School Leadership & Management最新文献

{"title":"Leading underperforming schools","authors":"A. Harris, Michelle Jones","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2022.2035907","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2022.2035907","url":null,"abstract":"Like underperforming companies, relationships or governments, the judgments on underperforming schools are often swift and ruthless. Underperforming school chools are frequently polarised as good or bad, and those schools that fail to hit the mark are fair game for media attention and ripe for some sort of public, external intervention. Yet, the whole idea of underperforming schools is so contextually bound, that to group them generically as ‘underperforming’ is meaningless and ultimately, counterproductive. They are far from the same. The fact remains that most schools labelled as underperforming tend to be located in areas of significant disadvantage, whether in rural, coastal, or urban locations. Their poverty levels may be similar, but other contextual factors can vary dramatically. Even so, their performance is weighed and measured in standard ways that assume that contextual factors are unimportant or do not affect the daily lives of the leaders and teachers that work in such settings. This is not to suggest that we accept low standards because of disadvantages but there must be some acknowledgement and acceptance that this is far from a level playing field. Without question, underperformance is a highly sensitive issue. Despite the sensitivities and complexities, in many countries, there is now renewed policy interest in improving schools that are deemed to be underperforming. From various vantage points, underperforming schools are judged as failing to deliver a good educational experience for most students in their care over time. Clearly, this must be addressed, but the measures are taken to ‘improve’ such schools often are intrusive, invasive, and top-down. International evidence suggests that there is no single, comprehensive, definition of an underperforming school, as the contextual factors and influences vary considerably from school to school and from context-to-context (Leithwood, Harris, and Strauss 2010). Whether categorised as schools in difficulty, schools facing challenging circumstances, failing schools, turnaround schools, and schools in special measures, the fact remain that there is no uniformity about underperformance and no silver bullet to address it. Also, the labels do not help. Categorising schools this way is simply a way of devaluing and demeaning them, rendering them publicly as unfit for duty, in some imperfect and unpalatable way. It negates what these schools can do into a negative discourse of what they cannot do. The research tells us that underperforming schools will have moved through various stages of decline, which will be clearly visible to all supporting them, where their ability to accomplish their primary goals steadily diminishes. School failure tends to be a steady and often predictable downward spiral rather than a sudden plummet in performance. Yet, in most cases, only at the point of abject failure does the rescue cavalry come over the hill. Disruption of a steady decline is always perfectly po","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"13 1","pages":"1 - 3"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89589420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teacher’s readiness for leadership – a strategy for school development","authors":"Piret Oppi, Eve Eisenschmidt, Anna-Liisa Jõgi","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.2016685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.2016685","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Teacher leadership is a powerful concept in school development. However, teachers’ readiness to take on the leadership role is rather delicate. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between teachers’ readiness for leadership and two main factors that affect it: distributed leadership and school culture. Quantitative data from teachers (n = 480) in 16 Estonian schools were gathered through a questionnaire regarding teachers’ readiness for leadership, their perceived distributed leadership and school culture. The results indicated that teachers in schools where distributed leadership dimensions were perceived above average evaluated their readiness for leadership higher. We also found that teachers evaluated their readiness for leadership higher in schools where innovation and change-oriented school culture were perceived as higher than average. The findings offer in-depth evidence of the conditions necessary to support teachers’ readiness for leadership.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"1 1","pages":"79 - 103"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74993724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-stakes accountability policies and local adaptation: exploring how school principals respond to multiple policy demands","authors":"Michalis Constantinides","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.2016687","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.2016687","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Rationalising school activities through principles of standards, testing and accountability has taken a strong hold and continues to be the dominant logic for educational reform in England. This article examines the ways in which three principals of English academies understand and respond to accountability policies as required by their Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and external demands. A sensemaking perspective is adopted to explore how school principals come to interpret, negotiate and adapt messages and pressures about accountability policies in their efforts to respond to their local contexts. Based on an analysis of data from three academies, this article highlights the active role of school leaders in the enactment processes of policies related to curriculum and pedagogy, data monitoring, resource allocation and performance management. Findings reveal the variations in the degree of autonomy the participating leaders enjoyed in some of these areas, in which they appeared to interpret and adjust policies as needed to fit their schools and communities. Insights from individual leaders’ sensemaking provide an important contribution to research on how academies respond to high-stakes accountability policies in that the meanings leaders make determine the actions and decisions they take on instructional priorities.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"78 1","pages":"170 - 187"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84086707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leadership attributes that support school improvement: a realist approach","authors":"S. Carrington, Nerida Spina, M. Kimber, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Kate E. Williams","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.2016686","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.2016686","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT School improvement reforms aimed at achieving improved student learning remain high on the agenda for leaders across the globe. The purpose of this paper is to understand the leadership attributes that enable school leaders to bring about positive change. This qualitative study is based on interviews with school leaders (school principals and their deputy principals) and focus groups of six teachers in two case study schools. A realist approach is used to understand how leadership attributes spark related social mechanisms that lead to improved outcomes. Data analysis generated four leadership attributes: (1) valuing diversity, (2) support for staff, (3) collaborative leadership style, and (4) valuing teachers’ professional learning. Each of these was found to have influenced decision-making and sentiment, which generated positive school improvement outcomes in the two case study schools. These findings have the potential to contribute to professional learning which can improve understanding of how leadership attributes in context bring about school improvement.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"12 1","pages":"151 - 169"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78225640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The micro-politics of policy enactment in a multi-academy trust","authors":"M. Innes","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.2002839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.2002839","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article reports on research for The Literacy Policy project. The focus is the micro-politics of policy enactment, sited in the literacy policy of a multi-academy trust (MAT). A semi-structured interview was conducted with the CEO of a MAT to ascertain what literacy policy means to them. The contribution is to add to existing literature on the practice of MAT CEOs, using theories of micro-politics and the thinking tools of Bourdieu. Findings suggest that MAT CEOs may enact policies and structure their organisation in a way that reduces the opportunity for, but also monitors and utilises, micro-political activity by teachers and headteachers. This is driven by the pressures on MATs to expand in a highly performative environment and deliver curricular in a cost-effective way. This is important because it suggests that the UK government’s academies policy for schools in England does not necessarily deliver the promised levels of autonomy; and may lead to homogenised curricular for schools in disadvantaged areas where greater criticality is required.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"13 1","pages":"334 - 351"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73913175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial for Special Issue - Leadership in Multi-School Organisations","authors":"T. Greany","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.1981110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1981110","url":null,"abstract":"This special issue focusses on governance, leadership and improvement in Multi-School Organisations (MSOs). Three types of MSO are examined across the five articles Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) in England, Boards of Multiple Schools (BMSs) in the Netherlands, and Charter Management Organisations (CMOs) in the USA. The emergence and evolution of these new MSO types is worthy of study for a number of reasons. Most significantly, in each of the three countries, these MSOs are now responsible for operating multiple schools which educate thousands of children, often in the most deprived communities. These MSOs can exert influence over many aspects of the schools they operate, including curriculum, instruction, hiring, leadership, professional development, and various related areas that bear directly on teaching and learning. More broadly, as the article by Jacqueline Baxter and Anna John in this special issue illustrates, these MSOs play a role in translating policy mandates, local community needs, and professional expertise into specific educational visions and strategies as well as systems for operationalising these. Furthermore, these new MSOs now form part of the larger middle tier in the systems in which they operate, with significant implications for larger societal concerns, such as equity, segregation, inclusion and efficiency. The three MSO types we focus on here have developed in context-specific ways, meaning that they differ in various non-trivial aspects. However, the reason for studying them alongside each other here is that they have a number of features in common, including:","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"20 1","pages":"285 - 289"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85798864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fighting windmills: a female principal's story during COVID-19","authors":"Carmen Lucena Rodríguez, Javier Mula-Falcón, Jesús Domingo Segovia, C. Cruz-González","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.1974826","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1974826","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The arrival of covid-19 had a major impact on all sectors of the population, especially education. The closure of schools and later the health measures adopted forced schools to a rapid conversion towards a digital scenario. Faced with this crisis situation, the existence of school leaders became even more essential. For this reason, in order to face this challenge, it is necessary to establish a school management that moves towards horizontality, social justice and professional commitment. Using a qualitative approach, we offer the story of a female principal who leads in a challenge context. The findings reveal how fighting windmills was one of the predominant sensations throughout this period. This manuscript also describes the different leadership strategies developed. It also points out the different supports and obstacles experienced by the professional team of the school. Finally, we discuss new horizons within the field of school leadership in times of crisis.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"12 1","pages":"44 - 61"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90845874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Suppressing and sharing: how school principals manage stress and anxiety during COVID-19","authors":"D. B. Reid","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.1974827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1974827","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to better understand how school principals in the United States (U.S.) describe and manage their stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data come from 31 interviews with 16 public school principals in the U.S. state of New Jersey. An analysis of the data shows principals have experienced increased levels of stress and anxiety since the pandemic began. The principals describe managing this increased stress and anxiety in two prominent ways: (1) suppressing much of this stress and anxiety in an effort to put on a brave face for students, teachers, parents, and the community; and (2) relying on activities and individuals outside of their school (family members/other principals in the district) as outlets to help manage their stress and anxiety. The findings of this work have several practical implications, including the need for formalised stress and anxiety supports for school principals, particularly during times of crises.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"290 1","pages":"62 - 78"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79539561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dutch boards governing multiple schools: navigating between autonomy and expectations","authors":"Lars Stevenson, M. Honingh, A. Neeleman","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.1945024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1945024","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Over the last decade the governance of primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands has by no means become simpler. This paper sketches recent policy developments and their consequences for the leadership of Boards of Multiple Schools (BMSs) and their school leaders. Thereof we describe the challenges BMSs in the Netherlands currently face to enhance educational quality. However, the existence of a wide variety of school board types and a lack of research into BMSs prevent a solid evidence base on how the leadership of school boards contributes to improving the quality of education in the schools they run. As the interaction between school leaders and boards is understudied we make a plea for a research agenda that does justice to challenges for school leadership in multi-school systems.","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"26 1","pages":"370 - 386"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90418922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leading in complex environments: the role of leadership in multi-school organization improvement","authors":"Matthew R. Malone, Laura Groth, J. Glazer","doi":"10.1080/13632434.2021.1948397","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2021.1948397","url":null,"abstract":"School improvement in chronically under-performing schools remains a formidable challenge for school leaders. Recent policies in the U.S. have created incentives for school leaders to attempt new s...","PeriodicalId":47255,"journal":{"name":"School Leadership & Management","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2021-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79229435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}