Article Info Educational administrators are consistently challenged to find the right mix of leaders and to identify potentials that can be harnessed to expand the cadre. In both the academic and research communities, there has been much dialogue surrounding the way in which leadership is developed in organisations. These discourses continue to provide avenues for researchers to identify and recommend best practices for leadership development. Varied types of leadership could be explored as a means of expanding leadership capacity and sustaining a cadre of leaders suited to meet the growing needs in educational communities and other spheres. This study investigated perceptions of staff concerning distributed leadership as a possible strategy for enhancing succession planning, expanding leadership capacities, and ensuring that social justice is practiced within their organisation. Two main questions were explored in this study to uncover participants' perceptions of current leadership practices and distributed leadership; and to have them suggest how distributed leadership could be used within their academic unit to expand leadership capacity and to practise social justice. This research provides valuable information regarding how distributed leadership can be used to augment leadership capacities, enhance succession planning, and expand leadership capacity to ensure social justice is practised within the specified context.

No abstract

No abstract

The issue of professionalism among Jamaican educators has occupied a significant portion of much discourse. In this chapter, the author discusses a small-scale study that sought to answer two main questions: What are the perspectives of the Jamaican teachers regarding professionalism and are Jamaican teachers professional? The aim of which was to generate information that the relevant technocrats within the education sector can use to inform decision making. Through convenience sampling, a cross-sectional survey was done to solicit responses across a select college and two high schools. Participants responded to these questions through a specifically designed questionnaire. The question of whether Jamaican teachers are professional was still unanswered. However, more efforts should be expended to ensure that teachers uphold professional standards, become acquainted with their code of ethics and improve the levels of compliance with these professional codes and standards. In the meantime, educators should be encouraged to continuously seek and engage in professional development activities to augment their personal and professional growth; as well as the growth and development of others. This chapter discusses professionalism among Jamaican educators and highlights the professional principles and code of conduct, daily practices of Jamaican educators, and their perspectives on teacher professional development, and wider stakeholder impact. The author challenges educational leaders to mobilize educators to attain higher levels of excellence and professionalize teaching by ensuring conformity with established standards and code of conduct.