Education Commons^™

Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool. Development Framework 2023, Kerry Elliott, Hilary Hollingsworth

Educational leadership

Collective efficacy has become a prominent feature in educational policy and practice with growing evidence that a strong sense of collective efficacy amongst educators leads to better outcomes for students. With growing interest in the importance of collective efficacy and how to cultivate it, the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool was created to address challenges associated with understanding, diagnosing, and developing collective efficacy. This Framework describes the development of the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool, defining collective efficacy in a way that it can be operationalised to leverage improvement efforts. The Framework and accompanying Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool provide a practical resource …

Professional Learning Conversations: Adaptive Expertise For Schools. Supplementary Digital Materials, Helen Timperley

Educational leadership

School leaders face complex challenges, that typically have multiple causes and often persist despite everyone’s best attempts to address them. Addressing complex challenges requires juggling both the big picture, and the specific parts of the challenge. Without a roadmap, this process is fraught and unlikely to succeed in improving outcomes. In order to make a difference, schools need adaptive expertise; a skill which can be learnt through professional conversations and inquiry. In Leading professional conversations, Emeritus Professor Helen Timperley deftly outlines the key enablers for effective professional conversations – relationships, resources, processes, knowledge and culture – which support teachers to …

Inquiry As Practice: The Pathway To Redesigning An Educational Leadership Doctoral Research Seminar Series, Steve Tolman, Daniel W. Calhoun, Juliann S. Mcbrayer, Nikheal Patel, Elise J. Cain

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development Faculty Publications

As faculty of an educational leadership doctoral program (EdD) aligned with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) principles, we acknowledge the importance of inquiry to develop scholarly practitioners. Applying the tenet of Inquiry as Practice, our EdD faculty critically examined the doctoral curriculum to explore ways to effectively prepare our doctoral students to learn and apply research methodology meaningfully. This essay details how the review of our research curriculum led to a pedagogical and curriculum redesign of our research seminar series. This revised research seminar series culminates in a course offered every fall/spring semester in the final two …

A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Experiences Of Implementing Social Promotion Policies In A Public School District, Kelley L. Duffy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe middle school teachers’ experiences of implementing social promotion policies at a public school district in the southern United States. The study advanced understanding about teachers’ perceptions implementing social promotion policies and how those perceptions impacted their professional behaviors and identity. Weick’s sensemaking theory guided this study as it explains how individuals define and give meaning to their reality when ambiguities and uncertainties exist. The study was designed to explore the central research question, what are middle school teachers’ shared experiences with social promotion policies at a public school district in …

School Leadership That Cultivates Collective Efficacy: Emerging Insights 2022, Kerry Elliott, Hilary Hollingsworth, Aiden Thornton, Liz Gillies, Katherine Henderson

Educational leadership

The work of the Menzies School Leadership Incubator suggests we need a new approach to leadership that supports school leaders to better manage transformational change and deepen collaborative capacity necessary to cultivate collective efficacy to improve student learning outcomes. This paper provides a description of the work of the Menzies School Leadership Incubator (“the Incubator’) and insights generated so far. The Incubator has identified five leadership domains which underpin the leadership of Collective Efficacy; Understanding Collective Efficacy Systems; Leadership Change; Leadership Team, and Leadership Collaborative Capacity.

Menzies School Leadership Incubator: Insights, Adrian Field

Educational leadership

The Menzies School Leadership Incubator (the Incubator) is a national trans-disciplinary initiative to design, test and learn about transformative innovations that will support lasting systems change in Australian schools’ leadership. This review explores the successes, challenges and learning from work in the Incubator to date, from the perspective of a collaborative seeking longstanding systems change. The design of the review is informed by thinking in the innovation literature, principally communities of practice and socio-technical systems theory. This review was undertaken as a rapid exploration of experiences and learning, drawing on interviews with eight individuals from within the Incubator (six interviews) …

Cultural Proficiency: The Necessary Link To Family Engagement, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Although family engagement is crucial to student and community outcomes, schools often alienate families who are not part of the dominant culture. As a result, school leaders need to become culturally proficient to systematically engage all families equitably regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other cultural identifiers. This teaching case study raises issues related to cultural proficiency and family engagement. To help current and future educational leaders foster family engagement, I provide a cultural proficiency for family and community engagement framework. I also pose questions designed to trigger conversations and find practical solutions related to equitable family engagement.

Using A Culturally Proficient Leadership Lens To Effectively Serve Refugee Students, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This teaching case study takes place in an American middle school and tells the story of Dorah, a refugee student from the Republic of Congo who experienced severe trauma. At Lincoln Middle School, the principal and her teachers encounter difficulties serving their refugee students adequately because of their lack of cultural proficiency. This case aims to help leaders in diverse contexts understand how to embrace and advocate for different cultures, beliefs, and norms to increase the cultural wealth of their communities. To achieve this goal, I provide a cultural proficiency model and a trauma-invested framework.

Trauma-Informed Leadership, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

According to recent data, over 34 million students have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. As a result, current and prospective school leaders urgently need to develop trauma-driven skills and abilities in order to create safe schools for all students and raise academic outcomes. This teaching case study raises issues related to trauma experienced among students and its impact on students and school improvement. The author discusses one case in a fictitious district that is representative of the kind of traumas many other American schools face. I also provide additional resources for practitioners.

The Use Of Culturally Proficient Professional Development To Enhance Learning Transfer, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The National Staff Development Council recommends that principals devote 10% of the school budget and 25% of teacher time to professional development (PD). While PD requires time, it is crucial that the time be organized, carefully structured, and purposefully led to avoid the waste of human and financial resources. Despite the millions of dollars spent on professional development nationally, student learning outcomes continue to stagnate or dwindle, discipline issues continue to skyrocket, and teacher moral plummets. This may be due, in part, to leaders paying little attention to learning transfer. Culture plays a key role in one’s ability to learn …

Changing Cultural Norms Through Educational Leadership: Voices From Ghanaian Women Principals, Corinne Brion, A. Ampah-Mensah

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of women principals located in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) district of the Central Region of Ghana, a patriarchal and traditional society. Specifically, this study examined how cultural factors positively or negatively influenced women access to the principal role and influenced their leadership experiences. Using Hofstede et al.’s (2010) six dimensions of national culture as a conceptual framework, this study elucidates the experiences of 12 women school leaders. Findings revealed that these women navigated cultural norms and beliefs in order to exercise their own leadership style and pursue their …

A Case For Reimagining School Leadership Development To Enhance Collective Efficacy, Kerry Elliott, Hilary Hollingsworth

Educational leadership

This paper draws together the research evidence and policy direction that underpin the Menzies School Leader Fellowship Program (MSLFP) and presents a case for reimagining school leadership development to enhance collective efficacy. The MSLFP a two-year, leadership development program that seeks to harness cross-sector expertise to understand how to build a pipeline of talented school leaders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to successfully adapt to and take on the challenges and complexities of the role. The Fellowship is led by a multi-sector collaboration comprised of school leaders, their schools, and corporate, philanthropic and research partners and provides funding, …

Menzies School Leadership Incubator: Impact And Evaluation Report 2019, Menzies Foundation, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer), Clear Horizon, Angela Mina Consulting, Ernst & Young

Educational leadership

The Menzies School Leadership Incubator (the Incubator) designs, tests and generates evidence-based insights to answer the question: How might we build a pipeline of school leaders who can lead collective efficacy in complex school environments? In 2019, the Incubator initiated the first Menzies School Leaders Fellowship Program (MSLFP), a two-year program through which selected school leaders develop their capabilities and skills to lead and build collective efficacy in their school. This report covers the first six months of the MSLFP documenting and sharing insights from five school leaders from Victorian government, Catholic and independent schools.

Principals' Perspectives Of Mindfulness For Leadership And Equity, Corinne Brion, Gina L. Gullo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Purpose: The current study sought to explore principals’ perspectives of definitions and uses of mindfulness in their leadership and equity practices.

Design: The primary researcher observed and interviewed eleven school principals using qualitative methods during the course of this study.

Findings: Four themes developed from principals’ definitions of mindfulness: (1) awareness and attention, (2) present centeredness, (3) modeling listening and respect, and (4) decision-making processes. The principals’ actions also presented ethical mindedness in their equity pursuits and reflection in their general leadership practices, despite establishing the presence of a stigma around mindfulness.

Research limitations/implications: Beyond the limitations of qualitative …

Cultural Proficiency: The Missing Link To Student Learning, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This case illustrates why school leaders must be culturally proficient to serve all students and lead effectively. I discuss one case in Ohio that is representative of many other American schools. In particular, I examine the cultural challenges educational leaders must commonly face. This case encourages administrators to participate in meaningful conversations with stakeholders to solve complex issues. The hope is to better understand how school leaders in diverse contexts can lead and embrace different cultures, beliefs, and norms. I also pose questions designed to prepare educational leaders for similar situations where they must address issues of culture.

Quality Educational Leadership Through Principal Certification: A Consultation Paper Seeking Input On School Principal Certification To Recognise And Enhance Educational Leadership In Australian Schools, Paul Kilvert

Educational leadership

This consultation paper seeking input on school principal certification to recognise and enhance educational leadership in Australian schools was used as the basis for a series of forums with principals in each Australian state and territory to clarify and develop the Australian Principal Certification Program.

A Journey Of Transformation : A Reflective Recount Of The Evolution Of Akes,P, Sadrudin Pardhan, Aien Shah, Samina Saad, Karim Panah, Mir Zaman, Khadija Khan

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper presents an overall picture of the evolution of the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P) over a century. Reaching out to the remotest areas of Pakistan, AKES,P, has been providing quality education for over a hundred years. The first school of AKES,P, was established in 1905 in Gwadar, Balochistan. Over a century later, AKES,P, now operates 179 schools and 5 hostels in Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Punjab and Sindh, mostly in rural areas. These represent very diverse schools, ranging from a rural school with less than 30 children to a large urban school with over 3000 children. AKES,P, places special …

A Situational Assessment Of Student Leadership: An Evaluation Of Alternate Forms Reliability And Convergent Validity, Patricia Slack

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Situational Assessment of Leadership: Student Assessment (SALSA©) was developed in the spring of 2009 to be used as a measure of student leadership. Study 1 assessed alternate forms reliability of the SALSA using scores from 178 students. The overall scores on SALSA Form A and SALSA Form B showed a significant correlation (rAB = .906, p < .01). Dimension scores on the two forms ranged from rAB = .475 to rAB = .804. Study 2 evaluated the convergent validity between the SALSA and the Western Kentucky University Center for Leadership Excellence assessment center. SALSA scores as well as assessment scores from 53 students were analyzed. The overall scores on the SALSA and CLE assessment center had a significant yet moderate correlation (r = .513). Dimension correlations were significant but low, ranging from r = .310 to r = .392. The strong correlations in Study 1 indicate the two forms of the SALSA may be used as alternate measures such as in a pre and post-test of leadership. The convergent validities in Study 2 demonstrate that both the SALSA and assessment center may be used to assess leadership. However, the low convergent validities across dimensions indicate overall scores likely should be used rather than dimension scores.

Program Coordinators Disposition Toward Educational Leadership Best Practices: Practicum Experience In Georgia, J. Eric Tubbs

Faculty and Research Publications

The importance of field experiences in educational leadership was well documented in literature. However, scholars and practitioners disagreed on how field experiences should be provided to achieve the greatest effect. On the other hand, practicum efficiency and effectiveness were not assessed in the last ten years. Therefore, this study was designed to explore how field experiences are offered in the educational leadership programs (Master of Education and Add-On Program) in Georgia. Through data analysis, the researchers shared their observation of how field experiences in educational leadership could be enhanced in Georgia. Although the study was conducted in Georgia, the findings …

Leadership In Indigenous Education, Nola Purdie, Jenny Wilkinson

Indigenous Education Research

This brief scoping paper was developed around the theme of ‘What’s happening in Indigenous leadership in education in Australian schools?’ A dual focus for this theme was noted: leadership for Indigenous education; and leadership by Indigenous principals and teachers.

The authors provide an overview of current issues in educational leadership that were derived, in the main, from papers presented at the 2007 ACER conference on educational leadership. Current offerings and opportunities in the area of Indigenous leadership and leadership for Indigenous education include those operating through the Australian Principals Associations Professional Development Council (APAPDC), principally through the Dare to Lead …

Disrupting The Status Quo: The Action Research Dissertation As A Transformative Strategy, Margaret Grogan, Joe Donaldson, Juanita Simmons

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Summary: As a contribution to the lively debate that has been recently spawned among scholars about leadership preparation embedded in doctoral studies, this chapter explores the relationship between the current conception of the quality practitioner of educational leadership and the usefulness of learning how to conduct action research. The first section describes the quality practitioner and shows how various theories lend themselves to this concept. Building on the theoretical underpinnings for the very practical work of educational leadership, the second section offers a brief discussion of the background and development of action research. In the third section, we consider the …

Integrating Innovations, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Proponents of new ideas promote their favorites without seeing connections to other strategies--it's up to school leaders to discover how to integrate a collection of models within their improvement programs.