School Leadership Positions Research Articles

Future scenarios for management education

Purpose – Business schools are facing unprecedented challenges, ranging from financial sustainability in some quarters to waning demand for the MBA to the potentially disruptive impact of massive open online courses. Given these challenges, how might the future of management education unfold? The purpose of this paper is to better understand how leaders in management education perceive these challenges and their likely impact on the evolution of the field. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 39 experts, the majority of who were in leadership positions at business schools. Each of these in-depth interviews was tape-recorded, transcribed and then content-analysed. Findings – The authors asked the panel of experts for their insights on what they perceive to be the most likely, best-case, and worst-case scenarios in the next ten years. The modal response for the most likely scenario was one where intense competition pushes schools to specialise and better differentiate their offerings, as they attempt to strengthen their position in the market. The best-case scenario was one where schools move closer to the practice, in an attempt to regain relevance and legitimacy. Finally, the experts described the worst-case scenario as a situation where management education as a whole fails to respond to the criticisms and challenges, leading the field down the path of greater and greater irrelevance. Originality/value – The insights gained from this research can be of strategic value to administrators and those in leadership positions in business schools who wish to anticipate shifts in the management education landscape and strategic responses of peer schools.

Academic Perspectives on Internationalisation in Three Countries

This article examines the perspectives of senior academics on internationalisation of higher education across three countries: England, Czech Republic and Australia. In particular, it investigates the perspectives and experiences of academics in a range of leadership positions in university faculties and schools. The research utilises a critical event narrative inquiry method which is particularly suited to investigating complex, human and culture-centred aspects in examined phenomena, such as internationalisation in higher education. The article highlights the similarities and differences between the perspectives of the academics in the three higher education systems and investigates the reasons for these with implications for practice and further research.

Basic school leaders in Ghana: how equipped are they?

This paper examines the leadership preparedness of institutional-level practice with focus on basic schools in Ghana. The analysis of documents on teacher training curriculum and, one-on-one and focus group interviews with teachers and school leaders revealed that in all the 38 teacher training institutions in Ghana where teachers are prepared for the nation’s basic education system, school leadership is not taught as a full course. Thus, teachers are ill-equipped for leadership positions in basic schools. In addition, the educational system in Ghana does not have a uniform or well-defined criterion for appointing basic school leaders and this creates power struggle and animosity among teachers. The proliferation of private schools and the expansion of public schools from pre-school to the tertiary level are the order of the day in Ghana. Unfortunately, leaders for these institutions are not considered. Nonetheless, it is a truism that many reforms or programmes in education fail for lack of efficient and effective leadership. The study confirmed the inadequate attention that policy-makers and teacher training institutions in Ghana give to basic school leadership. The bottom line is that basic school leaders in Ghana need to be equipped with knowledge and skills in management and leadership to enable schools improve in performance.

How Are We Educating Agricultural Students? A National Profile of Leadership Capacities and Involvement in College Compared To NonAgricultural Peers

Given the importance of leadership development within the various agricultural professions, a national sample (n=461) of students with agriculture-related majors from 55 colleges was compared to a similarly-sized random peer group from the same institutions. The data were analyzed to compare the agricultural student sample to their peers with respect to a variety of social identities (e.g. race, gender, political leanings); high school and college involvement and leadership positions held within cocurricular activities and organizations; and scores from several measures of leadership-related outcomes. These outcomes included socially responsible leadership practices, leadership efficacy, social change behaviors, cognitive complexity, and the degree to which students participate in socio-cultural discussions. Findings suggest that while agricultural students display similar levels of involvement and leadership in high school and higher levels in college, they do not make some of the same leadership outcome gains in college as the comparison population. These findings hold important implications for the way agricultural educators structure classroom environments and how they advise student organizations.

Using Teacher Instructional Leadership as a Predictor of Principal Leadership

Untold numbers of professional educators hold administrative certificates or licenses but do not use them, never taking formal administrative roles in schools. Why do so many of the graduates of our principal-preparation programs forego taking school-leadership positions and simply stick with teaching or assume other, nonadministrative-leadership positions in schools? Is the time and effort spent preparing potential administrators with such small success and great cost worth it? Informal discussions with those who pursue formal leadership positions—and with some who do not—suggest that some graduates who start their program with school-leadership experience were more likely to seek and accept formal leadership obligations. To examine this anecdotal evidence more rigorously, we undertook a three-university analysis of past graduates’ preprogram school-leadership activities. Through exploratory, secondary analyses of existing data at three institutions as well as postprogram-position information, we generally found that program participants who (1) expressed commitment to becoming formal leaders, (2) had already held responsible leadership roles in their schools working with adults, or (3) had earned an advanced degree before entering a preparation program were more likely to take administrative posts. These tentative findings have implications for the recruitment and selection of participants for principal-preparation programs, potential for raising the quality of these programs, and possibilities for decreasing costs while increasing benefits of preparation programs.

Intentions And Feedback From Participants In A Leadership Training Program

The shortage of school leaders has led several universities to offer training programs to increase the number of qualified and certified individuals prepared to assume future leadership positions in public schools, such as assistant principals and principals. The purpose of this study was to develop, deliver and evaluate a participatory leadership training program so that more qualified individuals would take positions as leaders in the public schools. Armed with data regarding the shortage of leaders being ready to assume leadership positions in schools, a proposal was written and approved for the leadership training program that was established through grant support funding for a small university on the east coast of the United States of America. This study took place in a small suburban university with a student population of less than ten thousand students. The training university collaborated with a large county school system with which it has had partnership programs for more than 15 years. Working in collaboration with the county school system, 16 individuals were chosen in spring 2008 to participant in an educational leadership training program for 18 months. The program ended in spring 2010. The financial aspect of the leadership training program was sponsored by a federal agency. The leadership training program met its objectives satisfactorily. The 15 program participants met the states standards for certification as LeveI I, School Administrators (as assistant principals). This also suggests that the leadership training program adequately prepared participants to assume the roles of school leaders. However, there were areas that needed improvement based on feedback from the participants.

The development of leaders able to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges

PurposeThis paper seeks to discuss the role of business academics and business schools in the development of leaders able to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe paper captures contributions made during a panel discussion at the First Academic Symposium on Leadership for Climate Change and Sustainability held at La Trobe University, Melbourne in February 2011. The Symposium preceded the 10th General Assembly of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) held in Melbourne and the authors are from GRLI partner organisations.FindingsThere is a pressing need for business schools to focus on the development of personal and leadership skills, to draw staff from outside the traditional business disciplines and to reflect the gender and race diversity of the population in which they are located. The change required in business education to develop leaders who can respond to climate change and sustainability challenges is as significant as the changes needed to the way businesses operate.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies changes required in business leadership and outlines key elements of change needed in business education. It assists business school leaders in articulating the business case for business schools to address these issues and navigate potential barriers.Originality/valueThe paper brings together the views of five professors from a different disciplinary background (accounting, critical management, organisational behaviour, organisational design and sociology) with leadership positions in business schools and universities.

“Tightening the Shackles”: The Continued Invisibility of Liverpool’s British African Caribbean Teachers

This article reports on the researchers’ findings 20 years after Lord Gifford’s inquiry into race relations in the city after the 1980s Toxteth riots. Gifford reported on the prevalence of racial attitudes, racial abuse, and racial violence directed against the Black citizens of Liverpool. The authors’ research focused on education and specifically the low percentage of Black teachers compared to the whole teaching workforce and the percentage Black population in the city. Accessing complete Black teaching data proved difficult and unearthed issues within policy and priority in the city authorities and led the researchers to begin to gather data to explore teacher training, entries and completions, and the lack of status of the Black teachers as measured through representation in senior leadership positions in schools.

Tenure, functional track and strategic leadership

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the demographic variables of tenure and functional track have a moderating effect on the strategic leadership of school leaders.Design/methodology/approachUsing a conceptual framework developed by the researcher, a static/cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study on a convenience sample of public primary school principals in NSW, Australia, was used to collect data. Analysis included ANOVA and correlations.FindingsDespite few statistically significant differences in the data set, there is evidence to suggest that, based on the small sample size, the demographic variables of tenure and functional track have a moderating effect on the strategic leadership and management of public primary school principals.Research limitations/implicationsThe study serves as little more than a scoping project. The small sample size limits the generalisability of the findings; however, the results do indicate that there is something to be made of the general thesis of the paper.Practical implicationsAs education systems across the globe are faced with a crisis in filling school leadership positions with the mass retirement of the baby boomers, the potential implications of tenure and functional track on school leadership is of vital importance to all involved in schools.Originality/valueThe paper makes use of tenure and functional track in relation to strategic leadership, a combination rarely seen in the field. The very concept of functional track is original to the field and has the potential to uncover much needed insight into school leadership.

Leadership progression of Muslim male teachers: interplay of ethnicity, faith and visibility

The paper focuses on perceived barriers to the career progression of Muslim male teachers to leadership positions in English secondary schools, exploring the impact of ethnicity, faith and Muslim visibility in the post 9/11 scenario. It draws on a small study of Muslim male teachers (MMTs) from five boroughs in London to explore their experiences and perceptions. The research evidenced that the participating MMTs faced multiple barriers and diverse expressions of discrimination in their career progression. Although much of the discrimination reported was covert in nature, a lack of understanding of issues relating to diversity, Islamophobia, visibility and religious/ethnic affiliations was identified as a major contributing factor to this discrimination. The paper draws attention to the issues of equal opportunities, social justice and inclusion linked to marginalisation of a particular group of the workforce and its impact on individuals' career destinations as well as its long-term implications for societal cohesion.

Allocating More Experienced Teachers to Leadership Positions in Schools: A Double-Edged Sword?

This article presents a critical discussion of the implications of allocating the most experienced and skilled teachers in schools to teacher leadership positions. Placing such teachers in leadership positions supports school improvement initiatives, but it can also pull valuable teaching resources from the classroom. The article examines this issue by investigating how expertise is distributed between teacher leaders and regular classroom teachers in urban schools implementing comprehensive school reform programs. Results indicate that teacher leaders have substantially more postsecondary training and teaching experience than do nonleaders. The implications of these results are discussed.

Pedagogy for diversity: mediating between tradition and equality in schools

The aim of this paper is to provide evidence‐based guidance for educational practitioners and, in particular, for those in leadership positions in schools, on good practice in developing and implementing school level strategies and actions to promote an appreciation of diversity in schools and society.

Development and Validation of Scores on the Distributed Leadership Inventory

Systematic quantitative research on measuring distributed leadership is scarce. In this study, the Distributed Leadership Inventory (DLI) was developed and evaluated to investigate leadership team characteristics and distribution of leadership functions between formally designed leadership positions in large secondary schools. The DLI was presented to a sample of 2,198 respondents in 46 secondary schools. The input from a first subsample was used to perform exploratory factor analyses; the second subsample was used to verify the factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A one-factor structure for the leadership team characteristics (coherent leadership team) and a two-factor structure for the leadership functions (support and supervision) were confirmed. The results of the DLI underpin that leading schools involve multiple individuals, which differs by the type of function.

The persistence of gender inequality in Zimbabwe: factors that impede the advancement of women into leadership positions in primary schools

The persistence of gender inequality in Zimbabwe: factors that impede the advancement of women into leadership positions in primary schools

The persistence of gender inequality in Zimbabwe: factors that impede the advancement of women into leadership positions in primary schools

We investigated and analysed the factors that women teachers consider as barriers to their advancement to headship positions in Zimbabwean primary schools. Specifically, we sought to identify the factors perceived by women school heads to be causes of persistent under-representation of women in school headship positions. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions with 13 experienced women school heads. The findings revealed that although the majority of the women teachers in the study sample were qualified for promotion to school headship positions, they had not attempted to apply for them. The majority of the women teachers in the study sample were adequately qualified for promotion to school headship positions. Indeed, a large number of them either had a university degree or were pursuing degree studies and also had extensive experience. But most of them had not attempted to apply for school headship and hence were still class teachers. Gender stereotypes were shown to be one of the major causes of persistent under-representation of women in primary school headship. The influence of gender role stereotypes was found to manifest in the form of low self esteem; lack of confidence; women's perception that their role in the family overrides all other roles; and lack of support from the home and the workplace.

Collaboration for School Improvement

Those with an interest in public sector institutions increasingly recognize the necessity for those institutions to work collaboratively with each other and with other organizations. In part, this trend is based on the acceptance that many public policy problems are interconnected and can only be meaningfully tackled interorganizationally. One such policy area is school improvement, which constitutes the central concern of the article and is currently a dominant feature of education policy in Britain. The article conceptualizes the notion of educational collaboration by developing a framework through a review of the relevant literature. The analytical framework makes a paradigmatic distinction between resource dependency and institutional perspectives on collaboration. It recognizes that, although the perspectives interrelate in practice, the interests they serve are distinct and different. The framework acknowledges that individual actors, such as teachers, those in leadership positions in schools, and managers in local authorities may have different purposes for collaboration and disaggregates the antecedents, the process and the successful and unsuccessful outcomes of collaboration.

Gender, ethnicity, and school principalship in Israel: comparing two organizational cultures

Based on the social closure perspective, this study examines the intersection of women and minorities in school leadership positions and argues that organizational culture is related to the exclusion of women and minorities from high‐rank positions. This argument is tested by an estimation of the likelihood of minority women, minority men, non‐minority women and non‐minority men holding school principal positions in two different educational systems in Israel: the Jewish state secular and state religious schools. These two systems have distinct forms of organizational culture. The research data are based on a survey of teaching staff conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2000 (n = 25 769). Several multinomial analyses were conducted in each educational sector. Different patterns of gender/ethnic stratification were found in each educational sector. Gender proved to exert a stronger effect than ethnicity. However, ethnicity differences were greater among women than among men. These patterns were more prominent in state religious education than in state secular education. The findings support the claim that organizational culture serves as a mechanism that mediates ascriptive inequality and shapes the patterns of stratification by gender and ethnic differences.

Increasing the Quantity and Quality of School Leadership Candidates Through Formation Experiences

After a review of the relevant school leadership and business management literatures, a leadership program was established based on the formation component of Daresh and Playko's (1992) tridimensional model of administrator preparation. Teachers participated in an eight-month personal and professional development program, which included interpersonal leadership styles analysis, professional action planning, mentoring, reflection, and platform development This is a multimethod research study to determine the effectiveness of this project in enhancing participants' leadership skills and their interest in pursuing educational leadership certification. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess the project on all four levels of Kirkpatrick's (1998) model of assessing training program effectiveness (reaction, learning, behavior, results). The results suggest that the program was effective at all levels of Kirkpatrick's framework. They indicate that formation activities can be useful in addressing issues related to both the quantity and quality of candidates for school leadership positions.

Partnerships with Psychiatry and Other Clinical Disciplines: A Key to Psychology's Success in U.S. Medical Schools

This paper describes the growth of psychology in medical schools and the distribution of psychologists across medical school departments. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and American Psychological Association (APA) use different data collection approaches that reflect their different missions. AAMC focuses solely on medical school faculty, whereas APA tries to reach all psychologists working in academic health centers (AHCs). The number of psychologists in medical school settings has increased, largely due to their research expertise; but psychologists also contribute through teaching and clinical service. Psychologists hold appointments in wide variety of medical school departments, which has been a key factor in their success. Through partnership and interdisciplinary collaboration with a wide range of academic physicians, psychologists have gained increased support, become valued members of the AHC and medical school communities, and can rise to leadership positions in medical schools.

Gender Inequality in Leadership Positions of Teachers

By integrating individual and contextual approaches, the present study examines gender differences in appointment to leadership positions in schools in three different educational sectors in Israel. Based on a sample of 10,733 Israeli high school teachers in two Jewish educational sectors and one Arab educational sector, we performed a set of multinomial logistic regressions. The main findings indicate that gender has an independent influence on the probability of entering various leadership positions in schools, even after controlling for personal characteristics and teaching fields. However, the patterns and the extent of gender inequality differ between the three sectors. The findings are interpreted in accordance with the glass ceiling and the queuing model approaches. We conclude that gender inequality is context bound and should be analyzed from this point of view.