successful school leadership

Successful School LeadershipSidney Leite

What is leadership?

0Role0 A position of authority, organizational hierarchy

0Function0 “Activities and processes that move a group or

organization towards the accomplishment of its goals” (Schmidt, 2003, para. 1).

What is leadership?

Leadership styles

Educational leadership styles

0Authoritative0Participative0Transformational0Transactional

A differentiated leader

0Research indicates that leaders at top schools:0 Model professional behavior0 Promote their programs to the public0 Are enthusiastic and passionate about their programs0 Exhibit good public relations skills

(Lee, Hallinger & Walker, 2012)

The context of leadership

0 “Leadership is embedded in organizational activities”0 “it emerges through the agency of individuals and collectives as

they work to transform or sustain institutional practices”0 “Agency is afforded and constrained by reform initiatives,

organizational arrangements, laws and regulations, and community expectations”

0 “Leadership is invested in, and negotiated between, people as they carry out their work”

0 “Leadership does not reside in formal roles; rather, it is an outcome of relational work in organizations”

(Vennebo & Ottesen, 2012, p. 252)

The context of leadership

0 In international contexts:0 Parental expectations0 Staff turnover (high)0 Student mobility (high)0 Politics involving top school leaders0 The influence of school owners or Board members0 Compliance issues0 Varying degrees of participation by Board members0 Staff, student, and Board members’ cultural diversity0 Curriculum conflicts (global vs. local)0 Competition

Successful school leadership

0Has significant impact on student learning0Taps potential sources of leadership0Exhibits certain core practices0Responds positively to accountability0Responds positively to diversity


0 “Leadership has significant effects on student learning, second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teachers’ instruction” (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 4).


0 “Currently, administrators and teacher leaders provide most of the leadership in schools, but other potential sources of leadership exist (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 5).


0 “A core set of leadership practices form the ‘basics’ of successful leadership and are valuable in almost all educational contexts” (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 5).


0 “Successful school leaders respond productively to challenges and opportunities created by the accountability-oriented policy context in which they work” (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 8).


0 “Successful school leaders respond productively to the opportunities and challenges of educating diverse groups of students” (Leithwood & Riehl, 2003, p. 8).

Successful leadership at UOP

0 In the College of Humanities and Sciences, we have strived to implement a democratic, transactional style of leadership0 Ideas are proposed and discussed by all0 The Chair makes the final decision and participates in its

implementation0 Personal needs are taken into account when dividing up

the work to be done

Successful leadership at UOP

0 Ideas for promoting effective leadership:0 Involve others in the discussions about school matters0 Be mindful of the needs of others, and accommodate

those needs if possible0 Tap others for leadership positions

ReferencesBlandford, S., & Shaw, M. (2001). The nature of international school leadership. In S. Blandford & M. Shaw (Eds.), Managing

international schools (pp. 9-28). London: Routledge.

Hoyle, J. R. (2012). Leadership styles. In Encyclopedia of educational leadership and administration. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Lee, M., Hallinger, P., & Walker, A. (2012). Leadership challenges in international schools in the Asia Pacific region: Evidence from programme implementation of the International Baccalaureate. International Journal Of Leadership In Education: Theory And Practice, 15(3), 289-310.

Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2006). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. Nottingham, UK: National College for School Leadership.

Leithwood, K., & Riehl, C. (2003). What we know about successful school leadership. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University, Laboratory for Student Success.

Schmidt, C. T. (2003). Leadership overview. Retrieved from http://www.uri.edu/research/lrc/scholl/webnotes/Leadership.htm

Vennebo, K. F., & Ottesen, E. (2012). School leadership: Constitution and distribution. International Journal Of Leadership In Education: Theory And Practice, 15(3), 255-270.