School Leadership Development for Managing Educational Change: The Case of School Improvement Planning

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Govinda Ishwar Lingam ◽  
Hem Chand Dayal ◽  
Narsamma Lingam
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Educational Change ◽  
School Improvement Planning ◽  
Improvement Planning ◽  
School Leadership Development

scholarly journals Exploring causal relationships qualitatively: An empirical illustration of how causal relationships become visible across episodes and contexts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
School Leadership Development ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity ◽  
Empirical Illustration

AbstractCausal relationships are traditionally examined in quantitative research. However, this article informs the discussion surrounding the potential use of qualitative data to explore causal relationships qualitatively through an empirical illustration of a school leadership development team. As school leadership development is supposed to offer continuing development to practicing school leaders, it brings into question the issue of causal relationships. This study analyzes audio and video recordings from 10 workshops involving a team of principals, municipality leaders, and researchers who met over two years to support the principals in leading a local school improvement program. The process data are organized into episodes and analyzed in three layers of causation an interpretative layer, a contradictory layer, and an agentive layer grounded in cultural-historical activity theory. When tracing a problem statement across episodes and relating the processes to events in a principal’s practice, causal relationships became visible across the episodes and contexts. The argument, then, is that the results are achieved in the processes. As such, process data can reveal causal relationships that quantitative data cannot.

How school leadership development evolves: crossing timescales and settings

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 338-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Jensen ◽  
Kirsten Foshaug Vennebo
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
School Leadership Development ◽  
Video And Audio ◽  
Cultural Historical Activity

Purpose This paper aims to address workplace learning in terms of investigating school leadership development in an inter-professional team (the team) in which principals, administrators and researchers work together on a local school improvement project. The purpose is to provide an enriched understanding of how school leadership development evolves in a team during two years as the team works on different problem-spaces and the implications for leadership in schools. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a larger study with a qualitative research design with longitudinal, interventional, interactional and multiple-time level approaches. Empirically, the paper draws on tools, video and audio data from the teams’ work. By using cultural–historical activity theory (CHAT), school leadership development is examined as an object-oriented and tool-mediated activity. CHAT allows analyses of activities across timescales and workplaces. It examines leadership development by tracing objects in tool-mediated work and the ways in which they evolved. The object refers to what motivates and directs activity. Findings The findings suggest that the objects evolved both within and across episodes and the two-year trajectory of the team. Longitudinal trajectories of tools, schools and universities seem to intersect with episodes of leadership development. Some episodes seem to be conducive for changes in the principals’ schools during the collaboration. Research limitations/implications There is a need for a broader study that includes more cases in other contexts, thus expanding the existing knowledge. Originality/value By switching lenses of zooming, it has been possible to examine leadership development in a way that is not possible through surveys and interviews.

How aspiring principals applied course-based learning to develop school improvement plans

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana L. Bickmore ◽  
Maria M. Roberts ◽  
Miguel M. Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Improvement Planning ◽  
Improvement Planning ◽  
Aspiring Principals

PurposeSchool improvement planning and implementation is one organizational process by which principals may positively impact school and student outcomes. Limited research, however, has explored how principal preparation programs prepare aspiring leaders for this common school leadership activity. This study examined aspiring principals engaged in the school improvement process by evaluating what they included in their school improvement plans (SIPs) that were developed as part of their field experience.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined SIPs aspiring principals collaboratively developed as part of their field experience. Using an abductive analysis method, combining both deductive and inductive coding methods, authors examined 77 SIPs in which aspiring principals used school level data in planning.FindingsEach aspiring principal's SIP was contextually specific. No two plans were identical relative to who was targeted for improvement and how the plan was to be implemented, indicating aspiring principals can apply course-based learning and implement important data-driven decision-making skills in field-based school improvement projects.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are exploratory and limited to SIPs developed by aspiring principals in one university program in one large urban school district context. The findings that specific requirements and program structures affected the aspiring principal's school improvement planning process as did the overall school context adds to current understandings of how course-based learning is applied. However, further investigations are needed.Practical implicationsFindings provide evidence of how school leadership preparation programs may impact leadership development relative to skills associated with school improvement planning. The findings also suggest the importance of detailed analysis of aspiring principals school improvement planning as a program evaluation process.Originality/valueThis study was the first to document the content of aspiring principals' field-based SIPS and how skills in data-driven decision-making were applied in a SIP field-based activity.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-542
Author(s):  
Parker M. Andreoli ◽  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Kristin Shawn Huggins ◽  
Frederick C. Buskey
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Leadership ◽  
School Leadership Development

School leadership preparation and development in Kenya

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gladys Asuga ◽  
Scott Eacott ◽  
Jill Scevak
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Leadership Preparation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Trends ◽  
School Leadership Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Current Provision

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the quality of the current provision for school leadership in Kenya, the extent to which they have an impact on student outcomes and the return on school leadership preparation and development investment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from educational leadership, management and administration courses delivered by universities and other institutions to aspiring and practising educational leaders in Kenya. It employs a method for evaluating return on leadership development investment first articulated by Eacott (2013). Findings – While there is growth in provision, consistent with international trends, this provision is more recognised for its standardisation than points of distinction; there is minimal attention to identified dimensions of leadership leading to higher student outcomes which raises questions regarding the universality of school leadership preparation and development curriculum; and the high course costs of current provision is an inhibiting factor in assessing the return on investment in school leadership preparation and development. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to publicly available documents from a limited sample of institutions. There is a need for more studies in the area. Practical implications – Institutions seeking to offer school leadership development have grounds on which to make decision about what programs their school leaders should undertake in terms of cost and quality. The study provides institution offering school leadership development courses evidence on which to base future policy direction. Social implications – The findings provide a case for investing in school leadership development given the impact courses may have on student outcomes. Originality/value – The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current provision on school leadership preparation and development in Kenya. It contributes to its understanding in Africa in terms of quality, performance impact and return on investment.

scholarly journals Emergent School Leadership: Creating the Space for Emerging Leadership through Appreciative Inquiry

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Dickerson
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Work Culture ◽  
Emerging Leadership ◽  
Big Picture

Much has been written on the importance of increasing leadership capacity in schools and managed systems for leadership development; however, little focus has been given to creating conditions to facilitate the emergence of leadership. This research study examines associations of strength-based reflexive processes to the emergence of educational leadership. Specifically, through qualitative analysis, the author explores the emergence of school leadership during an appreciative inquiry initiative in a large, urban school district and identifies the features of appreciative inquiry that were conducive to such emergence. In addition, the author notes that the initiative also provided participants with many of the elements considered vital to leading a healthy learning community: a greater understanding of the big picture, opportunities for professional reflection and sense making, a safe and affirming learning community, time to dialogue with others in the system regarding their core values and commitments, a collaborative work culture, space for networking, and the freedom to take action.   Keywords: Emergent Leadership, Appreciative Inquiry, School Improvement

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