scholarly journals All for one and one for all? Leadership approaches in complementary schools

Author(s):  
Linet Arthur ◽  
Ana Souza

This article explores the nature of leadership in Brazilian complementary schools in the UK. Such schools are typically parent-driven, voluntary and financially vulnerable. Using data from a questionnaire survey ( n=14; more than three-quarters of Brazilian complementary schools) and three in-depth case studies, leadership is examined in relation to five established approaches: directive, instructional, transformational, distributed and collaborative. The study found that the size of the school and the personality of the leader appeared to influence the type of leadership adopted. In terms of effectiveness, a combination of instructional leadership with an approach that motivated staff and volunteers (whether directive, collaborative or transformational, depending on the school’s circumstances) seemed most appropriate to the context of complementary schools. The research illustrates the complexity of school leadership and the overlap between different models. Leadership flexibility was important in responding to the needs of staff, students and parents. The findings are transferable to mainstream schools with contexts similar to those of complementary schools, particularly small primary schools and free schools.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Moodley ◽  
Francisco Chiclana ◽  
Jenny Carter ◽  
Fabio Caraffini

Pupil absenteeism remains a significant problem for schools across the globe with negative impacts on overall pupil performance being well-documented. Whilst all schools continue to emphasize good attendance, some schools still find it difficult to reach the required average attendance, which in the UK is 96%. A novel approach is proposed to help schools improve attendance that leverages the market target model, which is built on association rule mining and probability theory, to target sessions that are most impactful to overall poor attendance. Tests conducted at Willen Primary School, in Milton Keynes, UK, showed that significant improvements can be made to overall attendance, attendance in the target session, and persistent (chronic) absenteeism, through the use of this approach. The paper concludes by discussing school leadership, research implications, and highlights future work which includes the development of a software program that can be rolled-out to other schools.


Author(s):  
Loke Heng Wang ◽  
David Gurr ◽  
Lawrie Drysdale

Purpose This paper explores the characteristics and practices of principals in four successful Singapore primary schools. Design/methodology/approach Multiple perspective case studies were used which included semi-structured interviews with the principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, students, parents and school board members in each school. Findings The principals were found to have contributed significantly to the success of their schools. Their leadership was underpinned by their personal qualities, beliefs and values, which guided their practices. The four principals were highly successful in improving school capacity through redesigning school structures, particularly those that facilitate improvement in the work of teachers. They enhanced the professional capacity of the teaching and non-teaching staff through professional development programmes and the development of future leaders. The principals also established meaningful partnerships with stakeholders inside and outside the school community. Each of the principals described how their leadership was built upon the legacy of previous principals at their schools. Originality/value As part of a larger project, the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP), this research adds an important Asian context to the literature on successful school leadership. A 6E model - Educate, Envision, Energize, Engage, Enable and Embrace - was developed to describe how principals led their schools to achieve educational excellence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-723
Author(s):  
Jerome De Lisle ◽  
Sean Annisette ◽  
Cheryl Bowrin-Williams

In this study of high-poverty schools in Trinidad and Tobago, we (1) identified recurring patterns and generative mechanisms for successful principal leadership and (2) explored the utility of transformational, shared, and instructional leadership models. We argued that situational and country context are central to understanding school leadership and that the universality of some models might be limited. Using the lens of critical realism, we gathered evidence from a multiple case study of seven high-poverty schools. From the data, we constructed theory bridging leadership constructs of the global North with emergent local patterns and constructions. We found three meanings for successful leadership within this context, labelled as integrative, transformational and enabling, and academic-focused. The meanings attached to the in-vivo labels were consistent with the core components of shared, transformational, and instructional leadership. We extended these leadership meanings to describe specific activities and acts. Unique to this context was the data-centric focus of transformational leadership and the use of shared leadership as an early improvement strategy. Notably, however, academic-focused leadership was evident at only a few sites, possibly explaining the overall limited improvement trajectory.


2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Camburn ◽  
Brian Rowan ◽  
James E. Taylor

This is a study of distributed leadership in the context of elementary schools' adoption of comprehensive school reforms (CSR). Most CSRs are designed to configure school leadership by defining formal roles, and we hypothesized that such programs activate those roles by defining expectations for and socializing (e.g., through professional development) role incumbents. Configuration and activation were further hypothesized to influence the performance of leadership functions in schools. Using data from a study of three of the most widely adopted CSR models, support was found for the configuration and activation hypotheses. Leadership configuration in CSR schools differed from that of nonCSR schools in part because of the addition of model-specific roles. Model participation was also related to the performance of leadership functions as principals in CSR schools and CSR-related role incumbents were found to provide significant amounts of instructional leadership. Further support for the activation hypothesis is suggested by positive relationships between leaders' professional development experiences and their performance of instructional leadership.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-101
Author(s):  
Brian Moore ◽  
Joris van Wijk

Case studies in the Netherlands and the UK of asylum applicants excluded or under consideration of exclusion pursuant to Article 1Fa of the Refugee Convention reveal that some applicants falsely implicated themselves in serious crimes or behaviours in order to enhance their refugee claim. This may have serious consequences for the excluded persons themselves, as well as for national governments dealing with them. For this reason we suggest immigration authorities could consider forewarning asylum applicants i.e. before their interview, about the existence, purpose and possible consequences of exclusion on the basis of Article 1F.


Author(s):  
Andy Lord

This chapter points to the ‘pluralization of the lifeworld’ involved in globalization as a key context for changing dissenting spiritualities through the twentieth century. These have included a remarkable upsurge in Spirit-movements that fall under categories such as Pentecostal, charismatic, neo-charismatic, ‘renewalist’, and indigenous Churches. Spirit language is not only adaptive to globalized settings, but brings with it eschatological assumptions. New spiritualities emerge to disrupt existing assumptions with prophetic and often critical voices that condemn aspects of the existing culture, state, and church life. This chapter outlines this process of disruption of the mainstream in case studies drawn from the USA, the UK, India, Africa, and Indonesia, where charismaticized Christianity has emerged and grown strongly in often quite resistant broader cultures.


Author(s):  
Perpetua Kirby ◽  
Rebecca Webb

This chapter explores how Article 12 and the voice of the child are implemented. The chapter does so by making specific reference to ways in which children express themselves within two different English primary schools. The chapter introduces Article 12 as a commitment to giving due attention to children’s experiences. Using data vignettes, the chapter illustrates the value of paying attention to children by focusing on the micro moments of everyday school life. The chapter argues that children’s participation is necessarily political, suggesting that participation must be read as such and demonstrating how it is often subsumed within powerful dominant schooling discourses of conformity within different governmental climates that are regarded as beyond politics. The chapter identifies limited possibilities for transformation in the study’s research sites, discussed in terms of children achieving agency and enacting their own subjectivities. This is apparent even within the less coercive ethos of a school participating in the Rights Respecting Schools Initiative (UNICEF). The chapter argues that in order to open up possible transformational participatory spaces, adults in schools need to require opportunities to reflect together on the tensions within their own educational contexts and between supporting children’s participation and their conformity to wider schooling discourses. The chapter suggests that the provision of such opportunities will help to keep a focus on listening to children in line with the ambitions of Article 12.


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