Professional Leadership
Leadership is a critical component of an effective school. Principals have a direct influence on teachers and the effectiveness of the teaching-learning relationship. Professional leadership requires identifying a clear sense of purpose for the school. It entails the distribution of authority and responsibility across the school by providing teachers with genuine opportunities to participate directly in decisions about curriculum, professional learning priorities, school and resource management, and other policy decisions. Professional leadership requires keeping abreast of what is happening in classrooms, including what is being taught, pedagogical approaches and student progress.
A leadership framework for effective leaders links Thomas Sergiovanni's Model of Transformational Leadership with descriptions of leadership capabilities.
Forming answers to the following questions may help to formulate how professional leadership may look in your school:
- How effectively do the leadership teams within our school promote curriculum planning that is designed to improve student learning?
- How effectively do the leadership teams within our school promote teaching strategies that are designed to improve student learning?
- How effective is teacher participation in decisions made about student learning?
- How effectively are connections made between staff performance and development on the one hand and student learning outcomes on the other?
Links to Blueprint Strategies/Initiatives
The development of professional leadership is supported through:
Flagship Strategy 1
The Curriculum Planning Guidelines support schools to establish professional learning teams to enable teachers and school leaders to engage in professional discussion, evaluation and planning in a coordinated and consistent way. These guidelines provide a single entry point to current research, case studies and discussion papers to inform discussion about curriculum and guide delivery of a curriculum that will engage and inform students.
The Victorian Essential Learning Standards are designed to be used for whole school curriculum planning. Effective professional leadership ensures the development of a coordinated whole school curriculum plan to meet the standards through the effective planning of teaching and learning programs.
The principal plays an important role in supporting the implementation of the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12. Commitment can be demonstrated through organisational support, monitoring development of the project and regularly meeting with the Principles of Learning and Teaching coordinator.
Effective professional leadership ensures that both systemic and individual student Assessment and Reporting are regularly undertaken to make informed judgements about student progress and teaching strategies. Effective professional leadership also ensures that the school reporting processes include: informing parents, reporting on student achievement to the education system and to a range of stakeholders, meeting accountability requirements and providing information upon which future plans can be based.
Flagship Strategy 2
The Student Resource Package budget allocation model simplifies budget management for principals and teachers by drawing together key learning area and support funding into student learning rates, underpinned by a common base amount. An additional base is provided to small schools, typically located in rural and remote areas, to ensure their viability. This allows schools to focus on the core business of schooling; the teaching and learning process.
Flagship Strategy 3
Research indicates that professional leadership has a substantial impact on driving and sustaining transformational change in a school. Principals play a critical role in school development and improving student outcomes.
The Principal Performance and Development program has been designed to:
- develop a principal's capacity to effectively lead in their school, community and the wider school system;
- clearly align individual development objectives with the school's strategic plan;
- clarify expected and achieved leadership outcomes;
- promote open and constructive dialogue between the principal and regional office about the principal's performance and development;
- support continuous improvement of the principal and the school;
- recognise individual contribution to school improvement.
A component of the Principal Selection Process is the development of key selection criteria and processes that ensures successful applicants will have the high level skills and attributes required to provide effective leadership under the effective schools model. Selection criteria will test the applicant's expertise in technical, human, educational, symbolic and cultural leadership.
The Accelerated Development Program for High Potential Leaders provides opportunities for aspirant principals to undertake a master's degree in school leadership and young leaders program to develop understanding of their own leadership styles and capabilities, of the relationship between leadership, enhanced teacher capacity and school performance and of the features of effective schools.
The Mentoring for First Time Principals program will provide support for first time principals from effective experienced principal mentors. The program supports the development of first time principals' leadership capabilities within a performance and development culture and their understanding of the relationship between leadership, enhanced teacher capacity and school performance.
Coaching to Enhance the Capabilities of Experienced Principals will help to enhance their capacity to lead their schools. The coaching is aimed at assisting principals to be reflective and to set personal and professional goals that help to support school improvement.
The Development Program for High Performing Principals initiative identifies existing effective leaders who work collaboratively with other principals and their schools to drive system improvement. Participants share best practice in leadership across the school system and undertake individual professional learning to enhance their own leadership capacity.
Flagship Strategy 6
The Effective Schools Model provides a lens through which schools can think about their performance, plans and priorities. Blueprint Flagship Strategy 6 (School Improvement) provides a range of tools, processes and opportunities for schools to improve their planning, reviewing, evaluation and decision-making when they examine their school through the model.
Single Planning and Accountability Document
Enhanced School Review Program
Professional Reading
The following readings can be located on the web or in hard copy through the appropriate journals or educational texts. These readings have been influential in the thinking behind current educational reform in Victoria.
Department of Education & Training, Victoria (2004), 'The Professional Learning Of Teachers (PDF - 65Kb) Melbourne, Australia.
Elmore, Richard (2000) Building a New Structure for School Leadership, Albert Shanker Institute.
(www.shankerinstitute.org/Downloads/building.pdf)
Fullan, Michael - various readings
(www.michaelfullan.ca)
Goleman, D. (2002) The New Leaders: Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results, Time Warner Books, UK.
Gunter, H. (2001), "Critical approaches to leadership in education", Journal of Educational Enquiry, vol. 2, No. 2.
Harris et al (2003), Effective Leadership for School Improvement, Routledge Falmer, London.
Hargreaves, Andy & Fink, Dean (April 2004), 'The Seven Principles of Sustainable Leadership', Educational Leadership, vol 61, No. 7, pp. 8-13.
(www.ascd.org/publications/ed_lead/200404/hargreaves.html)
Heifetz., R. and Linsky, M. (2002), Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, Harvard Business School Publishing, USA.
Peter Senge books and information can be located at: www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm
Sergiovanni, T (1984), "Leadership and Excellence in School ", Education Leadership, vol. 41, pp. 4-13.
Sergiovanni, T (1992), "Why We Should Seek Substitutes", Education Leadership, vol. 49, pp. 41-45.
Sergiovanni, T (1994), "The roots of School Leadership", Principal, vol.74, No. 2, pp. 6-8.
Sergiovanni, T. (2001), The Principalship: A Reflective Practice Perspective (4th edition), Allyn & Bacon, USA.
Sergiovanni, T. (1996), Leadership for the Schoolhouse: How Is It Different? Why Is It important?, Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco, USA.