Leaders of Change: Improving School Performance

1. Leaders of Change: Improving School Performance Dr Lawrie Drysdale Helen Goode Dr. David Gurr

2. Aim • How can successful school principals maintain success and improve school performance over time.

3. The topic focuses on how three successful school principals respond and initiate change and how it impacts on school performance.

4. The researchers returned to study three principals who were part of the original investigation into successful school principals in the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). This research took place five years after the initial investigation.

5. Methodology • Multi Perspective Case Study • Individual interviews (including participants previously interviewed) • Group interviews (parents and students) • Observation (shadowing 4 days) • Documents search

6. Three Case Studies. • Principal A Large Primary School located in growth corridor in Melbourne • Principal B Specialist school students with disabilities Age 2-18 • Principal C Elite Boys Grammar School K-12

7. School A Primary School

8. School A profile School A is a co-educational government primary school. Prep – Year 6 (5-12 years old) First established 1877. The school moved to a new site in 1996 to cope with the rapidly developing growth corridor. Enrolment at time of initial study 583. Currently 500.

9. Principal A Profile Experienced principal. Acting principal 1998, and later appointed as principal 1999.

10. Achievements • Turnaround school • Student achievement • Parent support • Staff morale • Reputation • Community support

11. Reasons for success • Principal: • inclusive leadership style • clearly articulated personal philosophy and values • building relationships • personal characteristics • strategic interventions – professional and community capacity building.

12. Changes in past 5 years Decline in enrolment Staff profile –older Demographics had changed – more challenging Changes in Government policy and initiatives – emphasis on student results

13. Reasons for sustainability • Current performance was maintained because: • Consistency in leadership style • Personal characteristics • Relationship building • Interventions

14. Maintaining current performance • Data indicated school had maintained current level of performance • Student achievement • Staff morale • Reputation • Parental support

15. School B Specialist School

16. School B Profile • School B caters for physically and intellectually disabled students from ages 2 to 18. • 150 students • 62 staff –teachers, therapists, aides

17. Principal Profile B 1988 appointed as principal (1st principalship) Special Developmental School 1996 transformed the school into a specialist school on a new site.

18. Achievements • Realisation of series of visions • Relocation • World class facilities • ‘fully serviced’ specialist school with integrated services for students with a range of disabilities • Independent living facility • Arts curriculum and performing arts centre

19. Reasons for success • Principal: • high expectations • leadership style • capacity to develop a vision a drive it home • tenacity • people skills • capacity to choose the right staff • strong networks • attitude to change

20. Changes in past five years • Increased enrolments and staff • Demographics (more diverse) • Restructuring of school • Change in direction of the school • Change in culture from ‘therapy’ to ‘education’ • Performing Arts curriculum • Reporting to parents • Greater professional accountability

21. Achievements in past 5 years • Successful introduced new innovative curriculum and reporting system • Enhanced reputation • Maintained parent and staff opinion

22. Further reasons for success • Grand and exciting vision • Influential leadership style • Personal qualities –determination • Ability to get people ‘on-board’ • Networking and community involvement • Entrepreneurial • Positive relationships

23. Boys Grammar School P – Year 12

24. Profile School C • School C was a traditional independent Anglican Boy’s Grammar School • K to Year 12 • Located in a middle class suburb. • Approximately 1300 students. • High economic status.

25. Challenges • Changes in Government policy • Funding arrangements

26. Achievements • Internal changes (e.g. House System) • Building program • International partnerships • Building the social conscience of students • Relationships with the wider community • High student results • Enhanced reputation of school • Boys leadership program • Response to higher accountability • Media profile

27. Reasons for success: Leadership • Principal was strategic: 3 stages of principalship • Also: • Personal qualities: • authentic, humble, affirming, calm, personable, approachable, disciplined, tolerant, a gentleman. • Vision and mission – • built on predecessors work and established a learning community with an emphasis on Anglicanism and boys education • Philosophy and values: • trust, respect, affirmation, equality, justice • Leadership style: • strategic, measured, inclusive, collaborative, cooperation and affirming, decisive, actively managed • Skills- • effective communicator.

28. Common characteristics Vision Relationships Values Personal qualities and skills Professional capacity building Highly viable and engaged in school and the community Models of change Attitudes to change

29. Reasons for Difference School A School C Attitude to change School B Strategic – builder Measured response to external forces Calculated time and pace of change Restorer – builder Controlled by external forces Attempted to embed the change SCHOOL B Dynamic Good-to-great SCHOOL C Good, not great Incremental SCHOOL A Plateau Visionary – driver Controlled external forces Promoted change Inflection point

30. Attitudes to change Attitudes appeared to have had a significant impact on the change agenda Principal A Restorer-builder Principal B Visionary-driver Principal C Strategic-builder

31. For further information: • drysdale@unimelb.edu.au • hmgoode@unimelb.edu.au • d.gurr@unimelb.edu.au