School Leaders’ Perceptions of Participating in the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement

Abstract

This investigation concerns school leaders’ perceptions regarding the efficacy of a leadership development initiative implemented across schools in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Based on an Alberta school improvement process, the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement sought to achieve leadership development and improved learning outcomes through use of the processes of collaborative inquiry and generative dialogue. Five schools were selected for an exploration of experiences within the Initiative. Accounts provided by the interviewees pointed strongly to the achievement of positive outcomes. The participants referred particularly to benefits in the form of increased leadership confidence and capability. Success factors underpinning the Initiative include: the twinning of collaborative inquiry as a process for improving professional practice with the process of generative dialogue to achieve more effective conversations, and; the nature of the Initiative, itself, where, facilitated by a visiting leadership team, professional colleagues meet monthly for deep discussion about professional issues they share. Key words: school improvement, school leadership, collaborative inquiry, generative dialogue, education innovation, change in educational practice. Cette enquete porte sur les perceptions des leaders scolaires concernant l'efficacite d'une initiative de developpement du leadership mise en œuvre dans les ecoles de la region de la cote nord de la Nouvelle-Galles du Sud, en Australie. Basee sur un processus d'amelioration des ecoles de l'Alberta, la North Coast Initiative for School Improvement visait a developper le leadership et a ameliorer les resultats d'apprentissage en utilisant les processus d'enquete collaborative et de dialogue generatif. Cinq ecoles ont ete selectionnees pour une exploration des experiences au sein de l'initiative. Les comptes rendus fournis par les personnes interrogees ont mis en evidence l'obtention de resultats positifs. Les participants ont notamment fait reference a des avantages sous la forme d'une confiance et d'une capacite de leadership accrues. Les facteurs de reussite qui sous-tendent l'initiative sont les suivants : le jumelage de l'enquete collaborative en tant que processus d'amelioration de la pratique professionnelle avec le processus de dialogue generatif afin de parvenir a des conversations plus efficaces, et la nature de l'initiative elle-meme, ou, sous la direction d'une equipe de direction invitee, des collegues professionnels se rencontrent tous les mois pour discuter en profondeur de questions professionnelles communes. Mots cles : amelioration des ecoles, leadership scolaire, enquete collaborative, dialogue generatif, innovation educative, changement des pratiques educatives