Looking ahead on school leadership

1. Lookingaheadonschool leadership The newNorwegian ”Rector-school” – qualification for schoolleaders in Norway 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

2. School leadership in Norway – a shorthistoricaloutline • The “old “ – school leader role - “The first among equals” • The head teacher, primarily a teacher also doing administrative work. • Reflected the way schools were governed by the national government, using economic and legislative means. • Until the early 1990s: No formal education for school leaders required besides being a teacher. • During the 80s and 90s: A more decentralized system – more power to the counties and municipalities. • The pedagogical part of the school leader role became more emphasized, besides the administrative parts. • Various kinds of courses offered for school heads, but not mandatory. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

3. The newRector-school – theprogramme for educationofschoolleaders in Norway • White Paper no. 31 (2007-2008) Kvalitetiskolen (Quality in the school):A new national program for education of school leaders shall be launched and be mandatory for new school leaders and for school leaders that lack such education. • October 2009: 4 groups of universities and university colleges starts educating new school leaders, based on principles formulated by the Ministry. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

4. Main principles: Leadership-understanding • distributed leadership - leadership is a function that is taken care of not only by the ones formally in charge, but of many others too. • The formal responsibility is connected with specific persons, in formal positions. • Important to focus both on the organizational perspective and the perspective of the individual. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

5. Main principles: Competence • When describing competence the course are intended to supply the school leaders with, The Ministry uses the official definition of competence given by OECD: ”A competence is defined as the ability to meet demands or carry out a task successfully, and consists of both cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions” • The competence the course are intended to supply the school leaders with, can be specified into 3 kinds of elements: Knowledge, skills and attitudes. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

6. Competence as knowledge, skills and attitudes • Knowledge what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand. • Skills what the Rectors are supposed to do, master. • Attitudes what the Rectors are supposed to stand for, identify with, commit to, signalize. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

7. Competence–areas in the education • The Ministry has formulated 4 competence-demands or areas that shall be covered by the course ( The first is the most important): • The student’s learning-results and learning-environment. • Management and administration. • Cooperation and organizational development, supervision of teachers. • Development and change. • A fifth competence-area - Relationship to the leader-role – is added to the 4 demands. The intention behind this area is that after the completion of the course, the leaders shall have accomplished a stronger identity as leader, and considerable more courage and power to lead. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

8. 1. Students’ learning-results and learning-environment • Knowledge  what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand: • Learning-processes • Tools for quality-development • The mandate to the school from the society • Learning-environment • Skills  what the Rectors are supposed to do, master: • Management by objectives • Guidance • Attitudes  what the Rector are supposed to stand for, identify with, be committed to, signalize: • Level of ambitions • Attitudes related to knowledge 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

9. 2. Management and administration • Knowledge  what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand: • Legal regulations etc • The formal curriculum • Management/steering • Skills  what the Rectors are supposed to do, master: • Legal regulations and the curriculum • Power and influence • Attitudes  what the Rectors are supposed to stand for, identify with, be committed to, signalize: • Attitude related to the responsibility of the leader • Loyalty 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

10. 3. Cooperation and organizational development, supervision of teachers • Knowledge  what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand: • Organization • Working with the staff/personnel • Skills  what the Rectors are supposed to do, master: • Internal cooperation • Team-building • Motivation • Attitudes  what the Rectors are supposed to stand for, identify with, be committed to, signalize: • Attitudes towards others 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

11. 4. Development and change • Knowledge  what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand: • The school’s context  • Change • Skills  what the Rectors are supposed to do, master: • Cooperation with external partners • Development and change • Attitudes  what the Rectors are supposed to stand for, identify with, be committed to, signalize: • Attitudes towards the sector and the environment 27.11.09 EinarReigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

12. 5. Relationship to the leader-role • Knowledge  what the Rectors are supposed to know, be informed about, understand: • Leadership • Skills  what the Rectors are supposed to do, master: • To act as a leader • To cope with stress and uncertainty • Attitudes  what the Rectors are supposed to stand for, identify with, be committed to, signalize: • Security in the leader-role • Openness • Own learning and development 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

13. ”The rectorschool” – will it bring us a newschoolleaderrole? • “The rector-school” expresses the expectations from the government towards school leaders and school leadership. • The new or changed school leader role that emerges is a role where the emphasis on the school leader as a leader of learning-activities among the students is stronger. • The new or changed school leader role that emerges is a role where the emphasis is on the leader of the school as a learning organization – an organization that develops all the time. • It is a newfocusonthepersonality and personlitydevelopmentoftheschoolleader. 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

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15. The NLA School Leadership Training Model The NLA-model is based on five pillars: • Tailor-made program • Concern about the language issue • Establishing a common educational language among the school-leaders involved • Establishing a common language between university teachers and school leaders by participation in a reflection process • Continual evaluation of the program 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

16. Characteristicsofthemodel and the progress in thecourses • Ideas picked from the Learning Organization Theory • Focus on values • Start: an introspective part • Relations in the staff • National school policy and on network-building between schools 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

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18. ”New in Hordaland” – follow-upnewteachers in their first yearofteaching • Purpose: Making it easier for newteachers to start theirprofessionalcareer • New teachersareinvitedinto a 1 yearprogramme in a cooperationbetweenschools and university/university college • Supervision/mentoring from an experiencedteacher in theirownschool • Meetingothers in a 2 daysseminary and 4-5 shorter seminaries togetherwiththeir mentors in a university or university college • Has given goodresults and evaluations • Will be mandatory for newteachers in Norway in 2010 27.11.09 Einar Reigstad, NLA, Bergen, Norway

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