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Leading Learning: What’s in the research? (Module 1)

This module discusses the importance of school leaders in improving student learning outcomes and synthesizes general research findings on leadership. It explores three key leadership shifts, ten strong claims about school leadership, and the power of shared leadership.

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Leading Learning: What’s in the research? (Module 1)

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  1. Leading Learning: What’s in the research? (Module 1) Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) Professor Neil Dempster School of Education and Professional Studies

  2. SESSION 1 Purpose: • Synthesising general research findings about leadership links with improved student learning outcomes School of Education and Professional Studies

  3. THE BIG PICTURE • THREE LEADERSHIP SHIFTS From individual with sole to Collective with shared responsibility responsibility From Leadership as to Leadership as activity position From Leadership as generic to L’ship as context specific School of Education and Professional Studies

  4. DEFINITION Leading Learning School leaders, understanding and harnessing the contexts in which they operate, mobilise and work with others to articulate and achieve shared intentions that enhance learning and the lives of learners. MacBeath & Dempster (2009) following Leithwood & Riehl (2003) School of Education and Professional Studies

  5. Three Leadership Fundamentals • Purpose (what for?) • Context (where?) 3. Human Agency (who with?) School of Education and Professional Studies

  6. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP – up from SEVEN (National College for School Leadership 2006, 2010) • After classroom teaching, leadership is the second most significant in-school influence on students’ learning • It accounts for 5-7% of the difference in student learning HOWEVER • There has been no case of improvement in students’ achievement trajectory in the absence of talented leadership (Leithwood et al, 2006) NOTE: The most significant influence on children’s learning and achievement lies outside the school (MacBeath et al 2007) School of Education and Professional Studies

  7. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 2.There is a verifiable repertoire of basic school leadership practices • Building vision and setting directions • Understanding and developing people • Designing the organisation (bringing function and structure together) • Managing the teaching and learning program (bringing purpose and practice together) Jacobsen (2011) Leithwood & Riehl (2005) Harris & Chapman (2002) Bass & Avolio (1994) School of Education and Professional Studies

  8. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 3. The effective application of leadership practices is context sensitive but the context is not everything – it should not be allowed to render a leader powerless to make changes Hallinger & Heck (2011) MacBeath et al (2007) Slatter, Lovett & Barlow (2006) Mintrop & Papazian (2003) Day (2005) School of Education and Professional Studies

  9. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 4. Leaders improve teaching and learning indirectly through influence on staff motivation, commitment and working conditions • they influence teachers’ pedagogical capacity least (unless they are active in professional development) • they have strong influence on working conditions • they have moderate influence on motivation or commitment Robinson (2006, 2009) Leithwood & Janter (2006) School of Education and Professional Studies

  10. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 5. Greatest influence is felt when leadership is widely distributed • shared leadership accounted for 27% of the variation in student achievement across schools in the Mascall and Leithwood studies • this is much higher than the 5-7% reported consistently for the effects of individual leaders. Mascall & Leithwood (2007) School of Education and Professional Studies

  11. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 6. Some patterns of leadership distribution are more effective than others • Since the 80s, there has been consistent evidence about the ineffectiveness of laissaz-faire leadership (Bass, 1985) • there is no loss of a leader’s power and influence when the power and influence of others increases (Malen, 1995) • there is emerging evidence about the need for coordinated patterns of leadership practice (Ensley, Hmieleski & Pearch, 2006; Spillane, 2007; Harris, 2008; Hallinger & Heck, 2010, 2011) School of Education and Professional Studies

  12. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 7. Personal traits explain differences in leadership effectiveness The most successful School Leaders are: • open-minded • ready to learn from others • flexible in their thinking within a set of core values • persistent in the pursuit of the school’s purpose • resilient • optimistic Leithwood & Jantzi (2006) Jacobson et al (2005) School of Education and Professional Studies

  13. TEN STRONG CLAIMS ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Claims 8, 9 and 10 refer to the power of shared leadership and connections beyond the school out into families and the community. • 8. Leaders grow and secure success by layering leadership strategies and actions • 9. Successful principals distribute leadership progressively • 10. The successful distribution of leadership depends on the establishment of trust Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., Harris, A., Leithwood, K., Gu, Q., and Brown, E. (2010) School of Education and Professional Studies

  14. A Summary of the National College for School Leadership Research Review (UK; 2006, 2010) Leaders affect learning by: • building vision and setting directions • understanding and developing teachers • designing effective organisational structures • coordinating the teaching and learning program • attending to the conditions for learning • sharing leadership broadly and deeply School of Education and Professional Studies

  15. OECD (2008) ‘Improving School Leadership’ Leaders who enhance student learning do so by: • supporting and developing teacher quality • defining goals and measuring progress • managing resources strategically • collaborating with external partners School of Education and Professional Studies

  16. Australian Council for Educational Research Review (2009) Leaders ensure high quality learning by: • building a school culture of high expectations • setting targets for improvement • employing teachers who have deep knowledge and understanding of key content areas • enhancing staff and leadership capacity • monitoring teacher practice, student learning and performance continuously • allocating physical and human resources to improve learning School of Education and Professional Studies

  17. NZ Best Evidence Synthesis from Leadership Research(Robinson et al, 2007, 2009) 8 Leadership Dimensions Establishing goals and expectations Resourcing strategically Planning, coordinating and evaluating teaching and the curriculum Promoting and participating in teacher professional learning and development Griffith Institute for Educational Research

  18. Leadership dimensions (cont’d) Ensuring an orderly and supportive environment Creating educationally powerful connections Engaging in constructive problem talk Selecting, developing and using ‘smart tools’ Griffith Institute for Educational Research

  19. Leadership for Learning – the impact of leadership actions Leadership dimension Effect size Active involvement in professional development .84 Clear purpose, goals and expectations .42 Quality teaching .42 Managing strategically e.g. strategic resource usage .31 Ensuring a safe and orderly learning environment.27 Robinson (2007)

  20. The Cambridge Leadership for Learning (LfL) Project (2009) Leadership is linked to learning by: • maintaining a focus on learning • creating conditions favourable to learning • conducting disciplined dialogue about learning • sharing leadership • sharing accountability School of Education and Professional Studies

  21. PURPOSE School Leadership is for learning first and foremost. Leaders need: • deep knowledge of children’s and young people’s learning* • evidence on which to base action • practical strategies for teachers’ professional development *Particular knowledge in at least one key curriculum area (Robinson, 2009) – and knowledge of socio-cultural influences on learning (Buckskin et al, 2008) School of Education and Professional Studies

  22. CONTEXT • Knowledge of the school’s context is essential to the educational leader: • the context has to be understood (globally, nationally and locally, particularly); • beneficial connections have to be made; and • helpful networks must be harnessed in the school’s interests. School of Education and Professional Studies

  23. HUMAN AGENCY (it’s people who get things done) Human agency is the bedrock on which effective school leadership is based • leadership should be distributed – broadly and deeply, inside and outside(Hallinger & Heck, 2011, Price Waterhouse Coopers, 2006; OECD, 2008) • Sharing leadership should occur across roles and functions (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, Spillane 2006, Harris, 2007; Leithwood et al 2010) • Its reach should include students, family and community members(Crowther, 2004; Dempster & Lizzio, 2006-10; OECD, 2008; Johnson and Jervis-Tracey, 2011) School of Education and Professional Studies

  24. Synthesising the Research Findings Those leading schools best affect student learning outcomes when: 1. They have an agreed and shared moral purpose; 2. There is ‘disciplined dialogue’ about learning in the school; 3. They plan, monitor and take account using a strong evidence base; 4. They are active professional learners with their teachers; 5. They attend to enhancing the conditions for learning; 6. They coordinate, manage and monitor the curriculum and teaching; 7. They use distributive leadership as the norm; and 8. They understand and connect with parent and wider community support for learning. School of Education and Professional Studies

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  26. SESSION 2 Purpose: • To reflect on the strength of each of the dimensions of the Leadership for Literacy Learning Blue Print in participating schools School of Education and Professional Studies

  27. Questions for Self-reflection • How strongly would we rate the implementation of each of the Blue Print domains in our school and what evidence do we have to support our rating? • To which of the domains do we believe we should now turn our attention? • How might we best use this instrument back at school? School of Education and Professional Studies

  28. SESSION 3 Purpose: • To practise the use of ‘Disciplined Dialogue’ in professional conversations drawing on quantitative and qualitative evidence gathered about selected Blue Print domains School of Education and Professional Studies

  29. Structure of the Session Three parts: • What is ‘disciplined dialogue’? • How is ‘disciplined dialogue’ conducted? • What is the role of principals and other school leaders in hosting professional conversations? School of Education and Professional Studies

  30. What are professional conversations? In medicine, psychology, social work and education, for example: • professional conversations are measured discussions related to particular cases with a view to addressing needs, managing issues, improving circumstances or facilitating change based on sound evidence. School of Education and Professional Studies

  31. Why is a strong evidence base important to the professions? • It provides the basis upon which professional judgment is applied • It underpins professional knowledge and learning • It acts as an aide to professional accountability School of Education and Professional Studies

  32. Professional Accountability: Essential tenets derived from Erault (1992) • A moral commitment to serve the interests of clients, patients or children • A professional obligation to extend one’s repertoire, to reflect on evidence and experience and to develop one’s expertise • A professional obligation to self-monitor and to review the effectiveness of one’s practice in the interests of clients, patients or children. School of Education and Professional Studies

  33. Evidence should be used in: • constructive problem talk (Robinson & Timperley, 2007) • professional learning conversations (Earl & Timperley, 2009; Danielson, 2009) • disciplined dialogue (MacBeath & Dempster, 2009) Call it what you will… School of Education and Professional Studies

  34. What is Disciplined Dialogue? By this we mean: all-embracing professional conversations that are positively focused on the moral purpose of schools. Disciplined Dialogue is not based on stereotype, hearsay or prejudice, but on reason and values, stimulated by helpful qualitative and quantitative data. From Swaffield and Dempster(2009) School of Education and Professional Studies

  35. Dialogue should be ‘disciplined’ in at least two ways: • by a focus on data or evidence as the source for understanding student learning and achievement 2. by a professional (and personal) commitment to improve teaching and learning and the conditions which support them School of Education and Professional Studies

  36. DISCIPLINED DIALOGUE A professional discussion which: • reinforces ‘moral purpose’ as the motivation for action • focuses on learning, achievement and key contributing factors • scaffolds analysis on qualitative and quantitative data • seeks improvement strategies as the outcome The question now is: How is ‘Disciplined Dialogue’ conducted? School of Education and Professional Studies

  37. Practice Example 1. Participation in a Local General Sports Club (EASY) • This is a club for children and young people from 5 – 20 • Purpose: to attract as many young people as possible into a healthy sporting environment to enhance their health and wellbeing • It has just had its tenth anniversary • It boasts plenty of playing field space and a good clubhouse School of Education and Professional Studies

  38. Table 1. Sports played at a local general sporting club in 2010 School of Education and Professional Studies

  39. Disciplined Dialogue Questions • What do we see in these data? • Why are we seeing what we are? • What, if anything, should we be doing about it? School of Education and Professional Studies

  40. What do we see in these data? When we address this question we should exhaust the data for as much descriptive detail as possible without jumping to explanations or conclusions. It takes discipline to do so. School of Education and Professional Studies

  41. Why are we seeing what we are? • This question enables those who understand the context to bring their professional (and personal) judgment into play. • Multiple reasons are possible from the perspectives of those engaging in the discussion. • Some explanations are likely to be more influential and credible than others. School of Education and Professional Studies

  42. What, if anything, should we be doing about this? This question links discussion to moral purpose. It acts as the motivation for decisions about what to do or not to do. Priorities for action will be raised and discussed. Professional judgment again is essential. School of Education and Professional Studies

  43. Practice Example 2. (HARDER) • Teachers’ Views about working in a low SES school environment • Staff members were asked to respond to 10 items using a four point Likert Scale (see slides 43 and 44) From MacBeath and Mortimore (2001) School of Education and Professional Studies

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  46. Practice Example 3. (HARDER AGAIN) • This example shows the reading level of each child in three Year One classes plotted against the number of weeks they have been at the school. • The test was administered in the 40th school week. • Transience is clearly a significant problem in the school. • In the following slide, upper and lower boundaries of expected achievement are represented by the wedge (Timperley & Wiseman, 2003). School of Education and Professional Studies

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  48. Table 2: Year One Reading Graph Teacher A: 14 up to 20 weeks (14/25) Teacher B: 18 up to 20 weeks (18/31) Teacher C: 13 up to 20 weeks (13/25) School of Education and Professional Studies

  49. Practice Example 4. (EASY) A narrative from a colleague teaching physically disabled children in the Czechoslovakia of Iron Curtain days. I have been teaching physically disabled students for thirty years and I find that the smallest gain in skill by these children is highly motivating for the teachers and really satisfying for the children. In my school, we create a patient environment and we focus on small achievements. We accept that children will need repeated attempts. They will experience repeated failure accompanied by rising frustration. So will the teachers. We practice showing patience and giving support and encouragement to persist and at all times with good humour. Laughter accompanies what we do and no-one thinks of giving up. We think the smallest of gains is a great cause for celebration. For example when we are teaching severely physically disabled children to feed themselves, we applaud them ‘loud and long’ for getting a hand even close to the object spoon. Lifting it off the table warrants ‘high fives’ all round and getting it to the mouth, even empty, we see as a Gold Medal result worth three cheers for everybody!! School of Education and Professional Studies

  50. What do we hear in this narrative about the conditions of learning? • Why do they do what they do? • What, if anything, should they do about their practices? (What is happening in our school?) Why do we do what we do? (What if anything should we do about our practices?) School of Education and Professional Studies

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