Leadership Style - 2

Introduction:

Transformational Change Leadership:

A transformational leader displays the following qualities ­ integrity, commitment to colleagues and organisation, leads by example, constantly communicates the vision and the progress made towards achieving it, walks that talk, shows care and concern for all and is consistent, transparent and fair.

Hattie defines transformational leaders as those leaders focused on teachers. They accomplish their goals by setting a clear vision, providing a buffer between outside forces and the teaching staff, inspiring teachers, and providing a large degree of autonomy.1

As a Transformational Leader, I know that Hattie’s research places value and emphasis on Instructional Leadership.

In my experience, a wise Transformational Leader establishes, supports, guides, nurtures, empowers and energises a strong Instructional Leader to meet that need.

Hattie states Instructional leaders focus on students and student learning. They use classroom observations and other sources of data to determine the effectiveness of teaching, including techniques and programmes, and when they find ineffective practices (based on student learning) they provide professional development to improve and/or modify those practices. They work to ensure that everything is conducive to effective teaching and learning.2

Change Leadership Initiative at Western Heights School:

Background:

The previous principal at Western Heights School had been in place for almost 20 years.

There were a number of long established staff, and things had progressed along steadily without much change for some considerable time.

I was appointed to bring innovation and change. Also as an experienced principal, to manage the diverse personalities, and the inertia that can develop when staff remain in the same roles for a very long time.

Methodology:

Hattie refers to Relationships3 being a powerful influencing factor in the efficacy of the teaching and learning process.

To build these relationships, prior to starting at WHS, I spent many days conducting one on one interviews with every member of staff for up to 90 minutes each.

A series of questions allowed me to know and understand them as individuals as well as professionals. I enquired about change, about culture and tradition, and about ways we could better support them to fulfill their role in our school.

I also enquired of our community regarding their priorities, desires, concerns and hopes for their children and their school.

We collated the answers from staff, children and community and observed a minimum response of 75% (and up to 95%) for each of the following four generalisations ­ laughter, enjoyment, learning and leading.

These were simplified into Love, Learn, Lead.

This has become our focus ­ growing learners who “Love to Learn to Lead”.

1 Robinson, Viviane MJ, Claire A. Lloyd, and Kenneth J. Rowe. "The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types." Educational administration quarterly (2008).

2 Hattie, John. "What is the nature of evidence that makes a difference to learning?." 2005­Using data to support learning (2005): 7.

3 Hattie, John. Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta­analyses relating to achievement. Routledge, 2013.

Because this was collectively arrived at, it is owned by all, and has been readily adopted and adapted by all.

Love is connected to Relationships ­ much of my Transformational Leadership role is focused on this. Children who love their teacher, love their learning opportunities, see the relevance to their world, their lives, their experience, their needs and aspirations, will be inspired to learn.

Learn is our core business and is connected to Relevance and Rigour. Our Instructional Leadership is focused on this and on providing the tools, support, climate, conditions and culture to achieve this as effectively and efficiently as possible. Children who learn are thereby empowered to lead.

Lead is our future focus. It is connected to all four Rs ­ Relationships, Relevance, Rigour and Reflection. Children who love to learn will lead. As leaders they become teachers, and “to teach is to learn twice”.4

Outcome ­ Direct and Indirect Instructional Leadership ­ Learning Leadership:

Much emphasis is currently placed on the need for principals to be instructional leaders5. As a Learning Leader, I ensure instructional leadership is focused on the quality of teacher practice. My indirect instructional leadership focuses on creating the conditions for good teaching.

Primarily because this type of leadership has a stronger impact on student outcomes than other types of leadership, the more focused the school’s leadership is on instruction, the more effective the school will be in adding value to student outcomes (Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe, 2008).

The secondary principal’s role is to facilitate and develop the instructional leadership of these middle leaders

(Firestone & Herriott, 1982; Foster, 2004; Kleine­Kracht, 1993).

Indirect instructional leadership creates the conditions for good teaching and teacher learning by ensuring that school policies, routines, resourcing and other management decisions support and require high­quality learning, teaching and teacher learning (Kleine­Kracht, 1993).

In my large school, with a roll of 650 children (and growing), having given the delegation of responsibility for teaching and learning, and the curriculum to my deputies, my instructional leadership becomes Learning Leadership and is exercised more indirectly through oversight of those deputies in their roles as Instructional leaders.

From the outset, I created an additional Deputy Principal position and made two of the three deputy positions “Directors of Curriculum”. Both deputies thus became responsible for Instructional Leadership in our school. Both are exceptionally talented in terms of curriculum knowledge and delivery, pedagogy and andragogy.

Validation Evidence:

Independent Appraiser ­ Mac Stevenson H DipT FNZEI November 2014

Ash’s senior leaders were most complimentary of his ability to share his understanding and expectations around the change of climate that was expected from his leadership and the manner in which this professional leadership had manifested over the course of the year. Comments such as “professionalism is the key thing”, “he is a dynamo”, “there is lots of in school learning” affirm the fact that Ash is quite clearly a professional leader who values the need to make change in a managed and inclusive fashion and that this change being based on a sound professional understanding of what makes a difference for students has been embraced readily by teachers and student alike.

Ash has in fact implemented a great deal of change this year and this has been welcomed by his staff and also the community... it is very obvious that students have also welcomed the changes... quoting his senior leaders: “he is inspirational and his enthusiasm is infectious”, “all changes have been about good reasons”, “he has been a breath of fresh air”, “doesn’t mark time, always new ideas”, “expectation of a standard” quite clearly point to an acceptance and a welcoming of the change leadership Ash has provided. It is clear that as a result of the changes that have been made this school and its students enjoy many educational opportunities based around a variety of

4 Chateaubriand 1838, Recueil des pensées de M. Joubert (Collected Thoughts of Mr. Joubert) 5 Finkel, Ed. "Principals as Instructional Leaders." District Administration 48.6 (2012): 50.

expectations in regard to recognising the talents and skills of students and the need to nurture these in as many ways as possible.6

Education Review Office Report ­ 2014

The principal is leading change amongst staff, students and parents that is strengthening the school’s learning community. The senior management team works together to support the principal’s vision for the school and are well supported by the board through professional development. Senior managers are modelling effective practices and taking opportunities to grow leadership amongst the staff.

Under the leadership of the principal, senior managers are taking a strategic approach to change management and model the expectations they have of staff. The principal leads by example through open communication and accessibility to students, parents and staff.7

Conclusion:

My transformational leadership decisions about our policies, practices, culture, vision and systems set the conditions for what happens in our classrooms and school between students and teachers and learners and leaders of learning.

By marrying my Transformational Leadership approach with the outstanding Instructional Leadership qualities of my Directors of Curriculum, we have achieved Learning Leadership, and thus have been able to introduce change in a managed, scaffolded manner.

Applying Hattie’s “Know Thy Impact”, we have clearly identifiable growth in achievement8, clearly identifiable improvement in the gathering, analysis and accuracy of our data, clearly happier and more empowered and engaged staff and students, and clearly satisfied parents and Education Review Office.

6 https://sites.google.com/a/westernheights.school.nz/principal­s­professional­portfolio/appraisal 7http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early­Childhood­School­Reports/School­Reports/Western­Heights­School­Auckland­17­10­2014/4­Sus tainable­Performance

8 http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find­school/school/national/reading?school=1567&district=7606&region=2

Bibliography:

Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "The leadership challenge, 4th." (2007).

Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "The Student Leadership Challenge: Five Practices for Becoming an Exemplary Leader." (2014).

Hollander, Edwin. Inclusive leadership: The essential leader­follower relationship. Routledge, 2012.

Firestone, William A., and Robert E. Herriott. "Prescriptions for effective elementary schools don't fit secondary schools." Educational Leadership 40.3 (1982): 51­53.

Foster, Rosemary, and Brenda St Hilaire. "The who, how, why, and what of leadership in secondary school improvement: Lessons learned in England." Alberta Journal of Educational Research 50.4 (2004): 354­369. Kleine­Kracht, Sister Paula. "Indirect instructional leadership: An administrator's choice." Educational Administration Quarterly 29.2 (1993): 187­212.

Learning leadership matters: The influence of innovative school leadership preparation on teachers’ experiences and outcomes. Educational Management Administration & Leadership September 2014 42: 680­700, first published on November 7, 2013

Hattie, John. Teachers make a difference: what is the research evidence?. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, 2003.

Leithwood, Kenneth, Sarah Patten, and Doris Jantzi. "Testing a conception of how school leadership influences student learning." Educational Administration Quarterly 46.5 (2010): 671­706.

Leadership Theories and Styles ­ IAAP ­ 2009 Administrative Officials Event Week

1 Robinson, Viviane MJ, Claire A. Lloyd, and Kenneth J. Rowe. "The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types." Educational administration quarterly (2008).

2 Hattie, John. "What is the nature of evidence that makes a difference to learning?." 2005­Using data to support learning (2005): 7.

3 Hattie, John. Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta­analyses relating to achievement. Routledge, 2013. 4 Chateaubriand 1838, Recueil des pensées de M. Joubert (Collected Thoughts of Mr. Joubert)

5 Finkel, Ed. "Principals as Instructional Leaders." District Administration 48.6 (2012): 50.

6 https://sites.google.com/a/westernheights.school.nz/principal­s­professional­portfolio/appraisal 7http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early­Childhood­School­Reports/School­Reports/Western­Heights­School­Auckland­17­10 ­2014/4­Sustainable­Performance

8 http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find­school/school/national/reading?school=1567&district=7606&region=2