Leadership for Transformation

Abstract

School improvement has been the dominant model for educational reform for many educational systems in recent years. It is still the most robust model in terms of its academic integrity, its capacity to inform policy making and its impact on professional practice in schools. The dominance of school improvement in largely explained by its consistent success. There is little doubt that it has had a significant impact on the comparative performance of schools and school systems. Evidence from a wide variety of national systems points to the demonstrable success of the model against a wide range of criteria. In essence, performance has improved, achievement has been raised and a range of related outcomes have been met. However, this success has always been subject to questioning when the criteria for success are changed from generic, system wide improvements to a focus on the achievement of the individual child. Whether it is the realisation of the potential of an outstandingly gifted young person or the maximisation of the life chances of a young person with profound learning difficulties the prevailing system does not always seem able to accommodate specific, personal needs.What might be described as the 'Improvement Movement' has created an effective hegemony since the mid 1980s. The combination of an emphasis on measurable outcomes and the improvement of the internal processes of the school has created an orthodoxy which has been reinforced by models of accountability and the redefinition of the characteristics of effective teaching and management in schools. It is an hegemony because it is a highly integrated model with educational policy moving from an enabling function to being deterministic. One of the key characteristics of educational policy making by many governments has been the increasing specificity of regulations and guidelines. It could therefore be argued that the school system is approaching an optimum state-it is difficult to envisage what else might be done to improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

Implications of a shadowing/mentoring programme for aspiring principals

“…The data are then analysed and the conclusions of this analysis are fed back to the actors in the experience for their use in the modification of their behaviour and choice of new experiences. Knowledge without experience is shallow (West-Burnham, 2003). Thanks to the generosity, honesty and the reflexivity practices of the mentor principals, the participants in this study were able to experience profound learning.…”

“…During debrief sessions at the end of the day, the mentor principals also challenged the aspiring principals' thinking with challenging questions reflecting on their actions. These questions prompted critical reflectiona powerful basis for profound learning (West-Burnham, 2003). Each aspiring principal/principal relationship was unique, defining what Samier (2000) maintained is the task of a mentor: to fulfil a need unmet by any other relationship.…”

“…These comments are a reminder that the learning is a complex subjective process influenced by prior knowledge and experience (West-Burnham, 2003). It is also a reminder that the mentor relationship can be hindered by real or perceived power dynamics (Hanson, 2010).…”

Personal intelligences

“…If leadership is seen as moving people from compliance to commitment, from acceptance to active engagement and from task comple-tion to professional involvement, then interpersonal intelligence is the vital medium. (West-Burnham, 2002: 1)…”

Race, Housing, and Burnham’s Plan: Why is there no Housing in the 1909 Plan of Chicago?

“…His aim, as he wrote in several outlines and articles on the plan, was to ''create unity,'' to bring together the disparate nationalities and classes of urban residents in a unified ''civic consciousness.'' 30 Like many of the settlement house volunteers who also were concerned about Americanizing immigrants, Burnham proposed the construction of playgrounds around the city. On the playground, ''so much of the training of a child toward good citizenship occurs .…”