A dual and discontinuous professional identity: school principals in Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 806-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximiliano Jose Ritacco ◽  
Antonio Bolivar
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Successful Leadership ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an emerging approach in research on school leadership, within the framework of the “International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP)”, where one of the three key research strands is “Principals’ identities”. Design/methodology/approach The paper responds, from a biographical-narrative approach, to knowledge about the impact of the Spanish model of school management on the professional identity of school principals. It analyses the biographical interviews of 15 school principals, through a process of structuring and categorizing the data collected, applying content analysis. Findings The dimensions of the principals’ identities emerge in different categories: personal identity, professional identity (internal perspective), professional identity (external perspective), social identity, professionalization and dual identity. Research limitations/implications The authors studied identities in a project entitled “Successful school principals”, understanding that successful leadership practices largely depend on headteachers’ identities. That is, when the identities are weak and unstable, with a poor identification with the managerial tasks and functions, and not recognised by the teaching staff, the school will probably be unsuccessful. On the contrary, when there are headteachers with a strong professional identity, the authors want to show that there is a positive impact on improvement of results. In the future, in the development of the research project, the authors aim to verify the relationship between headteachers’ identities and educational improvement. Practical implications The knowledge gained in our study would enable us to reimagine lines in order to increase the professionalization and identities of headteachers, redesigning work contexts in ways which can strengthen fragile and unstable identities. Finally, the implications of the study in relation to future research can be summarised by the following ideas. Social implications Understanding the world of the lives (lebenswelt) of Spanish headteachers means adopting a hermeneutic approach, observing the self-interpretation comments expressed by the subjects, where the temporal and biographical dimensions occupy a key role. The authors understand professional identity as a socially constructed and personally created experience with its own meanings, feelings and intentions. Therefore, it is logical to use, for data collection, individual interviews which explore the school context and the impact which it has on those subjects who are part of the professional environment. In addition, the authors have the intention of following up the study of identities. Originality/value It formulates, first, the theoretical framework for the professional identity from a narrative approach, linked – at the same time – to the practice of leadership, as an interactive relationship with the other members of the school. Successful leadership practices depend to a large degree on strong principals’ identities. Finally, the results are discussed, and future lines are proposed to articulate and strengthen the identity of school principals in Spain.

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

Heroic leadership in Australia, Sweden, and the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 785-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrie Drysdale ◽  
Jeffrey Bennett ◽  
Elizabeth T. Murakami ◽  
Olof Johansson ◽  
David Gurr
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Success ◽  
School Principals ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Communities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw from data collected as part of the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) and present cases of democratic and heroic leadership from three countries, discussing to what extent successful school principals in each of their research sites (Melbourne, Australia; Umeå, Sweden; Arizona and Texas in the USA) carry old and new perspectives of heroism in their leadership. In particular the paper explores two questions: first, how do school principals describe aspects of heroic and post-heroic leadership in their practices? and second, how do these heroic and post-heroic leadership practices meet contemporary demands such as accountability standards and build inclusive and collaborative school communities in challenging contexts? Design/methodology/approach – Multiple-perspective case studies involving semi-structured individual and group interviews with principals, teachers, students, parents and school board members were used to understand the contribution of principals and other leadership to school success. Findings – The definitions of heroic and post-heroic leadership are inadequate in defining successful principal leadership. The Australian, Swedish and American principals showed characteristics of both heroic and post-heroic leadership. They showed heroic qualities such as: inspiring and motivating others; challenging the status quo; showing integrity in conflicting situations; putting duty before self; taking risks to champion a better way; showing courage to stand up to those in authority; advocating for students in struggling neighbourhoods under the scrutiny of both district and public expectations; and, showing uncommon commitment. Yet our principals showed post-heroic leadership such as involving others in decision making and recognising that school success depended on collective effort, and being sensitive to community needs through a deep respect for the local culture. Originality/value – The research shows that we may need to redefine and recast our images of who school principals are today, and what they do to generate academic success for students. Both heroic and post-heroic images of leadership are needed to explain successful school leadership.

scholarly journals Impacto del modelo español de dirección escolar en la identidad profesional los líderes escolares

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Bolívar ◽  
Maximiliano Ritacco
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Management ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Pedagogical Agent ◽  
Narrative Perspective ◽  
Successful School ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Spanish Model

Spain presents a unique school management model: a teacher chosen by his own workmates (teachers) exercises the management of the school, and after this term of management (4-8 years), returns to the teacher staff. Such an itinerary of “back and forth” presents a series of duplications in identity: manager or leader; representative of the Administration and/or teaching colleagues; accountability agent and/or pedagogical agent; etc. This paper reviews the literature on management identity, especially under the ISSPP (International Successful School Principals Project), as well as the characteristics of the Spanish management model. Methodologically, from a biographical-narrative perspective, the study looks to understand the impact of the Spanish model of school management upon the identity of the principals through content analysis of the testimony of 15 school principals (in depth interviews). As a result of the data categorization process, a group of categories emerged: Personal identity; Professional identity (internal perspective); Professional identity (external perspective); Social identity; Professionalization; [and] Double identity – that reference those dimensions of the school principals’ identity impacted by the Spanish school management model. Finally, fragments and excerpts extracted from the interviewed testimonies are used in order to advance in the narrative and interpretative construction of the study (grounded theory).

What we know about successful principals in Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celina Torres-Arcadia ◽  
Sergio Nava-Lara ◽  
César Rodríguez-Uribe ◽  
Leonardo David Glasserman-Morales
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Improvement ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Skills ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School ◽  
Conference Papers ◽  
School Organisation

PurposeThe paper aims to present what is known from the school principals who participated in the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) in Mexico. The paper reviews 14 publications (5 articles, 5 conference papers and 4 books) on successful school principals in Mexico that were published between 2009 and 2021 as part of the ISSPP. The papers were analysed using a conceptual framework consisting of perceived qualities of the principal, school organisation, suitability of teachers and principals, educational materials and methods and educational infrastructure.Design/methodology/approachA scoping study review methodology was used to explore publications and conference proceedings on ISSPP research on Mexican principals and schools in order to answer the question: What do we know about successful school principals in the Mexican context? Conference papers, journal articles, book chapters and books formed the knowledge base for the review.FindingsAs a result of the analysis across the five analysis categories it was found that the principals emphasised improving the educational quality of their schools and understood this as the basic criterion to judge their leadership success. Principals were central to school success and a nested model was produced to show how the successful school is built from the core of the principal, as a socio-emotional skills role model, to a culture of continuous improvement. The model included principal socio-emotional skills, school organisation, continuous improvement of teaching and principal practices and having appropriate educational materials, methods and infrastructure.Originality/valueThe ISSPP has produced a large amount of research. The paper is the first review of the substantial contribution from ISSPP research in Mexico. The model produced from the review adds to the several models produced in the ISSPP.

Successful school principals in primary and secondary education: a comprehensive review of a ten-year research project in Cyprus

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Pashiardis ◽  
Antonios Kafa
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
The Cross ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore successful school principalship in Cyprus based on a ten-year research project, and in particular, by analysing leadership knowledge based on concrete actions of successful school principals derived from multiple case studies from the primary and secondary education sectors in Cyprus.Design/methodology/approachThe initial type of evidence was original qualitative empirical research undertaken through the examination of 11 case studies of successful primary and secondary school principals across Cyprus. Following, for the purposes of this paper a cross-case reanalysis was performed in order to extract successful actions from the participating school principals.FindingsBased on the emerging actions from the cross-case analysis, findings indicate that successful school principals, both in primary and secondary education, develop external relations, as well as networking with all relevant actors; create a collaborative and shared ownership feeling among their members and within their school organization; and finally promote a clear vision, based on a specific number of values.Originality/valueThis overall effort led us to the articulation of certain successful actions, which could be related and compared to the results in other successful school principalship contexts. Furthermore, it could contribute to the cross-country comparative knowledge body on successful school principalship, with different educational policies and different social contexts.

scholarly journals National strategy for supporting school principal’s instructional leadership

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marit Aas ◽  
Jan Merok Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
District Administrators ◽  
School District Administrators

Purpose A number of empirical studies and evaluations in Norway and Sweden shows variabilities in the degree to which the municipalities succeed in their endeavors to support school principals’ instructional leadership practices. In response to this situation, the Norwegian and Swedish directorates of education have developed a joint collaborative design for practice learning of instructional leadership. Based on findings from two separate studies, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to theory development and improved practice for school district administrators and their subordinated school leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on the data from participants who completed the program in June 2015, June 2016 and June 2017, respectively. The data are based on individual reflection documents from students on their learning and new leadership practices 4 months, 16 months and 28 months after the end of the program. Findings The project subjected to this study, labeled “Benchlearning,” involved learning from experiences of others, observational learning, dialogic group learning and in the final round translating what is learnt into the social and cultural context in which the individual school principal’s school is situated. When participating school principals experience observation-based learning together with trusted colleagues, followed by vicarious learning from these experiences in their schools, the authors see some facilitating factors to be of particular importance: learning infrastructure, digital tools, compulsory tasks associated with preparation and subsequent experiments with their teachers. Emerging from the analysis was a systematic balancing act of autonomy and structure running through the various learning activities. Finally, a strong evidence was found that developing core competence in digital learning and formative assessment among teaching staff required enhanced distributed leadership across the whole school organization. By sharing leadership tasks on instructional issues with teachers and other non-leaders, principals succeeded in leveling up instructional leadership significantly. Research limitations/implications The implications of the study can be summed up in the following four principles. First, policy makers should take into accounts the fact that principals’ motivation and willingness to initiate change processes can be created in a synergy between structured school visits and engagement in learning groups based on a sound theoretical foundation. Second, within a socially contracted practice in a well-designed learning group, it is possible to raise principals’ level of self-efficacy. Third, a systematic reflection process on authentic practice is an example of how principals can develop their metacognitive capacity and how knowledge can be transformed into new practice. Finally, educators should be trained to be process leaders in order to create a balance between demand and support in promoting principals’ learning of new instructional leadership practices. Practical implications School district administrators should take into accounts the fact that changing practices will be supported by sense-making processes involving discussions about how new instructional practices are justified. Specifically, shifts in talk and actions will also involve shifts in the ways people relate to each other and how they relate to their internal context. Further, leadership programs should include trying out new practices as the focal learning mode, accompanied by individual and collective reflective activities. Originality/value The findings of the study underscore the mutual interdependence of distributed leadership and student-centered focus accompanied with the school’s learning capacity as enabling conditions for principals’ practice learning in the field of instructional leadership.

Organizational identity, professional identity salience and internal auditors’ assessments of the severity of internal control concerns

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Burt ◽  
Theresa Libby
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Organizational Identity ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Identity Salience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Internal Control Weaknesses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether increasing the salience of the internal auditor’s professional identity, defined by the expectations of their professional group, increases internal auditors’ judgments of the severity of internal control concerns when their organizational identity is high. Design/methodology/approach This paper tests the hypothesis using a laboratory experiment with internal auditors as participants. Findings The results support the hypothesis that professional identity salience moderates the relation between organizational identity and the assessed severity of identified internal control weaknesses. Increasing the salience of professional identity results in a more severe assessment of identified internal control weaknesses when organizational identity is high than when it is low. Originality/value Prior research in the lab and in the field provides mixed results about the impact of organizational identity on internal auditors’ judgments of the severity of identified internal control concerns. This paper contributes to the discussion on this issue. In addition, the results have implications for the debate about the benefits and costs of in-house versus out-sourced internal audit functions.

scholarly journals Successful Leadership Practice in School

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 119-131
Author(s):  
Kamal Prasad Koirala
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Leadership Practice ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Successful Leadership ◽  
Positive Work Environment ◽  
Successful School ◽  
Positive Work

This paper mainly focuses on successful leadership practices in secondary school. It aims to identify the recent models and theories of successful leadership practice in schools, and explore the experience of school principal regarding successful school leadership in the Nepalese context. A qualitative study was carried out in Gorkha district for the collection of data. A successful head teacher was selected for in-depth interview to explore the perception and experience about successful practice of school leadership. The findings of the study reveal that strong interpersonal skills, people-centered leadership, clear communication of vision and goal, focus on academic achievement, co-curricular activities, transparency, creating a positive work environment, knowledge of pedagogical contents, and cooperation and collaboration with various stakeholders are the vital constituents of successful leadership practices.

The west wind vs the east wind: instructional leadership model in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Qian ◽  
Allan Walker ◽  
Xiaojun Li
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
West Wind ◽  
East Wind ◽  
Context Specific

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership in the Chinese educational context and explore the ways in which Chinese school principals locate their instructional-leadership practices in response to traditional expectations and the requirements of recent reforms. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 selected primary school principals in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. A qualitative analysis was conducted to categorize the major leadership practices enacted by these principals. Findings An initial model of instructional leadership in China with six major dimensions is constructed. The paper also illustrates and elaborates on three dimensions with the greatest context-specific meanings for Chinese principals. Originality/value The paper explores the ways in which Chinese principals enact their instructional leadership in a context in which “the west wind meets the east wind”; that is, when they are required to accommodate both imported reform initiatives and traditional expectations. The paper contributes to the sparse existing research on principals’ instructional leadership in non-western cultural and social contexts.

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