Negotiating the principles and practice of school leadership

Abstract

This paper aims to provide an account of how school leaders in Kazakhstan learn about leadership and management, and what strategies are in place to support leadership development. The paper draws on empirical data collected over three years, derived mainly from interviews and focus groups with school leaders and teachers. The findings suggest that a hierarchical education system and strict policy regulations diminish the likelihood that the changes needed to encourage leadership practice by teachers will take place. The paper examines Kazakhstani school leaders’ learning opportunities, and focuses on the implications of borrowing leadership theories from the West. The key argument is that, if genuine change is to occur, these leaders will require time and space for critical reflection about what it is they need to learn and to do. The paper raises important issues about the conceptualisation of leadership learning and development in non-Western contexts.

Societal culture and the changing role of school principals in the post-Soviet era

“…performance (see Yakavets, 2016). Our data reveal that the majority of school principals have to spend a lot of time producing reports for numerous organisations (e.g.…”

“…the UK), principals begin their professional careers as teachers and progress to leadership via a range of leadership tasks and roles, these often being described in the literature as 'middle leadership'. The latest Order (No.57 ii ) adopted by the MoES (2012) introduced a new system for selecting principals on a competitive basis, with the successful individuals being awarded five-years' tenure and the opportunity to reapply at the end of it (see Yakavets, 2016).…”

“…The latest Order (No. 57)[2] adopted by the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) (2012) introduced a new system for selecting principals on a competitive basis, with the successful individuals being awarded five-years’ tenure and the opportunity to reapply at the end of it (see Yakavets, 2016).…”

“…Opportunities are being developed for teachers and principals in contemporary Kazakhstan to learn new skills and develop professionally (see Bridges, 2014; Sharimova, 2014; Turner et al , 2014; Yakavets, 2016). For example, through its centre of excellence, the AEO NIS is promoting a major programme of in-service training in the form of three-month courses focused on “modern” approaches to teaching and learning; these had reached some 60,000 teachers by the end of 2015 (Turner et al , 2014).…”

“…Research on educational reform in Central Asia, and particularly in Kazakhstan, has largely centred on the politics of adopting global reforms, as scholars of comparative education increasingly acknowledge the growing influence of global forces and international organisations on national educational policies (Heyneman, 1995; Asanova, 2006; Steiner-Khamsi et al , 2006; Shagdar, 2006; Silova and Steiner-Khamsi, 2008; Silova, 2005, 2011). Furthermore, numerous studies have described the effects of the reforms on phenomena such as national identity and citizenship (Asanova, 2007), education and social cohesion (Silova et al , 2007; Heyneman, 2000), the secondary education system (Bridges, 2014; Yakavets, 2014; Zhanabayeva and Isatayeva, 2004; DeYoung and Suzhikova, 1997), the practices and policies of school directors (principals in Russian), leadership preparation and development (Kalikova, 2010; Frost et al , 2014; Yakavets et al , 2015; Yakavets, 2016), professional development of teachers (Turner et al , 2014; McLaughlin et al , 2014), changes in educational testing (Winter et al , 2014), the language policy (Mehisto et al , 2014; Fierman, 1998, 2006) and the inclusion of critical thinking pedagogy in the Kazakhstan educational system (Burkhalter and Shegebayev, 2010, 2012). However, it is equally important to understand that “educational policies and practices are deeply embedded in the culture and traditions of the countries in which they are implemented” (Bridges et al , 2014, p. 272).…”