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Leadership Project

It Takes a Community to LEAD

A Catholic School

CONTEXT PAPER

DECEMBER 2016

Catholic Education Western Australia – Leadership Project

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This paper describes the various contexts in which this Leadership Project has been developed

resulting in the creation of the Charter – It Takes a Community to LEAD a Catholic School. The

inspiration and aspiration for the Charter is that it engages all members of CEWA thus requiring a fresh

and more inclusive approach to what has been historically across all aspects of society, a more

hierarchical and clearly defined approach to leadership. It is grounded in the understandings that:

1. Everyone is a leader, and everyone is leading all the time, well or poorly.

2. Leadership springs from within. It is about who I am as much as what I do.

3. Leadership is not an act; it is a life – a way of living.

4. Becoming a leader is an ongoing process.1

In the contemporary context of cultural, religious, social, scientific and technological change a

renewed understanding is critical in which all members of the community – students, families, staff,

leadership teams, principals and CEO personnel are actively engaged in LEADing. The review of

literature reveals that current approaches to leadership provide insightful advances about personal

leadership attributes but optimal learning for students continues to be limited because the focus is

not broadened to engaging all.

The Charter focuses on the personal attributes of leadership emphasising the engagement of everyone

through expression in the first person. This emphasises the critical importance of personal agency

inviting all to find their voice. It encourages processes of personal reflection and community

accountability – able to be adapted across all roles and performance processes.

The cultural shift to engage all in responding to the exhortation of Pope Francis to ‘missionary

discipleship’2 requires the vision to be embedded in all aspects – voice, processes, content, pathways,

modalities and importantly relationships. The invitations and conversations in the consultation

process for the Charter are core to how it is received and animated in each community across CEWA.

It is expected that the Charter will be a living document animated by ever deepening understandings

of the mission imperatives of LEAD Learning – Engagement – Accountability – given meaning

through Discipleship.

1 Lowney, C. (2003 ) Heroic Leadership. Loyola Press. 2 Pope Francis (2013) Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel. St Paul Publications. nn. 50 & 120


CEWA LEADERSHIP PROJECT

It Takes a Community to LEAD a Catholic School

PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to describe the various contexts in which this Leadership Project is taking

place and the conditions in which it has been created. In essence - why this project, why now and for

whom? It is important to note that from the outset the inspiration and aspiration for the Leadership

Project is that it engages all members of school communities in leadership, thus requiring a fresh and

more inclusive approach to what has been historically across all aspects of society, a more hierarchical

and clearly defined approach. This document informs the Charter.

The Brief

The following is a summary of the Terms of Reference for the project which were finalised in April

2016

Develop a world class, system-wide framework that articulates the capabilities leaders

require to effectively lead their communities in times of cultural, religious, social, scientific

and technological change. The capabilities should articulate how such leaders learn; engage

deeply and effectively with stakeholders; remain accountable for their learning and the

success of CEWA; and personally transform themselves and those they lead through a life-

giving relationship with our ultimate role model, Jesus Christ3.

In response to the contemporary context of ‘cultural, religious, social, scientific and technological

change’4 and more importantly, the conversations across the available members of CEWA both based

within the Catholic Education Office and school communities, the Project Leader resolved and

received agreement that a Charter would be more appropriate. A Charter enables articulation of a

clear philosophical vision (why?), description of the contexts (why now?) and the community

members (for whom?) across the diversity of the setting and enables a more responsive and agile

document whilst at the same time articulating a renewed and clear vision inspired by the Bishops’

Mandate for Catholic Education in Western Australia 2009 - 20155 and aligned with the Strategic

Direction 2014-20166. It also enables all aspects of CEWA to be in dialogue with the Charter in all its

phases – a living and responsive way of being rather than simply a document.

3 CEWA Leadership Project Terms of Reference (April 2016) 4 CEWA Leadership Project Terms of Reference (April 2016) 5 WA Bishops’ Mandate Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia 2009 - 2015 6 CEWA Strategic Direction 2014-2016 (2013)


The following sections will describe the various contexts which are presenting in education and

Catholic education in particular at this time and the current practices and processes of leadership

development in CEWA.

1. WHY THIS PROJECT?

From its earliest beginnings in the 1840s, Catholic education in Western Australia has grown into a

vibrant network of Catholic learning communities. In the words of the Executive Director, Dr

McDonald the important challenge now:

‘is how we re-imagine learning and development in an increasingly interconnected

and complex world at a time when the rate and scale of change is so accelerated.

How do we enable our students to flourish? How do we invest in our teachers to

make extraordinary learning possible and demonstrable in every classroom? How

do we engage parents as the prime educators of their children guiding their children

in faith and supporting them as they nurture their children to generously contribute

as moral and ethical members of society? How do we ensure that our schools are

places where every student and staff member has a sense of belonging, where

everyone learns they have a talent…realising that our lives have great purpose and

that we have the power to act responsibly and generously witnessing to the values

of our faith in the everyday inspired by Jesus Christ7

Pope Francis provides inspiration in encountering these imperatives when he exhorts all to ‘Live in the

present and revere tradition, but create the future…leaders are not stuck in the past. They are not

enslaved by the past. They do not shrink from change fearfully but drive change with hope and

optimism. They run to the future, not from it’8.

The purpose is to re-imagine leadership, to be aspirational, to embrace an understanding and a culture

of all members of school communities – students, staff, families, leadership teams, Catholic education

office personnel being actively engaged in leading. The inspiration of the ancient wisdom of our

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island brothers and sisters animates this Charter in a spirit of mutual

learning, reconciliation and respect.

Lowney9 inspired by the Jesuit tradition describes leadership in the following ways:

1. Everyone is a leader, and everyone is leading all the time, well or poorly.

The vision that each person possesses untapped leadership potential cuts against the grain of

the corporate top-down leadership model.

7 ‘McDonald, T. (2016) Revere The Past and Create The Future. Article in The Record Magazine. Issue 3. July 2016 8 Lowney, C. (2013). Pope Francis. Why He Leads the Way He Leads. Chapters 7 & 8. Loyola Press. Chicago 9 Lowney, C. (2003 ) Heroic Leadership. Loyola Press.


2. Leadership springs from within. It is about who I am as much as what I do.

No one ever became an effective leader by reading an instruction book, or learning one-size-

fits-all rules. Rather, a leader’s most compelling tool is who they are: a person who

understands what they value, what they care about and who faces the world with a

consistent outlook.

3. Leadership is not an act; it is a life – a way of living.

Leadership is not a job, not a role one plays at work and then puts aside during the commute

home in order to relax and enjoy real life.

4. Becoming a leader is an ongoing process.

Personal leadership is a never ending work in progress that draws on continually maturing

self-understanding.

1.1 CONTEXT

Introduction

Catholic education in Western Australia (CEWA) is unique in the nation as it is a single system serving

the four dioceses through the cooperation of the five Bishops who together have declared a united

Mandate for Catholic Education in Western Australia 2009 - 201510.

It is imperative to describe briefly the various contexts within which Catholic Education Western

Australia (CEWA) operates as each of these contexts impact on the fulfilment of the Bishops’

Mandate11 for Catholic Education which exhorts all engaged in the mission of Catholic education to

study the ‘signs of the times’ …which are the ‘genuine signs of the presence or the purpose of God’ as

seen in the events, the needs and the desires of people today.12

In essence, today’s context could be described as a ‘liminal age’ described as a time in which people

and societies can feel disturbed when many long held views and beliefs about life, including Church,

family and the broader world are called into question through the influence of increased globalisation

through the media and increasing multi-faceted influences’.13 It is also described as ‘the gradually

progressing secularisation, pluralisation and detraditionalisation of our culture, outside the school and

10 WA Bishops’ Mandate Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia 2009 - 2015 11 ibid p. 5 12 Ibid p. 5 13 D’Orsa, T. & D’Orsa, J. (2013) Leading for Mission: Integrating life, culture and faith in Catholic eduction. Mulgrave. Vaughan Publishing


also inside the school’.14 Catholic education and its schools exist within society and contribute to

society both locally, nationally and globally – this is true for Catholic Education Western Australia

(CEWA).

So what is a snapshot of this context of cultural, religious, social, scientific and technological change’15

within Church, society, educationally and in particular within CEWA in 2016 impacting on leadership?

1.1.1 Church with focus on Western Australia

The late Pope St John Paul 11 at the end of the Jubilee Year in 2000, invited the People of God ‘to

remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look to the future with

confidence’16 in order to ‘put out into the deep’ (Lk 5:4) in continuing God’s mission in the world.

Indeed, CEWA has a long and proud history in the Church and society however, the rapid sociological

change exhorts a radical mission response – to be imaginative and innovative in a world that is ‘more

diverse, more complex, less sustainable and less equal’17. Pope Francis in his homily at the end of the

Synod on the Family in 2015 reminds us - ‘God is not afraid of new things! That is why God is

continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways. God renews us: God

constantly makes us “new”. A Christian who lives the Gospel is “God’s newness” in the Church and in

the world. How much God loves this “newness”!’

A snapshot of the demographic of the four dioceses of Western Australia

14 Pollefeyt, D. (2012) Report of the CECV Enhancing Catholic School Identity Research Project 15 CEWA Leadership Project Terms of Reference (April 2016) 16 Pope John Paul II (2001) Novo Millennio Ineunte. n. 1 17 Hallgarten, J, Hannon, V. & Beresford, T (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. Innovation Unit RSA Paper WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE).

DIOCESE CATH POPn PARISHES SCHOOLS AREA

Broome 13,402 10 13 773,000km2

Geraldton 29,317 16 11 1,318,310km2

Perth 426,872 108 112 427,377km2

Bunbury 58,522 28 27 184,000km2


The vastness of each of the dioceses in area or number of schools is evident amidst a growing diversity

of families choosing Catholic education and the intentional outreach of CEWA to ‘those who find

themselves in greater difficulties, who are poorer, more fragile or needy, [not being] seen as a burden

or obstacle, but as the most important students, who should be at the centre of the school’s [and

CEWA’s] attention and concerns’.18 Students come from ‘different religious backgrounds, nations and

cultures’ enabling ‘intercultural dialogue, helping each pupil grow in their humanness, civic

responsibility and learning’19 which is embraced fulfilling the vision of Gravissimum Educationis20.

The shared mission and personal conviction of the Bishops of Western Australia is revealed in their

episcopal mottos:

‘To love, to serve like Christ’; ‘In Omnibus Caritas - In all things love’; ‘Caritas Christi Urget Nos – Let’s

all be motivated by the love of Christ’; Via, Veritas, Vita - The Way, the Truth, and the Life’ and ‘Duc in Altum’ - Put out into the Deep’.

The shared mission is perhaps summarised in the Mission Statement of Geraldton Diocese ‘we aim to

be welcoming, missionary, centred on Christ, with each striving to live one's particular vocation. It is in

living out our calling that we praise God, follow Christ, influence society and achieve the goal of eternal

life won for us by Christ’.

Within the broader context of universal and Australian Church in western cultures, a time is being

experienced in which it is critical that the Church’s mission is focused on a renewed and fresh approach

to evangelisation that engages families and all strata of society in a dialogue between Faith and

Culture. This is named by some theologians as Recontextualisation21.

Bishop Vincent Long describes these times:

‘we need to read the signs of the times and be open to the Spirit, [and] dismissing the unique challenges we face today with an air of triumphalism and invincibility will not sensitise us to this watershed moment…as builders of kingdom, we are called to be catalysts for renewal and allow ourselves to be recast and reimagined into ministers of faith, hope and love to our people in this time of transition...the arrival of Pope Francis and his emphasis on servant leadership have unambiguously signalled this new era. He said poignantly that we are not living in an era of change but a change of era. There needs to be attitudinal change at every level, a conversion of mind and heart that conforms us to the spirit of the Gospel.22

18 Pope Francis (2015) Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion: Instrumentum Laboris. n. 5 19 Ibid. n. 8 20 Pope Paul VI (1965) Gravissimum Educationis. Vatican City. 21 Boeve, L. (2007) God Interrupts History – Theology in a Time of Upheaval. Continuum New York 22 Long, Most Reverend Vincent (2016) Ann D Clark Lecture.


Bishop Saunders23 reflects

‘There is now more than ever before a pressing urgency to reflect carefully on the gospel metaphor of “new wine” being unsuitably contained in ‘old wineskins’. To put it plainly our present manner and method of passing on the faith is not adequate…requires a ‘new imagination’ beyond anything we have experienced before in our lives. This ‘imagination’ is the ability to create images – to cope with what we are experiencing in our pastoral endeavours and to cast aside images which are no longer helpful… the need for a “paschal imagination” that allows us to move on from tired and inadequate images of faith and Church, to let these die so that other images may be born and may thrive, bringing life to weary and worn-out structures..’

Indeed, the context as stated earlier could be described as a ‘liminal age’. 24 This concept of liminality

is critical to the dialogue – a liminal space indeed is where Mission is lived personally, communally and

contextually both sociologically and within Church. The word “liminal” comes from the Latin word

limens, meaning literally, ‘threshold’...a liminal space, the place of transition, waiting, and not knowing

is a place in between (for people, groups, societies) – Hjalmarson25 states that ‘it represents the place

between two world views. It is the place where transformation happens’.

These thresholds of waiting and not knowing are everywhere in life and they are inevitable, in the

temptation to seek and find the answer we can miss the opportunity, the gift of sitting in the ‘in-

between’ places... the place of the Holy Spirit, of the messiness of life. Rohr26 comments further

‘Nothing good or creative emerges from business as usual. This is why much of the work of God is to

get people into liminal space and to keep them there long enough so they can learn something

essential’.

The questions disturbing this space include: Are we as Church and Catholic education exacerbating

the liminal space rather than engaging it? Are we staying silent through word or action or sitting

passively when we know that there are more life-giving ways for ourselves or others to live God’s

mission? Or are we as Hjalmarson encourages – ‘letting go of old answers and beginning to ask new

questions’ returning to the ancient texts looking for clues - The prophet Jeremiah reminds us: Stand

at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and

find rest for your souls. (6:16)

23 Saunders, Most Reverend Christopher (2007) Pastoral Letter. Diocese of Broome. 24 ‘D’Orsa, T & D’’ Orsa, J (2013). Leading For Mission: Integrating life, culture and faith in Catholic education. Mulgrave. Vaughan Publishing. 25 Hjalmarson, L. (circa 2005). Forty Years in a Narrow Space. www.nextreformation.com 26 Rohr, R. (2002) Days without Answers in the Narrow Space in National Catholic Report, February, 2002.

http://www.nextreformation.com/


Brueggemann27 reminds us:

‘We all have a hunger for certitude, and the problem is that the Gospel is not about certitude, it's about fidelity. So what we all want to do if we can is immediately transpose fidelity into certitude, because fidelity is a relational category and certitude is a flat, mechanical category. So we have to acknowledge our thirst for certitude and then recognize that if you had all the certitudes in the world it would not make the quality of your life any better because what we must have is fidelity’.

This liminal space is where the inclusive CEWA Charter for Leadership is conceived and born animated

by a pedagogy of dialogue which Bevans and Schroeders28 propose as ‘Mission as Dialogue’. Bishop

Long elaborates:

‘our challenge is to accompany people from the margins into a journey towards the fullness of life and love. It is to embrace the call of the Second Vatican Council to identify with the joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of those who are in any way afflicted. To do this, he/she must be able to live in and to bridge the yawning gap, the liminal space between the ideal and the real, between what the Church teaches and how the people respond.’29

In the context of this project, the opportunity is to engage all in leading.

The context reveals a more secular society in which the adherence to a religious tradition has changed

markedly within Australian society as revealed in the diagram below.

Change in Religious Identity in Australia30

Religious ID 1947 2006 2011

Christian 88% 64% 61.1% Other 0.5% 5.6% Not reporting a Christian faith 18.7% 22.3% Fastest growing religion is Hinduism No Religion 0.3% 19% 22.3% Not Stated 10.9% 11.5% 8.6%

It is predicted that this context will have changed even more markedly in the next analysis following

the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census undertaken in 2016. A snapshot from the National

Church Life Survey of 2011 Mass attendance is described thus:

In 2011, the total number of people at Mass in Australia on a typical weekend was about 680,000, only about 12.5 per cent, or one-eighth, of the total number of Catholics. Most of those who attend, about 85 per cent, are there every weekend, but the individuals who make up the other 15 per cent vary from week to week. The percentage of Catholics who attend Mass every week has been falling more or less steadily since it peaked in the mid-1950s, when two-thirds or perhaps even three-quarters of all Catholics went to Mass every Sunday. In general, Mass attenders today are older, better educated, more likely to be female and to be born overseas than the Catholic population as a whole. The results of the 2011 survey show that three-fifths (61 per cent) of Mass attenders aged 15 and over were female, 34 per

27 Brueggemann, W. quoted at the Emergent Convention Atlanta, September 16, 2004 cited in Hjalmarson , circa 2005. 28 Bevans, S & Schroeders, R (2011) Prophetic Dialogue: Reflections on Christian Mission Today. Orbis Books. New York 29 Long, Most Reverend Vincent (2016) Ann D. Clark Lecture. 30 Bouma, G (2006) Australian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the twenty-first century Cambridge University Pres s p. 53


cent had a university degree, and 41 per cent were born overseas — eight per cent in English speaking countries and 33 per cent in non-English speaking countries31.

In dialogue with some of the Bishops of Western Australia, it was agreed that the average for

attendees at regular worship is varies between 15% and around 10%.

Within this context the philosopher Charles Taylor offers insights on the effects of changing contexts

on faith, of the increasing secularity and ‘often stressing that religious belief is richer than the usual

perception of it’32. Taylor urges asking of deeper questions, of making what Pollefeyt33 would describe

as ‘hermeneutical space’. Taylor predicts that ‘we are just at the beginning of a new age of religious

searching, whose outcome no one can foresee…when faith will be less collective and more

Christocentric’34. This resonates with the strong conviction of Archbishop Costelloe in his homily at

his installation as Archbishop of Perth in March 2012 ‘we are called to make [the face of Christ] shine

for each other and all the people of our own time and place...witnessing to Christ as a living presence

today’.35

Taylor and other theological and Catholic Education writers exhort an emphasis on imagination, to ‘a

kind of knowing that excites the heart, which ‘is commonly

reached, not through reason, but through the imagination’36, that to ‘think imaginatively is to

transcend all things negative; to transform the world, to liberate the divine’37. In the midst of these

complex and challenging times O’Leary38 encourages ‘there is a need to be confident about the model

of theology on which our education efforts are based. The humanity of Christ is at the heart of all our

‘humanising and transforming’ work with others (Benedict XVI). God became human so that human

beings could realise their divinity. Recovering the language of love and excitement is the work of

education.’

Critical in the whole conversation is the faith profile of the staff in Catholic schools and the families.

The Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) Faith Formation Research Report39 was presented

in 2016 and the research findings are cited in Section 2.2.3 – Creating the Future not just Responding.

The outcomes of this research are valuable to the Leadership Project as they contribute a clearer

31 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Pastoral Research Office (2013). A Profile of the Catholic Community in Australia. www.pro.catholic.org.au 32 Gallagher, MP (2011). Faith Maps. Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd republished by Paulist Press, New York p. 106 33 Pollefeyt, D. Presentation on the CECV Enhancing Catholic School Identity Research Project in Victoria 2014. 34 Taylor, C. (2007) A Secular Age. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. London. pp. 535 & 541 35 Costelloe, Most Reverend Timothy (2012) Liturgical Reception and Solemn Mass Homily. www.perthcatholic.org.au 36 Cardinal Newman quoted in O’Leary, D. (2008) Begin With the Heart. Columba Press 37 O’Leary, D. (2008) Begin With the Heart. Columba Press. Dublin p. 35. 38 O’Leary, D. (2008) Begin With the Heart. Columba Press. Dublin 39 Painted Dog Research (2016) Faith Formation Research Report CEWA. p. 13

http://www.pro.catholic.org.au/

http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/


description of the faith profile and the imperative of inclusive, dialogical and focused methodology of

both the focus (content) and the process of pathways for an inclusive charter for leadership for CEWA.

As Bishop Holohan40 reflected ‘it is through a process of ‘apprenticeship’ that we understand more

fully the ways in which to encounter and respond to God’ and that ‘we grow as witnesses committed

to the dignity of the human person’ – these understandings are core to growing as a community of

leaders.

At the heart of Catholic Education are families and the acknowledgement and embracing of the

understanding that ‘parents are the primary and natural educators of their children’41. As stated in

numerous publications and contexts, families are indeed the first society into which children are

welcomed. The Catholic Church teaches that ‘the family is a community of love and solidarity, which

is uniquely suited to teach and transmit cultural, ethical, social, spiritual and religious values’42.

This document further elaborates the role of parents as the ‘primary educators’43 and that ‘the primary

right of parents to educate their children must be upheld in all forms of collaboration between

parents, teachers, and school authorities, and particularly in forms of participation designed to give

citizens a voice in the functioning of schools and in the formulation and implementation of educational

policies’44. Within the secular context of Australian society in the Family-School and Community

Partnership Bureau Report the research concludes that ‘positive parental engagement in learning

improves academic achievement, wellbeing and productivity’45.

Opportunities for evangelisation of families engaged in Catholic education in schools in the current

socio-cultural context require creativity coupled with a commitment to the declaration of

Gravissimum Educationis that ‘parents are the prime educators of children’46 and indeed, ‘the family

has a completely original and irreplaceable role in raising children’…’the parents’ [caregivers] love,

placing itself at the service of children to draw forth from them (“educere”) the best that is in them,

finds its fullest expression precisely in the task of educating’47. In the words of the late Pope St John

Paul II ‘as well as being a source, the parents’ [caregivers] love is also the animating principle and

therefore the norm inspiring and guiding all concrete educational activity, enriching it with the values

40 Holohan, Most Reverend Gerald. (2016) Interview notes from phone conversation with Project Leader 41 Gravissimum Educationis (1965) n. 11 42 Charter of the Rights of the Family (2008) presented by the Holy See on October 22, 2008. Preamble E. 43 Gravissimum Educationis (1965) n. 11 44 Charter of the Rights of the Family (2008). Article 5 E. 45 Family-School & Community Partnership Bureau (2012) Parental Engagement in Learning and Schooling: Lessons from Research. Foreword 46 Gravissimum Educationis (1965) n. 11 47 Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (2004) Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. N. 239


of kindness, constancy, goodness, service, disinterestedness and self-sacrifice that are the most

precious fruit of love’.48

Within this broader context the pressure on the family unit is increasingly apparent, including within

the populations of Catholic schools. This situation coupled with the most recent National Church Life

Survey (NCLS) data49 reveals an increasing diminishment in the numbers of people worshipping on a

regular basis, including teachers in Catholic schools. At the heart of Catholic education is the

understanding that ‘we cannot teach people into believing. All we can do is share with them the

radiance of our own discoveries…theology has to be autobiographical if it is to enflame the heart with

love of God. It is out of the fullness of our own hearts that our words will touch others’.50

The commitment of the Catholic Church to families is personified in the document Amoris Laetitia51

which is the response of Pope Francis to the ‘Synod on the Family’52 which was characterised by a

more open participation than in any prior Synod process. It is acknowledged that these contexts are

not presented as a sign of despair but as a touchstone for hope and growth – an important lens

through which to engage and to re-imagine leadership.

1.1.2 Socio-Political

Coupled with the ecclesial context is an ever-changing political context at State and Federal level

which is marked by increasing accountability and simmering sectarian themes as decreasing funds are

being allocated to education and in particular non-government schools, including Catholic systemic

schools. This situation will continue as funding for the next quadrennium53 is negotiated. It is critical

to take a snapshot of the broader contemporary research and insight into the needs of society today

and into the future. The changing landscape or indeed the volatility of society at present is borne out

globally in the recent political events in the United Kingdom, in the United States, in the Italian

Referendum, within by-elections in Australia and in the imminent French and other European elections of 2017.

Under-represented groups in political structures and decision-making are finding a voice – the outcomes are yet

to be realised. The salutary lesson would appear to be that this time of social change is gaining momentum and

has the accelerant of social media which was not available to previous such movements in the history of

humankind.

48 John Paul II (1981) Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, n. 36 49 Mollidor, C., Powell, R., Pepper, M., Hancock, N. (2013) Comparing Church and Community: A Demographic Profile, NCLS Research Occasional Paper 19, Catalogue Number 2. 13006, Adelaide. Mirrabooka Press. 50 O’Leary, D. (2008) Begin with the Heart. Columba Press. p. 128 51 Pope Francis (2016) Amoris Laetitia 52 Synod on The Family: Rome (October 2014 – October 2015) 53 Funding Quadrennium; 2018 – 2021 Commonwealth Government Funding Mechanism


Building on the previous section it is important to note that it is a time of continuous social change in which the

profile of the family which is at the heart of education, is more diverse than perhaps at any other period of

Australian history. A snapshot of the demography of Australian families as revealed by the Institute of

Family Studies54 is:

In March 2015, there were 23.71 million residents in Australia and according to ABS (2015), children aged 0-14 years make up 19% of the population while people aged 65 years and older account for 15% of the population…66% of the population are 15-64 years – the group that is traditionally treated as being of ‘working age’.

Australia’s population is culturally and ethnically diverse According to the 2011 Census data, about one quarter of the population was

born overseas and many residents who were born in Australia have a parent who was born in another country

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represent 2.5% of the population

The 2011 Census data revealed that there were about 8.18 million households and 5.68 million families – the ABS defines families as: two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. That is, members of families who live in different households are not treated as part of the same family unit.

Around one-half of the population aged 15 years and older is married Median age at first marriage is 29.9 for men and 28.3 for women in 2013 Over the last decade, between 11 to 14 couples in every 1000 marriages are

granted a divorce each year Women who become mothers do so typically at age 25-34 years.

Eminent Aboriginal leader, Noel Pearson in the recent Sir Keith Murdoch Oration55 distilled the current

societal context with the increasing social divide and growth of disadvantage, as requiring an

intentional drive for reform through leadership rather than management – in summary he proposed

that the two key priorities should be to tackle poverty and encourage personal agency. Indeed tackling

poverty is core to Catholic Social Teaching however it is proposed that the encouragement of personal

agency is less than obvious as a characteristic of most Church agencies. Pink elaborates ‘human beings

have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another’.56 This

is explained more explicitly in the context of schools and students by Bockern and McDonald57 who

describe Circle of Courage Schools committed to meeting the ‘essential human needs of belonging,

mastery, independence and generosity’ characterised by ‘sharing power in developmentally

appropriate ways’ enabling all to make decisions – to have personal agency.

54 https://aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures/some-basic-facts-about-australian-families 55 Pearson, Noel (2016) Hunt for the Radical Centre. The Weekend Australian October 22-23 2016: p19 56 Pink, Daniel quoted in Meager, Camilla (2015) in blog.hubspot.com 57 Van Bockern, S. & McDonald, T. (2015) Circle of Courage Schools in Brendtro, L & Mitchell, M (Eds). Deep Brain Learning. Starr Commonwealth. Michigan pp. 138-142

https://aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures/some-basic-facts-about-australian-families


In the midst of changes to family and society, several sources including the World Economic Forum

article on the Future of Jobs and Skills58 are proposing that the skills needed for the future are changing

and that the emphasis in schooling must change. A comparison of the Top Ten Skills suggested is:

IN 2015 IN 2020

1. Complex Problem Solving

2. Coordinating with Others

3. People Management

4. Critical Thinking

5. Negotiation

6. Quality Control

7. Service Orientation

8. Judgement and Decision Making

9. Active Listening

10. Creativity

1. Complex Problem Solving

2. Critical Thinking

3. Creativity

4. People Management

5. Coordinating with Others

6. Emotional Intelligence

7. Judgement & Decision Making

8. Service Orientation

9. Negotiation

10. Cognitive Flexibility

The list reveals a change in the order of the requirement and emphasis of skills and also the

introduction of two additional skills which are needed – emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility

both of which have strong implications for the learning and accountability of all in a new paradigm of

leadership as well as opportunities and indeed imperatives for students and their growth. Equally as

important are the processes for ensuring personal agency as is indicated in the research regarding the

‘limited role individuals seem to have in shaping their own professional learning’.59 Pink60 elaborates

that the three key motivators for enhancing performance are autonomy, mastery and purpose – a

common theme that is manifest within the processes of the Charter.

In presenting this brief snapshot of the socio-political landscape it is imperative to note the increasing

relationship between educational policy and economic development which is influencing not only the

rhetoric of Ministers for Education within Australia and globally but indeed educational policy. Forde,

McMahon and Dickson61 make this connection in a recent paper:

58 World Economic Forum (2016) The Future of Jobs – Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. p. 6 59 Lovett, S., Dempster, N. & Fluckiger, B. (2014) Personal Agency in Leadership Learning using an Australian Heuristic. Professional Development in Education, 41:1, 127-143 DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2014.891532 60 Pink, Daniel quoted in Meager, Camilla (2015) in blog.hubspot.com 61 Forde, C., McMahon, M & Dickson, B. (2011) Leadership Development in Scotland: after Donaldson, Scottish Educational Review, 43 (2), 55-69


‘In the OECD’s (2010) report, The High Cost of Low Educational Performance, the relationship between cognitive skills – as measured by PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) - and economic performance is measured. The authors argue that differences in cognitive skill can be used to explain differences in economic performance: the basic characterization of growth indicates that higher cognitive skills offer a path of continued economic improvement, so that favourable policies today have growing impacts in the future. The underlying idea is that economies with more human capital (measured by cognitive skills) innovate at a higher rate than those with less human capital, implying that nations with larger human capital in their workers keep seeing more productivity gains (p 10)’.

In summary ‘greater resilience and adaptability are needed to cope with volatile labour markets and

diverse, less coherent, career paths; while businesses also emphasise the need for a more creative,

rounded, self-motivated workforce. To ensure that their societies flourish, countries will need to

redesign their education systems to support broader outcomes, promoting an openness to new ideas,

ability to adapt and courage in the face of the unexpected.’62 Indeed in the Australian press in

November, students were being encouraged to think about training for career clusters rather than

specific professions or roles.

1.1.3 Educational

‘Educating is an act of love, it is like giving life’ Pope Francis

O’Leary63 challenges that the ‘task of the educator is, beyond the giving of new information to students,

to bring them to the edge of their own divine possibilities’ – this is all students acknowledging the

presence of God in every person. This is the excitement of the evangelizing challenge released through

the inspiration of the theology of Vatican II in articulating a dynamic understanding of Revelation.

Within this excitement is the challenge of continuing to encourage and awaken in staff communities

and families, the divine presence within them – this is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities and

where the mission of God’s love in the world can connect bringing together home, school and parish

within the context of the broader Catholic education community and the Diocesan communities.

International research coupled with Australian research reveals that applicants aspiring to senior

leadership in schools and systems are decreasing – this is evident in the Leadership Data Snapshot in

62 Hallgarten, J., Hannon, V. & Beresford, T. (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. WISE p. 20 63 O’Leary, D (2008), Begin with the Heart…Recovering a Sacramental Vision, Columba Press, Dublin. p.28


section 2.2.3. This requires not just a re-thinking of the expectations of leadership but of the nature

of leadership in education in meeting the needs of learners as described in the previous section – ‘if

transformation is to come from within education systems themselves…then it will depend upon the

emergence of a different type of leadership…leadership which has authentic conviction about the

potential for education as humanity’s best hope; and which can assemble and communicate a

compelling case for change’.64 In the midst of this situation there has been within Australia and globally

a ‘reconfiguration of leadership development programmes with emergent teacher leadership

becoming a key component’.65 This study goes on further to suggest that ‘as part of ‘next practice’ in

taking forward leadership development…we can consider leadership as an intrinsic part of the

professional understandings, skills and practice of all in the teaching profession and therefore access

to leadership development opportunities is essential’.66

Within the context of Australia, the Melbourne Declaration67 takes this extension and understanding

of leadership further to include a broader group of participants in leadership in meeting its goals that:

Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence and Goal 2: All young Australians become:

- Successful learners - Confident and creative individuals - Active and informed citizens

stating clearly that ‘achieving these educational goals is the collective responsibility of governments,

school sectors and individual schools as well as parents and carers, young Australians, families, other

education and training providers, business and the broader community.’ The case for inclusive

leadership across the key stakeholders named in the Declaration is unequivocal. However, the

translation into either policy or practice is variable despite a number of studies finding that ‘layering

of leadership was important not only within a school but beyond the school’68 and that the

‘connectedness of leadership across these layers is crucial’.69 In effect, the findings caution that

leadership not be ‘reduced to narrow understandings of the exercise of power and influence and that

64 Hallgarten, J., Hannon, V. & Beresford, T. (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. WISE p. 9 65 Forde, C., McMahon, M & Dickson, B. (2011) Leadership Development in Scotland: after Donaldson, Scottish Educational Review, 43 (2), 55-69 66 Ibid p. 61 67 MCEETYA (2008) Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. 68 Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A et al (2006b) Successful School Leadership: What it is and how it influences pupil learning, Nottingham. NCSL. Research Report 800. 69 Forde, C., McMahon, M & Dickson, B. (2011) Leadership Development in Scotland: after Donaldson, Scottish Educational Review, 43 (2), 55-69


the concentration in leadership development is on the behaviours and personal/interpersonal skills of

the leader’.70

The research of Leithwood71 informed strongly the Ontario Leadership Framework and this revealed

that ‘in addition to recognizing and undertaking effective leadership practices, effective leaders also

tend to possess and draw on a small but critical number of personal leadership resources when

enacting leadership practices. There is a compelling research base for including cognitive, social and

psychological resources’ as key to a suite of leadership attributes, especially within a broader and more

inclusive approach to leadership. The research reveals a prevailing approach to leadership in

education around understanding the school as a learning organisation72 for all with extensive

taxonomies and inventories however these studies whilst proposing inclusion of staff continue to limit

the active participation of families. What is gaining growing emphasis is the continued ‘promotion of

team learning and collaboration’; ‘establishing a culture of inquiry, innovation and exploration’ and

‘learning with and from the external environment and larger learning system.’73

A recurring theme is that of personal agency which also has the imperative of leaders at all levels and

in all roles working in collaboration with others in building the capacity of all with the attributes of

being ‘horizontally accountable - to their communities and professional peers’; being ‘research-

informed and innovative’ and ‘increasingly focused on issues of learner engagement and

personalisation in the digital age’.74

2. WHY NOW?

Re-imagining leadership in CEWA is motivated by the increasingly complex landscape in which

schooling is occurring – pressures and opportunities which require that all members of the community

assume co-responsibility for learning of students and each other. The Charter provides a platform

around Learning - Engagement - Accountability - Discipleship (LEAD) which enables the flourishing of

every person so that ‘lives are transformed by inspiring a passion for learning and discovery, through

a closer relationship with Jesus Christ’.75

70 Ibid p. 67 71 Leithwood, K. (2013) The Ontario Leadership Framework. IEL p.22 72 Kools, M. & Stoll, L. (2016) What Makes a School a Learning Organisation. OECD 73 Ibid. p. 10 74 Hallgarten, J., Hannon, V. & Beresford, T. (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. WISE p. 30 75 CEWA Mission Statement. Priorities 2017 - 2019


2.1 Pope Francis and Renewed Mission of Catholic Education

In late 2015 leaders engaged in Catholic education from across the world met in Rome for a

Conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Gravissimum Educationis. In his conversation with

those gathered Pope Francis emphasised that ‘we need to ensure that Catholic education is accessible

and available to people everywhere, particularly at the margins of society and that we need to present

a human face of our faith to people…we’re not here to convert people to Christianity, but rather we’re

here to convert them to a good life, making sure that they are the best person they can be, educating

the whole person – head, heart and hands’.76 In the more formal words of the document Educating

Today Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion77

‘Schools and universities are places where people learn how to live their lives, achieve cultural

growth, receive vocational training and engage in the pursuit of the common good; they

provide the occasion and opportunity to understand the present time and imagine the future

of society and [humankind]. At the root of Catholic education is our Christian spiritual heritage,

which is part of a constant dialogue with the cultural heritage and the conquests of science;

Catholic schools and universities are educational communities where learning thrives on the

integration between research, thinking and life experience’.

Pope Francis exhorts all to be ‘missionary disciples’. 78

2.1.1 Renewal of the Bishops’ Mandate for Catholic Education

During 2017 the Bishops’ Mandate for Catholic education in Western Australia will be renewed

providing a timely dialogue and mutual inspiration for the Charter for Leadership.

Each of the Bishops expressed their hopes for the Charter with common themes of being inspired by

the Gospel to:

- A growing love of Jesus nurtured through prayer and liturgy - An understanding that ‘the relationship between a person and God is at the

heart of what life is all about - Discipleship - Service - Being hope-filled - Engage with people – love them – be available - Self-sacrifice - Engage culture and faith - Witness inspired by Jesus - Being courageous and vulnerable - Being trustworthy - Outward-looking and other-focused79

76 Personal account/reflection of a leader who attended the Conference. 77 Pope Francis (2014) Educating Today Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion – Instrumentum Laboris. Vatican City. 78 Pope Francis (2013) Evangelii Gaudium - The Joy of the Gospel. St Paul Publications. nn. 50 and 120 79 Summary of letters and interviews with five WA Bishops.


This also coincides with the Australian Conference of Catholic Bishops (ACBC) and the National

Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) development of a Framework for Formation for Mission in

Catholic education which will serve to inform and be informed by the Leadership Charter and its focus

and processes. CEWA is situated within the national context of Catholic education and the following

section illustrates its profile in relation to the national picture – the similarities and particularities of

the largest system in area and the fourth largest in numbers.

2.1.2 Australian Catholic Education Demographic Profile80

The National Catholic Education Annual Report 2015 reveals an important insight into CEWA within

the national context. This is informative because CEWA is a strong contributor in an interdependent

system of Catholic education across Australia. These tables provide a quick snapshot of CEWA

students within the national profile.

80 NCEC Annual Report (2015)


The following graphs provide a national snapshot of the religious profile of students and the gender

profile of staff, both teaching and non-teaching. This reveals an increasing number of non-teaching

staff required to ensure effective schooling and thus an increasingly diverse workplace.


2.2 Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA):

In the recent words of the Executive Director in the preface to the Leading Lights initiative, ‘our

aspiration is to provide a world-class Catholic education system where all our students, staff and

parents flourish. in our schools and early years centres we are working together as a community that

is entirely focused on meeting the contemporary needs of our students, parents, staff and school

communities in these rapidly changing times’81 It is within this context that the inclusive Charter – It

Takes a Community to LEAD a Catholic School - emerges to optimise the capacity of all in the learning

community to flourish.

2.2.1 Demographic Snapshot

The following Figure presents the demography of CEWA in 2016

81 McDonald, T. (2016) Leading Lights – Transforming Learning For All. Catholic Education WA


The snapshot reveals an increasingly diverse education provision located across the vast state of

Western Australia. The key areas of growth are in the introduction of CARE schools and Pre-

Kindergartens. The increasing diversity in offerings necessitates a more diverse workforce with an

increasing percentage of staff other than teachers (37.54%) compared with teaching staff, including

principals (62.46%) as revealed in the Figure below. This increasing diversity of roles is further reason

to develop a more inclusive approach to leadership development and practice.

The breakdown of the Staff Profile includes:

Employment Category Sum of FTE

Teaching 56.519%

Non-Teaching (Other) 19.544%

Teacher Assistant 15.249%

Catholic Education Office 2.747%

Assistant Principal 2.240%

Principal 1.962%

Deputy Principal 1.460%

Head of Primary/Middle/Secondary 0.279%

Overall Total 100%

2.2.2 PRIORITIES 2017 ONWARDS

The priorities are motivated by a commitment to inclusion and to ‘getting on the front foot’ in

embracing technology and the opportunities that abound. They represent a strong missionary

approach in encountering poverty and disadvantage through intervention in the early years, educating

at the margins, providing safe learning environments and transforming people to lead outstanding

Catholic learning communities. In the recent words of the Executive Director on the CEWA website in

September

‘This innovation business can be tough work. We are called not only to transform as a system but as

individuals. But with LEAD as our transformational lens, we are enabled to re-envision Catholic

Education as well as to challenge how, as a system, we will be able to bring this vision to life; how we

will make extraordinary Christ-centred learning possible and demonstrable in every classroom across

our 163 schools’.82

82 McDonald, T. (2016) CEWA Website www.ceo.wa.edu.au September.

http://www.ceo.wa.edu.au/


A representation of the interactive graphic for the Priorities 2017 onwards is below.


2.2.3 CREATING THE FUTURE NOT JUST RESPONDING

2.2.4.1 Leadership Data Snapshots

The current Profile for CEWA leaders reveals the following anecdotal data, the purpose of which is to

describe the situation which the ‘re-imagined approach to leadership’ is endeavouring to impact. A

more detailed snapshot is located in the Appendices.

The data reveals that Male Principals have longer service in the system which could be based on the

fact that males are appointed to the principalship at an earlier age than females based on the average

age comparison. What is not apparent in the data is the decreasing fields for those seeking senior

leadership roles – this data is being gathered more systematically but is only anecdotal at present.

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

Principal

8.03

24.37

10.88

27.26

FemaleAverageService asPrincipal

Service inSystem

64.00101.00

Principal

# Female…# Male…


2.2.4 FAITH PROFILE FROM RESEARCH REPORT

The Faith Formation Research Project83 was conducted in late 2015 with the report received

in February 2016. The study had the following objectives:

Understand how staff regard faith formation, especially the Catholic faith

Identify the faith formation journey especially for Catholics

Understand the different faith needs of staff depending on roles & circumstances

Explore the journey that staff have taken in developing their faith and identify areas on that journey where their faith could have further matured

Examine the key factors that enhance or challenge Catholic faith

Extract common faith journey aspects that can be incorporated into future faith formation programs

The two key approaches were:

(i) Religious Commitment Inventory

(ii) Christian Faith Practices Scale.

This report reveals an increasing diversity in the identification of CEWA personnel with faith

formation and their faith journey, especially those within the Catholic tradition and a clear

identification of the factors that enhance or challenge their faith. These findings have direct

implications for the development of Leadership and Accreditation pathways and processes.

(see Appendix 2).

3.0 CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CHARTER

The following three areas are the most critical impacting on the Leadership Charter either informing

the Charter or being informed and influenced by it.

3.1 Insights - Current Accreditation & Leadership Programs/ Pathways

It is timely to re-imagine the current Accreditation and Leadership Program Pathways informed by

recent research and the context in which the vision of the Charter - It Takes a Community to LEAD a

Catholic School faithful to the Bishops’ Mandate for Catholic Education, inspires all action.

Insights include:

A more integrated approach across the Accreditation and Leadership Program Pathways is

required with the Catholic identity and leadership focus built into the content and processes

of every course – both are integral at all stages of all pathways.

83 Painted Dog Research Consultants(2016) Faith Formation Research Report Catholic Education Western Australia


Critical need for a pedagogy of dialogue, especially in relation to Accreditation and Faith

conversations84 and enabling Catholic mission and identity to be core to the Leadership

Pathways - critical implications for the designers/creators and facilitators of the courses.

The most effective leaders especially within an inclusive philosophy of everyone engaged as

leaders learn continuously and have conversations with others about their performance and

the performance of the school. Professional learning for personal and communal growth can

take many forms – formal to informal, local to international, single one-off programs to

ongoing inquiry, personal to group across a variety of modalities.

Informed by current research on adult learning

‘Adult learners select what they learn; they filter information consciously or subconsciously.

Thereby they proceed in a way that is much more problem-oriented than theme-centred and

the effects of learning are more sustainable when there is the possibility to apply in practice

what they have learned’.85 Regardless of the mode of learning, it must be drawn into a

reciprocal relationship with practice with the following attributes:

Individual learning needs, particularly learning time and learning speeds, be taken into account;

Participants be included in program decision making; Programs be demand-oriented and able to meet participants’ present and future

concerns; Aims be oriented towards pedagogical goals, theory, practice, research, competence,

effectiveness, sustainability, relevance and quality Methods encourage reflection, action, self-organisation, performance with feedback

and transfer86

The CEWA Charter can be used to:

Identify key personal and professional attributes and skills that will enhance the

flourishing of all, especially with the students as the focus

Enable self-reflection of individuals to ascertain their own learning needs in service

of others and develop goals based on developing specific attributes and capabilities

Develop pathways which interact within the personal, school and system contexts

84 Painted Dog Research (2016) Faith Formation Research Report for CEWA. 85 Huber, S.G. (2011) School leadership and school leadership development: Adjusting leadership theories and development programs to values and the core purpose of school, Journal of Educational Administration, 42 (6): 669-684. 86 Ibid, (2011) pp. 839-841)


Develop personal pathways to work with a coach, mentor or professional

companion87 or ‘trusted guide’88

Work with colleagues to develop shared professional learning programs – local &

online

Identify and share effective practices in developing flourishing learning

communities.

3.2 Coherent Processes for School Improvement Framework and Leadership Engagement

The Charter has the potential to impact on the influence of inclusive leadership practices within the

School Improvement processes to optimise student learning. It is recommended that School

Improvement Advisors (SIAs) engage with the Charter to develop a narrative that aligns with LEAD.

Pink89 stated that the “only way you know you are making progress on anything is if you are getting

information on how you are doing”. It is critical that the influence of inclusive leadership practices

becomes an important element of the School Improvement cycle, prompting formal reflection and

accountability in a tangible context. This provides a formal context for appraising the impact of a

changing culture for inclusive leadership.

3.3 Guiding Principles to inform Processes

The Guiding Principles frame the discernment of the considerations critical to co-creating a Charter

for CEWA that is aspirational, inclusive, has the promise of transforming personal and communal lives

and which will require re-imagining some current paradigms, not only of leadership. They are informed

by the review of literature, including research on Catholic identity and mission, culture, leadership

generally as well as educational leadership at both school and system level, organisational theory and

the lived experience of personnel in Catholic and government schools and systems across Australia.

These principles will guide all members of CEWA in animating the Charter so that it is aspirational,

inclusive, agile and responsive to the future, has the promise of transforming personal and

communal lives and requires re-imagining the ways of being as all are inspired to give life to God’s

mission in the world. The Guiding Principles provide the shared vision that inspires local action

enabling students to grow and develop, harnessing school effectiveness processes and encouraging

innovative thought and response.

87 Companions and Guides could engage ‘elders’ of Catholic education and other professions across the state 88 Good, R. (2016) The Rise of Trusted Guides. Flipboard.com/@robingood/content-curation-world-9pgk3c6gy 89 Pink, D. (2009) Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us. Canongate Books.

mailto:Flipboard.com/@robingood/content-curation-world-9pgk3c6gy


An inclusive and empowering vision and action for leadership across CEWA will:

Reflect a mission-inspired and effective Catholic schooling system with a collective vision and shared purpose90 with a preferential option for those ‘who find themselves in greater difficulties, who are poorer, more fragile or needy, who should not be seen as a burden or obstacle, but as the most important students, who should be at the centre of education’s attention and concerns’91;

Promote the collective capacity of all staff through a culture of dialogue and continuous collaboration informed by research and data, celebration of achievement, encouragement of innovation and acceptance for diverse approaches focused on ‘transforming lives by inspiring a passion for learning and discovery, through a closer relationship with Jesus Christ92;

Be committed to embracing the gifts of all members (families, students and staff) of the Diocesan learning community through creating a ‘climate of professional generosity and exchange’93 and the space for all to grow as leaders contributing to the mission, educational leadership, governance, stewardship of the story and the resources, statutory accountability and commitment to generative partnerships;

Be informed by understanding leadership, governance and the relationship with authority in all contexts, especially within the context of Catholic education as a key mission of the universal and Australian Church.

Ensure equity of access supported by modalities that encounter the vastness of CEWA whilst embracing the uniqueness and gift of students, families and staff who together are the

community of CEWA bonded in faith – ‘enabling opportunity and diminishing inequity, and aligning and empowering learners and communities in new ways’94.

Engage in ways of being - learning, engagement, accountability and discipleship characterised by the principles of subsidiarity95 and co-responsibility96 which encourage greater flexibility, emphasise personal capabilities, vocational call and opportunities for contextualization and personal initiative and agency97.

4.0 THE CHARTER

The purpose of the Charter98 is to re-imagine leadership, to be aspirational, to embrace an

understanding and a culture of all members of school communities – students, families, staff,

principals and leadership teams, Catholic education office personnel being actively engaged in leading

to give life to God’s mission in the world. The aspirations and processes of the Charter will enable all

90 National College of School Leadership (2007) System Leadership & Governance – Leadership Beyond Institutional Boundaries. 91 Congregation for Catholic Education (2014) Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion. 92 CEWA Vision Statement 2016 93 National College of School Leadership (2007) System Leadership & Governance – Leadership Beyond Institutional Boundaries. 94 Hallgarten, J., Hannon, V. & Beresford, T. (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. WISE 95 Principle of subsidiarity – decision-making at the appropriate level informed by Quadragesimo Anno (1931), Centesimus Annus (1991)and Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993 n. 1885) 96 Pope Benedict (2009) Opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome on the theme: Church membership and Pastoral Co-Responsibility, St John Lateran Basilica (May) 97 Dempster, N., Lovett, S. Fluckiger, B. (2011) Literature Review: Strategies to Develop School Leadership. AITSL Melbourne 98 Charter – a document that scopes purpose and direction enabling broader understanding and commitment to it guiding the development of contributing resources.


members of CEWA to develop their leadership capacity through a focus on identified attributes. It is

intentionally formative encouraging growth and is characterised by commitment to a culture of

personal agency99 - self-determination of each person in all aspects.

The Charter is intended to be an online interactive living document that is informed by but not

dependent on the Context Paper. It is characterised by questions:

What is this Charter?

Why now?

Why Guiding Principles?

What are the Key Understandings?

How? What are the Processes?

What Guides our Thinking and Action?

Four Commitments Give Life to God’s Mission Develop Self and Others Engage with Community Champion Innovation, Imagination and Growth

animated by statements in the first person across the 4 dimensions LEAD

Reflection Questions to guide personal reflection and community accountability, community processes and resource development.

7.0 THE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY – It Takes a Community to LEAD a Catholic School

The Engagement Strategy comprises the following elements which are detailed in a separate

document:

Overview of the Strategy for engaging the CEWA Community in animating the Charter

The process for the Community Consultation February – July 2017

The function of the documents – capacity, limitations and connections

The proposed process for ‘artful’ change management – focus on transition animated by witness – the way we are with each other.

8.0 CONCLUSION

The Charter, It Takes a Community to LEAD a Catholic School responds to the current context and the

research with a fresh approach to inclusive leadership – a way of being – that provides key statements

enabling local response whilst ensuring that all CEWA communities are actively engaged in bringing to

life the mission of ‘welcoming all, Catholic Education Western Australia transforms lives by inspiring a

passion for learning and discovery through a closer relationship with Jesus Christ’.

99 Lovett, S., Dempster, N. & Fluckiger, B (2015). Personal agency in leadership learning using an Australian heuristic, Professional Development in Education, 41:1, p.140


9.0 REFERENCES

Bishops of Western Australia (2009) Bishops’ Mandate Catholic education Commission of Western Australia

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Boeve, L. (2007) God Interrupts History – Theology in a Time of Upheaval. Continuum. New York

Bouma, G (2006) Austraian Soul: Religion and Spirituality in the twenty first Century. Cambridge University Press.

Degenhardt, L. (2013) Professional Companioning: Support for leaders in managing the increasing complexity of their roles. In Leading and Managing. Vol. 19, No. 2

Dempster, N., Lovett, S. Fluckiger, B. (2011) Literature Review: Strategies to Develop School Leadership. AITSL Melbourne

D’Orsa, T. & D’Orsa, J. (2013) Leading for Mission: Integrating Life, Culture and Faith in Catholic Education. Mulgrave. Vaughan Publishing

Forde, C., McMahon, M & Dickson, B. (2011) Leadership Development in Scotland: after Donaldson, Scottish Educational Review, 43 (2), 55-69

Gallagher, MP (2011) Faith Maps. Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd republished by Paulist Press, New York.

Good, R. (2016) The Rise of Trusted Guides. Flipboard.com/@robinhood/content-curation-world-9pgk3c6gy

Hallgarten, J., Hannon, V. & Beresford, T. (2016) Creative Public Leadership: How School System Leaders Can Create the Conditions for System-wide Innovation. WISE

Hjalmarson, L. (ca 2005) Forty Years in a Narrow Space. www.nextreformation.com

Holy See (2008) Charter of Rights of the Family.

Huber, SG (2011) School Leadership and school leadership development. Adjusting leadership theories

and development programs to values and the core purpose of school, Journal of Educational

Administration. 42 (6)

Kools, M. & Stoll, L. (2016) What Makes a School a Learning Organisation. OECD

Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P. Harris, A. et al (2006b) Successful School Leadership: What it is

and how it influences pupil learning. Nottingham. NCSL. Research Report

Leithwood, K. (2013) The Ontario Leadership Framework. IEL

Long, Most Reverend Vincent (2016) Ann D. Clark Lecture. Unpublished

Lovett, S., Dempster, N. & Fluckiger, B (2015). Personal agency in leadership learning using an

Australian heuristic, Professional Development in Education

Lowney, C. (2003) Heroic Leadership. Loyola Press

Lowney, C. (2013) Pope Francis. Why He Leads the Way He Leads. Loyola Preess. Chicago

MCEETYA (2008) Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

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http://www.nextreformation.com/


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National College of School Leadership (2007) System Leadership & Governance – Leadership Beyond Institutional Boundaries

O’Leary, D. (2008) Begin with the Heart. Columba Press. Dublin

Pearson, Noel (2016) Hunt for the Radical Centre. The Weekend Australian October 22-23 2016:

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Pink, D. (2009) Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us. Canongate Books

Pollefeyt, D. (2012) Report of the CECV Enhancing Catholic School Identity Research Project.

Pope Benedict (2009) Opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome on the theme: Church membership and Pastoral Co-Responsibility, St John Lateran Basilica (May)

Pope Francis (2013) Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel. St Paul Publications

Pope Francis (2015) Educating Today and Tomorrow. A Renewing Passion: Instrumentum Laboris.

Pope John Paul II (2001) Novo Millennio Ineunte. St Paul Publications

Pope Paul VI (1965) Gravissimum Educationis. Vatican City

Principle of subsidiarity – decision-making at the appropriate level informed by Quadragesimo Anno (1931), Centesimus Annus (1991)and Catechism of the Catholic Church (1993 n. 1885)

Rohr, R. (2002) Days without Answers in the Narrow Space in National Catholic Reporter. February

2002.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Anecdotal Analysis Leadership as at January 2016

Principals

Male

101 (61%) Male

Average Age for Male Principal 52.49

Average of 10.88 years as a Principal

Average of 27.26 years in the system

Most common age is between 51 – 60 representing 50% of Male Principals Female

64 (39%) Female

Average Age for a Female Principal 53.95

Average of 8.03 years as a Principal


Most common age is between 51 – 60 representing 56% of Female Principals Deputy Principals Male

56 (50%) Male

Average Age for a Male Deputy 49.34

Average of 6.18 years as a Deputy


Most common age is between 41 – 50 representing 43% of Male Deputies Female

56 (50%) Female

Average Age for a Female Deputy 48.04

Average of 4.38 years as a Deputy


Most common age is between 41 – 50 representing 45% of Female Deputies Head of Primary/Middle/Secondary Male

10 (45%) Male

Average Age for a Male Head of P/M/S 49

Average of 2.16 years as a Head of P/M/S


Most common age is between 31 - 40 representing 40% of Male Head of P/M/S Female

12 (55%) Female

Average Age for a Female Head of P/M/S 48.33

Average of 3.73 years as a Head of P/M/S


Most common age is between 41 - 50 representing 50% of Female Head of P/M/S


Assistant Principals Male

63 (32%) Male

Average Age for a Male Assistant Principals 43.46

Average of 8.97 years as an Assistant Principals


Most common age is between 31 - 40 representing 43% of Male Assistant Principals Female

133 (68%) Female

Average Age for a Female Assistant Principals 44.29

Average of 6.85 years as an Assistant Principals


Most common age is between 31 - 40 representing 45% of Female Assistant Principals

Conclusions

Male Principals have longer service within the system; this could be resulting in males reaching a

principalship around 1.5 earlier than their female counterparts based on the average age comparison.

The number of Deputy Principals are identical between the genders, however it appears female

employee are reaching this role earlier in their career, male service in system is 22.01 compared to

16.78 for female. However this could also be accounted for by the duration, as men have an average

service of nearly twice that of their female counter parts

The Head of Primary/Middle/Secondary are both comparable between males and female in numbers

and average age, female employees are spending more time in these roles on average 3.7 compared

to 2.1 for men

The average age range for Assistant Principals for males is 31 – 40 (22) with numbers decreasing in 41

– 50 (18) and further decreasing in 51 – 60 (12). While for female Assistant Principals there is still a

decline in numbers for each grouping however not as much in males 31 – 40 (46), 41 – 50 (40) and 51

– 60 (36).

There is a vast difference in the number of female Assistant Principals to male Assistant Principals 133

(68%) compared to 63 (32%). (Where the Teaching staff numbers are Primary female Teaching staff

2032 (90%), Primary male Teaching Staff 221 (10%)

Given that there are roughly twice as many female Assistant Principals (133) than there are male

Assistant Principals (63) it appears that Primary female Principals (64) compared to Primary male

Principals (101) is disproportionate as there are more male than female principals.


Appendix 2: Faith Profile Data from Research Report

The key findings reveal the following faith backgrounds of staff:

92% were raised as Christians

71% were raised in their youth as Roman Catholics

12% were raised as Anglican

3% were raised as Uniting Church

6% were raised with no religion

The majority of those raised in a religion felt their family had been committed to their denomination, compared to those raised in no religion who said their family simply ignored faith rather than actively discouraging it. Only a small proportion of Catholic Education staff have left or changed their religious denomination since childhood (15%), but of those who have, significantly more came from a Non-Roman Catholic background. Their conversion was likely to be into – or out of, and then back to – Roman Catholicism. Overall, these results were expected, given staff were working in a Catholic environment100.

The Faith Profile of Catholic Education Staff in response to the methodology of Painted Dog Research reveals the following:

Non-Practising Believers (28%)

People-Focused Faithful (19%)

Committed Strong Believers (15%)

Church Going Believers (10%)

The Doubtful (6%)

Non-Believers (5%)

Distracted Engagers (4%)101

100 Ibid. p.13 101 Painted Dog Research (2016) Faith Formation Research Report CEWA p. 16


The key motivators to faith were identified as:

Non-practising Believers (28%): • Being raised in the faith and having positive feelings about their faith • Colleagues can also be an influence

Personally-focused Faith (19%): • Surrounded by colleagues of same faith denomination • Death of a close family member/friend reinforced faith

Committed Strong Believers (15%) • High number of motivators, including being raised Catholic

Church Going Believers (10%) • Raised in a faith • Positive faith experiences • Influence of friends and family

The Doubtful (6%) • More likely influenced by colleagues

Non-Believers (5%) • A quarter don’t see faith motivators

Distracted Engagers (4%) • Being raised in a faith • Getting positive feelings from faith experiences.

Similarly the key barriers to faith were identified as:

Non-practising Believers (28%): scandals, not enjoying worship

Personally-focused Faith (19%): Not feeling that the Church has kept up with the modern world, especially moral

teachings Scandals Death of family member

Committed Strong Believers (15%) Behaviour of others in their faith

Church Going Believers (10%) • Scandals and controversies • Issues with moral doctrine • Dissatisfaction with priest

The Doubtful (6%) • Large number of barriers • Feeling faith doesn’t understand the modern world • Not connecting with faith teachings

Non-Believers (5%) • Didn’t like how they were taught religion • No longer believing in their faith

Distracted Engagers (4%) • Scandals, controversies • Currently time poor

Ultimately, if a person has difficulty engaging with the formal aspects of their religion, they have great disavefficulty in building (or even maintaining) their faith.

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