSTRACT The article recounts the development of a five-stage model for the professional development of school principals and school leading teams. An instrumental qualitative case study methodology was utilized, based on seven in-depth interviews with the instructors who directed professional development for school staffs. The model reflects both supporting factors and challenges to its components that derive from individual school cultures. The model facilitates planning for both structure and content of the professional development of school leadership. The article records a success in a difficult milieu.

Influence of professional cultures and principal leadership effects on early-career teacher leadership development in Hong Kong schools

ABSTRACT This paper aims to extend our understanding of the influence of school professional cultures and principal leadership effects on early-career teacher leadership aspiration, learning and development in the evolving hybrid of Western and Confucian cultures of Hong Kong. What are early-career teachers’ aspirations of leadership development in different professional cultures of the school? How do the principal leadership effects facilitate or hinder teacher leadership development in the professional culture? A multiple case study approach was adopted. Findings show that positive professional culture built by professional relationships between the principals and teachers and among teachers can stimulate early-career teacher leadership aspiration. The principal leadership effects can facilitate and hinder professional collaboration and support for the teacher leadership development in the Chinese school hierarchy of Hong Kong. This study contributes to unveiling in-depth understandings of teacher leadership aspiration, learning and development as the socially constructed experiences of the teachers in contrast to the professional culture highlighted in the school document. Insights gained from the study can inform the in-school progression of teacher leadership development in the school hierarchy. Implications for school achievement through continuing professional development are also highlighted.

Book review: Preparation and Development of School Leaders in Africa

Book review: Preparation and Development of School Leaders in Africa

Developing school leaders: responses of school leaders to group reflective learning

ABSTRACT Throughout the past decades, the profession of school leader has become more complex. To deal with these increasing complexities and the challenges school leaders encounter, it is important that school leaders are provided with effective professional development. However, research on school leaders’ learning and professional development, and especially on school leaders’ group reflective learning, is still rather limited. Based on findings of a few previous studies considering school leaders’ professional development, a group reflective learning programme was developed. The current qualitative study unravels school leaders’ reactions with regard to group reflective learning programmes through interviewing the 19 participants of the programme. The study of the school leaders’ reactions shows that school leaders set particular preconditions for group reflective learning, that they value recognition and support of fellow school leaders, and that they appreciate the programme because they were able to learn from their own, and their fellow school leaders’ daily-life experiences. Group reflective programmes have the potential to develop knowledge, skills and/or attitudes and seem to satisfy the statement that school leaders need to be provided with appropriate professional development programmes to prevent job related psychological issues.

Inclusive school leaders – their role in raising the achievement of all learners

PurposeThis article presents a model based on a review of international and European policy and current European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education work on school leadership for inclusive education. The model aims to support analysis of the policy context and interactions between the structures and processes at different levels to ensure effective support for inclusive school leadership and development of appropriate competences. Key issues addressing competences for inclusive school leadership, support and professional development opportunities for inclusive school leaders and policy frameworks that support inclusive leadership across the whole education system are explored.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on a current Agency project, Supporting Inclusive School Leadership (SISL), a cross-national project that considers how best to ensure that school leaders meet the needs of all learners in their school communities. The SISL project examines current theories of school leadership together with the core functions of school leaders in participating countries in order to develop a model specifically focused on inclusive school leadership.FindingsAgency projects such as SISL focus on research findings and policy developments that support countries to chart their own course toward a common goal. This process of cross-national working permits member countries with their distinctive national, ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversities to work together on common goals. In this project an ecosystem model of inclusive education was adapted to reflect on the policy context needed to enable school leaders to fulfill the complex responsibilities associated with inclusive school development.Originality/valueAlthough the Agency is strongly associated with the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities, all member countries have the shared vision to support inclusive education systems so that all learners of any age are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their local community. While its projects are firmly rooted in the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, its work is also influenced by the concept of inclusion as promoted in the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4) “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Facilitating Leadership Coach Capacity for School Leadership Development: The Intersection of Structured Community and Experiential Learning

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine how the leadership coaching capacities of experienced school leaders can be developed to support less-experienced school leaders to lead continuous improvement efforts. In this article, we report the findings of a 2-year study of experienced school leaders who developed their leadership coaching knowledge, skills, and dispositions to enhance the capacities of less-experienced school leaders in a research–practice partnership called the Leadership Learning Community. Research Methods: We drew on qualitative research methodology to answer the study’s research question. To collect our data, we utilized participant observations of 12 professional development days and 70 job-embedded coaching sessions over a 2-year period, yearly semistructured interviews with the eight leadership coach participants, and other artifacts related to the Leadership Learning Community. We analyzed our data using multiple rounds of coding to arrive at the themes. Findings: The findings highlight the possibilities of developing leadership coaching capacity through a combination of community-based structured and facilitated learning opportunities and experiential learning. The findings also add to the limited research regarding leadership coaching as a strategy for enhancing school leadership development. Conclusion and Implications: The results of the study provide assistance to national and state administrator organizations, educational service districts, and school district administrators endeavoring to meet the learning needs of school leaders through leadership coaching. Further research should be conducted to understand how the leadership coaching capacities of leadership supervisors and developers can be facilitated.

Perspectives of teachers’ on the selection and the development of the school leaders in the United Arab Emirates

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine teachers’ perspectives on school leaders’ selection and development strategies in order to propose/recommend strategies that are relevant to the context of the United Arab Emirates.Design/methodology/approachThe study gathered data through group discussion of school teachers who attended the module “leadership for school improvement” taught by the researchers. The teachers who participated in this study include local and expat teachers who are currently working in both public and private schools in the UAE. The reports of the group discussion were used as transcripts and thematic analysis was used to analyse the results.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a strong aspiration for setting better standards for the selection of the school leaders. There is great interest in engaging experts and instrumenting accredited continued professional development training on developing school leaders. The respondents emphasised on the required qualifications, experiences and knowledge, and the need for mentorship approach.Research limitations/implicationsThe key limitation of the study is the smaller sample size.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study offers necessary insight to the decision makers on the selection and development of school leaders in the UAE.Social implicationsThe study insists that the social and cultural values of the UAE to be considered in the selection and development of school leaders in the UAE.Originality/valueThe study offers potential gap and scope for further research on school leadership in the UAE that could be further explored with many samples and cases for broader understanding.

Examining the role of high school athletic directors in promoting leadership development in high school student-athletes

ABSTRACTLeadership training is a valuable but underutilized process for high school student-athletes to experience. Athletic directors represent a unique opportunity to foster environments of leadership development in high schools. The purpose of the current study was to examine high school athletic directors’ approaches to leadership development, and discuss the practical application of leadership programming. Interviews with nine athletic directors supported the value of sport as context for learning life skills, including leadership. Leadership development strategies included captain roundtables, provision of resources, and connecting networks of coaches. Differences existed across schools in leadership development prioritization and programming, indicating a lack of standardized programming between schools. The authors concluded that leadership is an essential component of high school athletics, and that it is pivotal to improve the delivery of leadership training through athletic directors. Further research on the topic is required to clarify best practice principles, and to evaluate athletic director programming.

From peer review to collaborative peer enquiry: Action research for school improvement and leadership development

School peer reviews are increasingly part of the evaluation and school improvement landscape for school leaders and teachers in a number of countries. This article describes the growth of peer review, particularly in England, and its emergence elsewhere (for example, Australia, across Europe and in Chile). While these approaches provide a useful form of professional and moral accountability, this article identifies ways in which they could go further to empower practitioners through the use of an enquiry approach, combining formal academic knowledge with practitioner knowledge and school-based data. The term collaborative peer enquiry (CPE) is suggested as a way to explore this potential. The article sets out a typology of action research as a form of professional learning (type 1), practical philosophy (type 2) or as a form of critical social science (type 3). Four examples are given of different peer review models, two of them CPE approaches, and these are analysed using the above typology. A distinction is made between some peer review models that mimic external inspections and err towards self-policing, and others that encourage open enquiry and learning. In particular, the CPE models show the potential as forms of type 2 and type 3 action research. The role of peer review and CPE in the accountability system, in leadership development, and challenges for these models are explored in the discussion.

Leadership development in New Zealand and Australian medical schools: needs analysis

BackgroundLeadership is a core competency of doctors. However, specific learning outcomes for leadership are often not well defined in medical school curricula. This article uses New Zealand (NZ) and Australian...

Towards School Leadership Development: The Essence of Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Newcomer Families in Saskatchewan

The article is based on a study whose purpose was to examine the lived experience of school leaders in Saskatoon with newcomers to whom English is an additional Language (EAL). Phenomenology as a methodological approach was used to gather and analyze data from leaders representing two school divisions. What was common in their accounts was synthesized to establish the essence of the leaders’ experience with EAL newcomers. Findings revealed that the nature of the experience manifests as a celebration, a learning opportunity and as a challenge. Its essence requires school leaders to have knowledge, skills and dispositions for acknowledging and responding appropriately to difference and the associated stereotypes, cultural diversity with its infinite variations, relations between dominant and minority cultures, the role of parents, communities and inter-organizational partnerships in school leaders-newcomer relationship. The essence also calls for school leaders to have self-knowledge, to be more reflective, and to embrace cognitive dissonance as learning opportunities.

Learning to lead school improvement: An analysis of rural school leadership development

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a study of a 3-year leadership development initiative designed to enhance the leadership capacities of 10 school leaders from a consortium of rural, high-poverty school districts. The initiative provided cross-district, job-embedded, and personalized leadership development through leadership coaching in a professional community. The findings highlight what the leaders learned about involving and interacting differently with others for shared effort and ownership; enabling distributed leadership for increased capacity; using a systematic process for school improvement; and approaching school improvement with a new mindset. We conclude the article with implications for further research and practice.

Stakeholders’ perceptions and recommendations of a high school leadership development programme for athletes in Singapore

ABSTRACT This study examined the perceptions of key stakeholders of a high school athlete leadership development training programme. Participants included 36 athletes (males = 23, females = 13) from two team sports (rugby n = 11 and volleyball n = 6) and two individual sports (bowling n = 8 and table tennis n = 11), as well as four coaches representing each of these sports and four teachers. Individual interviews were conducted for coaches, teachers, and athlete leaders, while athletes took part in focus group interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse all data sets. Results showed that the athlete leadership programme developed qualities such as responsibility, role modelling, motivation, communication, perseverance, and team unity that would help athlete leaders perform their roles and responsibilities. The results also highlighted some limitations including earlier involvement from key stakeholders, tailored training for athlete leaders, and a more effective transfer of learning.

Courageous Leaders: Promoting and supporting diversity in school leadership development

This article examines the effect of the United Kingdom’s first LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) School Leadership programme. Based on the values of authentic leadership, promoting inclusion, celebrating diversity, accepting difference, challenging the status quo and achieving social justice, the Courageous Leaders programme provided mentoring, training and support for LGBT teachers aspiring to become school leaders. Utilising Social Phenomenology as methodological framework, the article considers the written reflections of a single cohort of 10 lesbian and gay teacher participants to reflect on the way in which Courageous Leaders affected their professional identities and behaviours.

Learning to Transform Through Interplay Between the Confucian and Western Cultural Heritages: A Case Study of School Leadership Development in Beijing, China

Taking a case study approach and utilizing Hoggan’s transformative learning (TL) typology and criteria as a framework, we examined the self-reported TL experiences of 12 local school leaders in Beijing, China. These local school leaders gained cross-cultural learning from a school leadership development program that was designed to prepare school leaders for education internationalization. Our data analysis indicated that these 12 local school leaders had experienced significant changes in their educational epistemology, self-identity, and school leadership practices. Further examining these changes at the intersection of the Confucian and Western cultural heritages, we discovered that these school leaders had developed an integrated approach to education, started to consciously reflect on what their social- and self-identities entail, and began the process of transitioning from conservative to appreciative school leadership practices.

Leaders in action: The experiences of seven Texas superintendents before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey

The devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey on school districts along the Texas coast in 2017 required public school superintendents to provide strong, decisive leadership for their students, staff, and communities. Limited research exists on the experiences of superintendents who lead during times of crisis. The purpose of this study was to explore how superintendents understood the conditions of their leadership and decisions made before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore two questions: (1) how do superintendents make sense of their world and experiences during a crisis? (2) how do superintendents describe actions made in context of a crisis? Technical-adaptive leadership combined with sensemaking served as theoretical frames. Interviews and a focus group were conducted over the course of a year. Superintendents recalled their experiences chronologically, revealing leadership experiences and action that happened sequentially. Findings are separated by four distinct episodes in which superintendents enabled sensemaking and action, and featured by representative quotes and vignettes to foreground the critical issues as reported by the superintendents. The findings suggest that their experiences and action taken were situated in terms of school district vulnerability, leadership development, and networks of collaboration and advocacy.

Teachers’ perceptions of a mentoring cohort model in a program leading to certification to teach English language learners

ABSTRACT This study focused on the perceptions of in-service general education teachers who completed a cohort mentoring program leading to certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) at a large, urban university. Based on interviews with 19 members of a cohort of 28, participants valued both the support and augmented skills-development the mentoring element afforded and the supportive, collaborative environment provided by the cohort model. Many also reported that the ESL-targeted strategies they learned were helpful in teaching all student populations and that program participation contributed to their increased involvement in leading professional development and, for some, to their intention to seek administrative roles. Based on these findings and the literature reviewed, the program examined may represent a model that can help to meet the demonstrated need for more trained ESL teachers in U.S. schools and can contribute to developing school leaders.