Bruce barnett, university of texas at san antonio (united states)
howard stevenson, university of nottingham (united kingdom)
One of the effects of globalizing educational policies and practices is the formation of regional and international networks of nations, non-governmental organizations, and multi-national companies (Pashiardis, 2008). The field of educational leadership preparation and development also is becoming more engaged in international collaboration (Lumby, Crow, & Pashiardis, 2008); however, creating these networks poses substantial challenges, including the tendency for pro-Western views to dominate projects and the lack of financial and organizational support (Brown & Conrad, 2007; Walker & Dimmock, 2000). To counteract these problems, Walker and Townsend (2010) have discovered successful cross-national partnerships: (a) congregate a small group of “like-minded energetic people” who are able to locate funding, create a vision, and establish political support, (b) rely on linkages with existing professional networks, (c) embrace and encourage diversity and differences, (d) establish high-profile events in different locations, and (e) promote activities, events, and products that support colleagues from different countries who otherwise would not be able to participate.
Guided by these principles of effective cross-national partnerships, in 2010 the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) launched an international comparative study examining the preparation and development of school leaders, referred to as the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN). Two research strands of the ISLDN have emerged: (1) preparing and developing leaders who advocate for social justice and (b) preparing and developing leaders for high-need schools. The Social Justice Leadership strand involves 28 researchers, who have conducted interviews with principals in 15 different countries. Twenty members of the High Need Schools strand have conducted studies in 10 nations.
Our studies of social justice leaders in high-need schools confirm and expand the findings from research conducted on effective turnaround school leaders (e.g., Barnett & Stevenson, forthcoming; Bryant, Cheng, & Notman, 2014; Duke, 2012). Several trends have emerged in how these leaders serve their communities while combating the educational, social, and political challenges they encounter:
References:
Barnett B., & Stevenson, H. (forthcoming). International perspectives in urban educational leadership: Social justice leadership and high-need schools. In M. A. Khalifa, C. Grant-Overton, & N. W. Arnold (Eds.), Handbook of urban school leadership. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Brown, L., & Conrad, D. A. (2007). School leadership in Trinidad and Tobago: The challenge of context. Comparative Education Review, 51(2), 181-201.
Bryant, M., Cheng, A., & Notman R. (2014) (Eds). Exploring high need and social justice leadership in schools around the globe. Special issue of Management in Education, 28(3), 77-120.
Duke, D. L. (2012). Tinkering and turnarounds: Understanding the contemporary campaign to improve low-performing schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 17, 9-24.
Lumby, J., Crow, G., & Pashiardis, P. (2008) (Eds.). International handbook on the preparation and development of school leaders. New York: Routledge.
Pashiardis, P. (2008). The dark side of the moon: Being locally responsive to global issues. Keynote presentation at the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management Conference, Durban, South Africa.
Walker, A., & Dimmock, C. (2000). Mapping the way ahead: Leading educational leadership into a globalised world. School Leadership & Management, 20(2), 227-233.
Walker, A., & Townsend, A. (2010). On school management - International Council on School Effectiveness and Improvement, Commonwealth Council on Educational Administration and Management (pp. 681-697). In P. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education. Oxford, England: Elsevier.
Our studies of social justice leaders in high-need schools confirm and expand the findings from research conducted on effective turnaround school leaders (e.g., Barnett & Stevenson, forthcoming; Bryant, Cheng, & Notman, 2014; Duke, 2012). Several trends have emerged in how these leaders serve their communities while combating the educational, social, and political challenges they encounter:
- School leaders altered the school’s vision and culture by clarifying and communicating desired values and performance expectations, developing integrated intervention plans using comprehensive data collection and decision-making processes, being organized and planning thoughtfully, and relocating teachers to other schools if they were unable or unwilling to meet new performance expectations.
- After gaining a better appreciation of the chronic problems facing families living in poverty, school leaders utilized school resources to purchase food for students; worked with local agencies to provide medical, social, and educational services; organized multicultural activities for parents and community members; and provided job training for disabled adults.
- Principals utilized teachers’ expertise and developed their capacity by engaging teachers in decision making and involving them in determining areas for improvement, planning and implementing goals, and reviewing progress.
- Principals improved and monitored the teaching and learning process in their schools by retaining talented teachers, redesigning classroom assignments across the entire curriculum, utilizing externally-mandated resources to stimulate reform in their schools, and acknowledging community needs and interests in designing curriculum.
- The underlying motivation and rationale leaders employed in working in these challenging circumstances revealed their desire to be student-centered, community-centered, and politically astute while acknowledging how their own personal life experiences have shaped their values.
References:
Barnett B., & Stevenson, H. (forthcoming). International perspectives in urban educational leadership: Social justice leadership and high-need schools. In M. A. Khalifa, C. Grant-Overton, & N. W. Arnold (Eds.), Handbook of urban school leadership. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Brown, L., & Conrad, D. A. (2007). School leadership in Trinidad and Tobago: The challenge of context. Comparative Education Review, 51(2), 181-201.
Bryant, M., Cheng, A., & Notman R. (2014) (Eds). Exploring high need and social justice leadership in schools around the globe. Special issue of Management in Education, 28(3), 77-120.
Duke, D. L. (2012). Tinkering and turnarounds: Understanding the contemporary campaign to improve low-performing schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 17, 9-24.
Lumby, J., Crow, G., & Pashiardis, P. (2008) (Eds.). International handbook on the preparation and development of school leaders. New York: Routledge.
Pashiardis, P. (2008). The dark side of the moon: Being locally responsive to global issues. Keynote presentation at the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management Conference, Durban, South Africa.
Walker, A., & Dimmock, C. (2000). Mapping the way ahead: Leading educational leadership into a globalised world. School Leadership & Management, 20(2), 227-233.
Walker, A., & Townsend, A. (2010). On school management - International Council on School Effectiveness and Improvement, Commonwealth Council on Educational Administration and Management (pp. 681-697). In P. Peterson, E. Baker, & B. McGaw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education. Oxford, England: Elsevier.