Educational Leadership Practices Research Articles

Post-9/11 America:Intuiting Culturally Sensitive Leadership in Higher Education

The purpose of this paper was to identify and address the higher education leadership challenges in facilitating culturally sensitive leadership behaviors and attitudes following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. The 9/11 attacks set a global precedent of cultural stereotyping of minorities in professional and academic domains. It is imperative that educational and organizational leaders identify marginalization and cultural stereotypes in their professional contexts to mitigate the negative effects impacting students and colleagues in learning and work performance. The findings in this paper have been extracted from the author's dissertation research study. Four key components of effective leadership practice and behavior were identified to assist and enable leaders to perform intuitively and responsibly. This paper also challenges current leadership practices in Higher Education that do not factor in culturally insensitive misappropriations to rise up to the challenge of becoming self-aware and leading from an empathetic and intuitive mode of conduct. (Based on author's dissertion research study)

An ineffective preparation? The scarce effect in primary school principals’ practices of school leadership preparation and training in seven countries in Latin America

Latin American educational policy has relied on the assumption that better preparation can help school leaders improve their professional performance, thus improving quality of schools. Training programs for present or future school leaders have proliferated in the region, often publicly financed, but without enough evidence of their impact. Using data for seven Latin American countries from the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), we seek to determine the association between school leaders’ formal education and training received, with well recognized dimensions of school leadership practices reported by their teachers. We estimated linear regression models for each country in Latin America to determine the relationship between principals’ preparation with indicators of educational leadership practices. Our results show that in most observed indicators of leadership practices the effect of education or training is marginal. We provide possible explanations for this finding, emphasizing the weaknesses in principals’ initial selection processes and their deficiencies. We also consider schools’ precarious conditions to support principals in order to put the knowledge they learned in training activities into practice. We point out the need to continue conducting specific studies on the effects of training on educational leadership among school leaders in the region, overcoming TERCE information restrictions.

School leadership in disadvantaged contexts in Spain: Obstacles and improvements

The increase in child poverty in Spain highlights the importance of equality and inclusion of students at risk of social exclusion in the Spanish educational system. Recent research emphasises the importance of educational leadership, particularly from school principals, as a tool to improve the learning of these students. The main aim of this study is to establish the characteristics of school management in disadvantaged contexts in western Andalusia (Spain), placing special emphasis on the factors considered to hinder or aid effective leadership from principals. A mixed methodology was used in this process, surveying 282 teachers and interviewing 14 principals, and employing descriptive and contrastive statistics techniques. According to the teachers surveyed, principals tend to follow good educational leadership practices. However, the disadvantaged contexts present obstacles to their effective execution. While improvements are observed in the continuity of teaching staff, there is an urgent need to improve the qualifications of teachers working with students at risk of exclusion. In conclusion, principals need greater autonomy in relation to teachers and teaching practice.

An Analysis of the Factors that Affect the Effective Implementation of Educational Leadership Practices at the Northern Border University in Saudi Arabia

Educational leadership styles are effective in the education sector as they enhance student learning. The main aim of this study is to therefore analyse the factors that affect the effective implem...

An exploration of the validity and potential of adult ego development for enhancing understandings of school leadership

ABSTRACTAn adult ego development (AED) perspective accepts that the way adults interpret and interact in the social world can change during their life-span. This article seeks to analyse the validity and potential of AED for enhancing understandings of educational leadership practice and development. We analysed the AED literature and interviewed 16 individuals in senior leadership positions in the English school system. The interviews enabled them to explore the notion of AED and to reflect on their own sense-making capability and their experience of school leaders they considered to be in the different stages of AED. Educational leaders judged to be in the different AED stages were encountered by respondents to varying extents and were experienced and valued differently. Those considered to be in the later AED stages appeared to be more highly valued and their sense-making capabilities may have substantial value in the complex working environment of schools. The analyses showed that: AED has a considerable role in educational leadership practice; can inform the analysis of educational leadership practice and development; and has valuable explanatory power.

An Analysis of the Factors that Affect the Effective Implementation of Educational Leadership Practices at the Northern Border University in Saudi Arabia

An Analysis of the Factors that Affect the Effective Implementation of Educational Leadership Practices at the Northern Border University in Saudi Arabia

Leading today’s kindergartens

Studies on school leadership in Hong Kong have mainly focused on primary and secondary schools, with only a handful of studies looking at leadership in early childhood education. This paper aims to report the findings of a study on strategic leadership in Hong Kong’s kindergartens. It discusses the challenges that Hong Kong kindergarten leaders are facing and the need for practising strategic leadership. It then reports the findings of practices valued by the leaders of Hong Kong kindergartens. The findings of this study reveal, that apart from the abilities to exercise sound planning and management in school, leaders’ reflective, flexible and systems thinking and their willingness in continuous professional and network development are crucial to leading today’s kindergartens. This study also indicates that leaders’ contextual intelligence is important for exercising strategic leadership. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to the investigation of leadership practices in early childhood education, the need to further explore how well kindergarten leaders are practising strategic leadership and the implications for the development of principal preparation programmes.

Developing a Grounded Model for Educational Technology Leadership Practices

Educational technology leadership is defined as “technology-leadership integration” of influence that consists of a both the expertise in using ICT and the expertise in leading and managing the educational institution. This study investigated technology leadership practices among users of secondary schools’ e-learning platform. Semi-structured interviews with school leaders, teachers, students and parents were conducted to gather information of educational technology leadership practices. Through domain analysis, a technology leadership model emerged from the data. The model was further validated with a quantitative survey study involving 209 school leaders. The findings established a grounded model for technology leadership practices in schools.

Formative interventions in leadership development in early childhood education: The potential of double stimulation

This article critiques the usefulness of double stimulation, a key concept in Vygotskian analyses of human development, with leaders in early childhood services in Australia. A series of formative interventions was conducted to identify and address systemic tensions that were confounding leaders’ attempts to realise a central object of activity in their work: the development of their staff in order to enhance children’s learning. An example of double stimulation is drawn from workshop comments and interviews with one of the participating leaders. The article elaborates on a tension identified between explicit cultural expectations of professionalism and an implicit division of labour that position leaders as having the primary responsibility for solving problems of practice. The article concludes by reflecting on the usefulness of double stimulation in fostering sustainable leadership practices in early childhood education.

Community-Based Equity Audits

Purpose: To equitably transform urban schools of color and the neighborhoods where they are nested requires approaches that promote community equity and foster solidarity among a range of stakeholders. However, most school–community approaches solely focus on improving school-based outcomes and leave educational leaders with little guidance for how to critically understand their school’s community context and act in solidarity with neighborhood stakeholders on community issues. The purpose of this conceptual article is to introduce what I call community-based equity audits and explain how educational leaders can use this process to work toward equitable school-community outcomes. Method and Approach: This process builds on equity audits in educational leadership, community audits, and community-based research practices and is theoretically grounded in Freirean dialogue. To demonstrate its impacts, this article draws on reflections of aspiring principals who conducted community-based equity audits in a leadership preparation program. Findings: The community-based equity audit consists of four phases: disrupt deficit views about community, conduct initial community inquiry and shared community experiences, establish a community leadership team, and collect equity, asset-based community data for action. Implications: This instrument is developed to guide educational leaders, and those who prepare them, in creating context-specific, equitable school–community solutions.

Conceptualizing Practitioner-Scholarship for Educational Leadership Research and Practice

In this conceptual article, we draw upon recent literature to describe the theoretical, epistemological, and methodological anchors that can inform a working conception of practitioner-scholarship. We position practitioner-scholarship at the intersection of an individual’s work as a practitioner and researcher, wherein a practitioner focuses on understanding localized problems of practice through in-depth inquiry. Through our discussion, we highlight three implications for leadership programs. First, practitioner-scholarship demands that all program faculty take a learning orientation. Second, research experiences provided to students should be immersed in leadership practice and directly situated within schools and districts. Third, we advocate increased consistency, rigor, and theoretical depth in methods training for educational leadership students.

Ethical leadership in education and its relation to ethical decision-making

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate ethical leadership in the context of the Arab educational system in Israel. It questions the relations of ethical leadership dimensions with decision making as well as background characteristics of the educational leaders. Design/methodology/approach Arab educational leaders (n=150) from diverse Arab schools responded to valid research tool of 40 items constructed of six subscales: three ethical leadership dimensions (critique, justice and care) and three leadership work aspects (ethical sensitivity, climate and decision making). Averages were calculated for each subscale. Findings Significant relations were found among ethical leadership dimensions and decision making, the leaders’ school type and their seniority. Research limitations/implications This study is based on research in diverse countries, using a common conceptual frame. Its limitation is the sample’s narrow scope. Practical implications The study results may inform the developing ethical qualities in educational leadership. Originality/value The authors recommend widening the scope of the sample examined to further clarify the concept of ethical leadership and its implications to the practice of educational leadership.

Contextualizing, orchestrating and learning for leading

The importance of leadership for improving educational outcomes in schools has been widely promoted. However, the nature of leadership practices, in context, has received less attention in the educational leadership literature. In this article, we present a case study of the specific leadership practices that developed in one school site serving the learning needs of students in a complex, diverse, low socio-economic community in south-east Queensland, Australia. Rather than focusing on the person/role of ‘the leader’, or various leadership qualities/traits, we examine the nature and particularity of the leadership practices as praxis, across a variety of roles and dispositions, as developed within the school. To help make sense of the praxis and particularity of educational leadership practices, we draw upon recent neo-Aristotelian practice theory to reveal the specific actions (‘doings’), dialogue (‘sayings’) and relationships (‘relatings’), which constituted leadership-in-practice, as praxis. These ‘doing’, ‘sayings’ and ‘relatings’ for praxis were evident in: formal leadership practices responsive to the context and history of the particular school site; formal and informal leadership practices involved in establishing a ‘leadership group’ within the school to address students’ needs, and; and informal leadership practices focused on cultivating teacher learning for student learning. Such an approach does not simply reinforce sedimented notions of what constitutes ‘educational leadership’, but sheds new light upon the nature of ‘leading practices for praxis’.

Educational leadership effectiveness: a Rasch analysis

PurposeThe purposes of this study are, firstly, to establish the psychometric properties of the ELP tool, and, secondly, to test, using a Rasch item response theory analysis, the hypothesized progression of challenge presented by the items included in the tool.Design/methodology/approachData were collected at two time points through a survey of the educational leadership practices of school principals (n = 148) and their teachers (n = 5,425). The survey comprised seven effectiveness scales relating to school-wide dimensions of leadership, and one scale relating to the effectiveness of individual principals’ leadership. We undertook validation of the hypothesized structure of the eight ELP scales using the Rasch rating scale model.FindingsWe established constructs that underpin leadership practices that are more and less effectively performed and determined the nature of their progression from those that are relatively routine through those that are more rigorous and challenging to enact. Furthermore, a series of analyses suggest strong goodness-of-model fit, unidimensionality, and invariance across time and educator group for the eight ELP scalesResearch limitations/implicationsThis study focused on experienced principals - future studies could usefully include school leaders who are new to their role or compare leadership patterns of higher and lower performing schools. A useful future direction would be to investigate the predictive validity of the ELP tool.Practical implicationsOriginality/valueThis study reveals the ELP is a useful tool both for diagnosing leadership effectiveness and, given that it is essentially stable over time, may prove useful for charting the effectiveness of leadership development interventions.

Vocational teachers taking the lead: VET teachers and the career services for teachers reform in Sweden

In 2013 the Swedish government launched a reform on career services for teachers that introduced first-teachers as a new category of teachers. Since this reform still is in the process of being rolled out, we know fairly little of its impact, especially concerning VET teachers that are appointed first-teachers. This paper explores and analyses two cases of VET first-teachers with focus on the implications on educational leadership practices in their work with school improvement where ‘distributed leadership’ is used as a lens for understanding the characteristic features of leader-ship practices. The results show that the VET first-teachers consider themselves to represent an important educational leadership being process leaders for creating a culture built on mutual trust, turning the focus of school improvement from a ‘top-down’ perspective to change ‘from below’. They become ‘brokers’ and a link between school management and their colleagues, even if there are some difficulties. Moreover they visualise different practices and foster a new awareness – concerning e.g. assessment and the relationship between school and work-place – that seem to influence collegial discourse.

Dialogic spaces: a critical policy development perspective of educational leadership qualifications

The critical exploration of policy development processes employed to construct leadership qualifications is the focus of this inquiry. This exploration is made through specific application of the necessary conditions of Habermasian ‘practical discourse’ to current dialogic procedures used to develop policies for principal, supervisory officer and teacher leadership qualifications. This exploratory inquiry illuminates current means of policy development and the enhancements required for the embodiment of the idealizing conditions of practical discourse. Situating practical discourse within policy development practices for educational leadership also broaches the broader question of establishing a suitable moral epistemology for educational institutions in pluralist societies. As such, the current inquiry represents an important step in the progress of educational governance with relevant implications for all regulatory institutions charged with the task of creating policy guidelines that shape educational leadership practices across highly diverse and culturally rich societies.

The 20th-Year Anniversary of Critical Race Theory in Education

Purpose: Though the first published application of critical race theory (CRT) to education occurred 20 years ago, implications of CRT for educational leadership did not occur until López conducted a CRT analysis of the politics of education literature in 2003. No publications explicitly identify the implications of CRT for leadership practice. Given the gap in the literature, the research question that anchors this article asks, “How can CRT inform educational leadership to eliminate racism?” Research Method: To address the research question, I conducted a literature analysis of CRT in educational leadership, identified the CRT tenets that guided each publication, and derived six primary, interrelated CRT tenets from this analysis. I also extracted from the publications explicit and implicit implications for leadership practice as these implications related directly to each of the six CRT tenets. Findings/Implications: I describe each of the CRT tenets and explain how each can inform educational leadership practice. To close the article, I propose a CRT Inventory for Leading to Eliminate Racism. The Inventory suggests questions to guide leadership practice for each of the CRT tenets. I also offer implications for future research.

The Views of Education Development Officers on Their Educational Leadership Practices

The Views of Education Development Officers on Their Educational Leadership Practices

The Views of Education Development Officers on Their Educational Leadership Practices

AbstractThere is no significant improvement in South African learner outcomes. This is particularly so in provinces such as the Eastern Cape where grade 12 results always lag behind those of other South African provinces, and literacy levels continue to plummet. This paper therefore investigated how Education Development Officers in Eastern Cape view the practice of school visits. Six Education Development Officers in two education districts were purposively selected. This study was premised on the qualitative research approach and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. The findings revealed that the purpose of Education Development Officers’ school visits was mainly to check if teachers performed their teaching duties. It also emerged from the data that visits to schools were mainly for the purpose of controlling policy implementation. This means that there was no coherent supportive strategy for school visits. This study recommends that the Department of Basic Education develop a framework...

Making sense of images of fact and fiction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review both international and domestic (i.e. Vietnamese language) journal articles and graduate theses and dissertations on educational leadership in Vietnam. The review addresses two specific goals: first, to describe and critically assess the nature of the formal knowledge base on principal leadership in Vietnam, second, to synthesize findings from the existing literature on principal leadership in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed a method for conducting systematic reviews of research. The authors conducted a detailed, exhaustive search for international and “local” papers from Vietnam, yielding 120 research sources. Information from these papers was extracted and evaluated prior to analysis. Data analysis included both quantitative description of the “review database” as well as critical synthesis of substantive findings. Findings – The review supports and extends an earlier review which found that the practice of educational leadership in Vietnam remains largely “invisible” to the international community of scholars. The review also yielded a highly critical assessment of research perspectives and methods used in the “local” Vietnamese studies which comprised the bulk of the authors’ database. Synthesis of substantive findings highlighted the manner by which organizational, political, and socio-cultural forces in the Vietnamese context shapes the practice of school leadership. Research limitations/implications – First, qualitative studies are recommended that seek to describe, in-depth, the enactment of leadership in the Vietnamese context. Second, broad-scale surveys of characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs of school leaders across Vietnam are warranted. Third, the authors encourage graduate students and scholars studying school leadership in Vietnam to undertake a new generation of theory-informed studies that connect with the global literature. Practical implications – Due to the relatively weak nature of the existing knowledge base, the authors were unable to identify specific implications for leadership practice. However, practical implications are identified for developing the research capacity needed to improve research quality in Vietnam’s universities. Originality/value – This review is the first systematic review of educational leadership and management conducted of the Vietnamese literature. Moreover, the authors suggest that the review is original in its comprehensive coverage of both the local and international literature on educational leadership in Vietnam.