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Where Do We Go From Here?

Where Do We Go From Here?. A Response to the OECD Report on Improving School Leadership. THINGS I’M NOT TOUCHING (NOT EVEN WITH A 10-FOOT POLE). Integrated schools The general state of cross- community relationships Relative stability of policy environment

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Where Do We Go From Here?

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  1. Where Do We Go From Here? A Response to the OECD Report on Improving School Leadership Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  2. THINGS I’M NOT TOUCHING (NOT EVEN WITH A 10-FOOT POLE) • Integrated schools • The general state of cross- community relationships • Relative stability of policy environment • Declining enrolments (total numbers) leading to more competition • Increasing diversity of families and students being served • The tremendous amount of adjustments in resource allocation necessary (Odden & Archibald, 2001) Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  3. MY MAIN WORRIES What are distributed and collaborative leadership? Teacher training Selection of teachers and leaders Gaps between training organizations That we might be kidding ourselves by not giving enough weight to culture and social norms in education A special bonus worry to be shared later Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  4. DISTRIBUTED/COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP • Multiple definitions of both concepts (Firestone et. al, 1996; Ogawa et. al; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000; Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2000, 2001) • These are not necessarily related concepts • They require different skills and structures • Members of schools must understand and be able to use more than one model • When, where, who, how, how much • Enormous challenge in building sufficient facility to monitor and adapt to local needs Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  5. TRAINING OF TEACHERS FOR NEW DEMANDS/REALITIES • Building leadership training into teacher preparation programs (Smylie et. al., 2002; Follett, 1926) • General leadership concepts • Collaborative models (intra- and inter-school collaboration) • Distributed models • Training in data analysis, research methods, and use of research • Making it clear that there is a marked change in conceptions about what schools can and should do • How do we fit all of these extra components into existing training structures? • Do we replace courses or expand programs? Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  6. MORE EFFECTIVE TRAINING • Chances for supervised practical experience • Teachers-in-training have time in schools • Do we need to change the way these are supervised? • Do we need to change the structure to provide more time or access to differing areas • Time in schools should not just be based on pedagogy, but also leadership activities (Smylie et. al., 2002) • Increased support mechanisms attached to assuming new roles (leaders and teachers) • We know a great deal about how to help adults learn • Zenger, Ulrich, & Smallwood, 2000; London & Smither, 1999; Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000; Broad & Newstrom, 1992 Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  7. SELECTION OF TEACHERS AND LEADERS • Baseline eligibility criteria is the same for teachers and leaders! Teaching is different than leading (Hill, 2007) • Who selects and how are they trained? • Effective selection depends on attracting candidates with ideal characteristics for that particular school/situation • Then, who is the best of the best? Based on...? • Perception of hiring process is just as important as actual process Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  8. GAPS BETWEEN TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS • Currently, the structures are very complex • Efficiency? • Redundancy? • Gaps in training? • Are there ways to bring RTU, Universities, ESA, Boards of Governors, school leaders, etc. together? • Improvement of supervision, tapping into multiple areas of expertise, training tailored to specific contexts, improved efficiency and effectiveness Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  9. ARE WE KIDDING OURSELVES? Assessing formal structures and measuring summative outcomes is not a full picture of the reality in schools Larger data sets reduce the delicacy and sensitivity of results Changing large-scale policy does not automatically uproot and change practice Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  10. INFORMAL AND FORMAL STRUCTURES • Organizational learning and social/cultural norms: • Leithwood, Leonard, & Sharratt (1998); Trice & Beyer (1993); Cook & Yannow (1993); Blau & Scott (1962); Schein (1985); Murphy et. al.; Martin (2002); Marks & Louis (1999); Scribner, Hager, & Warne (2002) • Analysis of how organizations function: • Selznick (1948); Etzioni (1965); Hersey, Blanchard, & Natemeyer (1979); Randall, Copper, Speakman, & Rosenfield (1998) Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

  11. THE BONUS WORRY • My real fear is that • we will talk ourselves into complacency; • we will equate talk and research with change; • we will remain academics or practitioners; and • we will all be back here next year, or the year after, talking about these same issues for the same reasons. Dr. Tim London: T.London@qub.ac.uk

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