System leadership in Australian and Swedish education: What’s social justice got to do with it?

Since the start of the 21st century, education in Australia and Sweden have seen system level reform efforts change and shape both nations’ schools. In an endeavour to improve the educational outcomes of students, both countries have enacted neoliberal policies that aimed to decentralise education and provide increased autonomy for school leaders. The real-world consequences of these policies have restricted school leader autonomy and academic performance has declined while the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students has continually grown. When excellence trumps equity as the primary driver of education at the system level, it creates a disadvantage cycle which sees the development of societal status hierarchies and unjust participatory parity for particular social groups. In the current time of COVID-19, when these disadvantages are exacerbated, it is timely to evaluate educational leadership at the system level in terms of its ability to positively affect social justice issues. Social justice leadership at a system level holds the potential to unite schools in competition and empower them to help overcome the unjust reality faced by disadvantaged students. So, the focus of this piece is to provide commentary on whether system leadership can enhance education’s potential in realising a more socially just society.

Systems Leadership: how Chief Executives manage tension between organisation and system pressures

Aim: System leadership is the requirement for a leader of a single organisation to operate on behalf of a wider system, rather than their individual organisation. It is not clear to what extent the current policy landscape supports leaders in managing misalignment between the needs of their organisation and the wider system, as many national structures still emphasise a focus on individual organisations. This study aims to understand how Chief Executives implement system leadership in practice when faced with decisions that benefit the system to the detriment of their own trust. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Chief Executives from a range of trust types to understand their perceptions and decision-making process in practice. Semantic thematic analysis was used to draw out themes in relation to how Chief Executives approach decisions which weigh up the system and organisation. Results: Themes raised by interviewees included both advantages (such as support in managing demand) and disadvantages (such as increased bureaucracy) of system leadership and practical considerations in operationalisation (such as the importance of interpersonal relationships). Interviewees endorsed system leadership in principle, but did not feel that the organisational incentives as currently structured support the implementation of system leadership in practice. This was not seen as a major challenge or impediment to effective leadership. Conclusion: As a specific policy area, a direct focus on systems leadership is not necessarily helpful. Chief Executives should be supported to make decisions in a complex environment, without a specific focus on healthcare systems as a unit of operation.

Master teachers as system leaders of professional learning: master teacher studios in China

PurposeThis study aims to describe and analyze an innovative mechanism of teacher-led, system-wide professional learning that has been widely adopted since the beginning of the twenty-first century in China – the Master Teacher Studio (MTS).Design/methodology/approachThis paper drew from policy documents, published Chinese literature relating to MTSs and personal fieldwork experience in Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang province.FindingsThe article first outlines the context framing the system change, including its policy background and evolution, and then the MTS's purpose, formative process and structure. It finally examines major teacher learning activities and the leadership roles of the MTS hosts (leaders).Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributed to the knowledge base of system teacher leaders and how they lead cross-school leading.Practical implicationsThe MTS initiative described in this article shows the power of central system leadership to spread and embed effective teacher learning practices at schools.Originality/valueThis article provides implications for understanding and practicing teacher system leadership to support teacher professional learning in different societies.

The role and relevance of public private partnerships in English healthcare

Health systems are now organized across England to deliver a more integrated population-based approach, not competing for services, rather collaborating and driving better value for the population from a fixed resource. This approach of health system leadership and collaboration has resulted in governance including a mixed economy of public-private provision but with greater alignment to delivering an agreed set of outcomes and value-based healthcare for the population. This dramatic shift from provider competition to collaboration and integration means a reframing of contracting and partnerships with the independent sector.