Instructional Leadership in Three Australian Schools

Dr David Gurr and Dr Lawrie Drysdale, The University of Melbourne Professor Bill Mulford, The University of Tasmania Correspondence Dr David Gurr, Centre for !r"anisational Learnin" and Leadership, The University of Melbourne, #ustralia, $%&%' (mail d'"urr)unimelb

&

Instructional Leadership in Three Australian Schools

Abstract Purpose *nstructional leadership has a lon" and rich history, yet is a concept that is comple+, with multiple interpretations as to what an instructional leader does' ,rom the case studies of the *nternational -uccessful -chool Leadership Pro.ect, and lin/ed to a model of successful school leadership derived from the #ustralian case studies, three e+amples of instructional leadership from #ustralian schools are described illustratin" both indirect and direct instructional leadership' Research Methods/Approach Multiple0perspective cases studies of three #ustralian schools1 two primary 2elementary3 and one secondary 2hi"h3 school' Findings Leadership of schools is comple+, and whilst there are e+amples of direct instructional leadership by principals, the more typical path is indirect, wor/in" throu"h and with others' Clearly articulated values, beliefs and vision, fosterin" of "ood relationships, developin" staff, and understandin" the broader conte+t surroundin" schools were all features of the wor/ of the principals' #ll three principals were clearly influential in terms of improvin" student outcomes, yet how they did this varied' Implications for Research and Practice ,or those that are, or aspire to be, principals it is clear that there are many pathways to attainin" outstandin" student outcomes' The comple+ity of describin" principal leadership as illustrated by the #ustralian case studies and leadership model provide a useful counterpoint to the simple, yet important, emphasis on core leadership dimensions contained in recent conceptualisations 2Leithwood and 4iehl, 5%%$1 Leithwood, Day, -ammons, 6arris, #' 7 6op/ins, 5%%83' 1. Introduction The concept of 9instructional leadership: has had a lon" history' *ts ori"ins can be can be traced bac/ to the &;th century under the inspection systems that e+isted in <orth #merica, (n"land and #ustralia' *t rose to prominence a"ain in the United -tates in the &;=%s when the instruction dimension of the role of the principal was emphasised' -ince the &;=%s the concept has continued to evolve, althou"h its definition remains somewhat confusin"' ,rom the &;8%s onwards, definitions ran"ed from any activity in which the principal en"a"ed in order to improve instruction, to certain types of activities or actions such as classroom observation 2Gorton, &;=8 =50$3' Durin" the &;=%s and early &;>%s, te+tboo/s on educational administration focused on 9supervision:' The literature promoted the view that effective supervision of instruction could improve the ?uality of teachin" and learnin" in the classroom' -upervision e+isted for the primary purpose of improvin" instruction 2<ea"ley 7 (vans, &;=8 &%@3' The /ey responsibility of the principal was instructional leadership and curriculum improvement'

. The eighties and earl! nineties *nstructional leadership perhaps reached its Aenith in <orth #merica durin" the ei"hties when the focus of leadership studies concerned the instructional leadership role of the principal 2Murphy, &;;%3' !ften this was tied into the school effectiveness literature, with, for e+ample, evidence that the e+tent of instructional leadership is one differentiatin" aspect between hi"h and low achievin" schools 2Bambur" and #ndrews, &;;&1 6ec/, Marcoulides and Lan", &;;&3' Many 2e'"' Murphy and 6allin"er, &;;53 believed that principals needed to be trained in instructional leadership1 in one state in the U-#, instructional leadership was mandated as the primary function of the principal 2Macpherson 7 Crowson, &;;@ 8&3' *n a ma.or review of the instructional leadership literature that included studies of administrative wor/ activities, analyses of administrative trainin" pro"rams, and investi"ations of administrative coordination and control, Murphy 2&;;%3 proposed a framewor/ for viewin" instructional leadership which included four ma.or dimensions "e#eloping mission and goals $hich included framin" and communicatin" school "oals' (ffective principals were described as havin" vision and the ability to develop shared purpose throu"h the way they communicated their vision for their school' Managing the educational production function which included promotin" ?uality instruction, informally supervisin" instruction, evaluatin" instruction, allocatin" and protectin" instructional time, active involvement in coordinatin" the curriculum, e+tendin" content covera"e by developin" and enforcin" homewor/ policies that re?uire re"ular homewor/, and actively monitorin" student pro"ress' Promoting an academic learning climate which included establishin" positive e+pectations and standards, maintainin" hi"h visibility in the classroom and around the school, providin" incentives for teachers 2e"' increased responsibility, personal support, public and private praise and encoura"ement3 and students 2e"' school0wide reco"nition systems, special emphasis on academic e+cellence3, and promotin" and encoura"in" professional development of teachers' "e#eloping a supporti#e $or% en#ironment which included creatin" a safe and orderly learnin" environment throu"h emphasisin" effective discipline pro"rams, providin" opportunities for meanin"ful student involvement 2e"' system0wide activity pro"rams, formal reco"nition for successful student participation, use of school symbols to bond students to school3, developin" staff collaboration and cohesion throu"h havin" clear "oals and opportunities for teachers to be involved in professional interchan"es and decision ma/in", securin" outside resources in support of school "oals, and for"in" lin/s between the home and the school'

*n this description of instructional leadership there is a stron" theme of supportin" the school instructional pro"ram, with emphasis on ?uality teachin" and academic learnin"' The two issues of developin" mission and "oals and developin" a supportive wor/ $

environment are seen as necessary for the core activities of teachin" and learnin" to be effective' Bet despite the apparent importance of instructional leadership, <orth #merican research su""ested that principals devoted relatively little time to it 2Murphy, &;;%3' Decentralisation and an emphasis on school0based mana"ement was emphasisin" instructional leadership, yet increased administrative tas/s limited what principals could do 2Murphy and 6allin"er, &;;53' Murphy 2&;;@3 was especially concerned about this trend "iven the lin/ between instructional leadership and school performance established by previous research' &. 'urrent conceptions This view of instructional leadership, the 9stron", directive leadership focused on curriculum and instruction from the principal: 26allin"er, 5%%$ $5;3, was criticised because it tended to focus on the principal as the centre of power and authority' *n recent times the conceptualisation of instructional leadership has spread beyond <orth #merica and broadened to include all activities that affect learnin"' Chilst educational leadership is perhaps a better term, as it provides a clear distinction from earlier conceptions of instructional leadership, the current views of instructional leadership are rich and comprehensive and, in many cases, can be seen as part of the educational leadership discussion' *n #ustralia the term 9instructional leadership: is seldom used' The preferred term is 9educational leadership:' There is a "rowin" body of research in #ustralia that indicates that school principals have an indirect yet si"nificant impact on student achievement' 6ill 2&;;=3 contended that principals have a central, if indirect role by helpin" to create the Dpre0conditionsD for improvement in classrooms, includin" settin" direction, developin" commitment, buildin" capacity, monitorin" pro"ress and constructin" appropriate strate"ic responses' Drawin" on #ustralian research, Caldwell:s 2&;;>3 analysis of educational reform in #ustralia durin" the &;;%s showed that principals played a /ey strate"ic and empowerin" role in lin/in" structural aspect of reform to learnin" and teachin" and student outcomes' More recently -ilins, Mulford and Earins 25%%53, Mulford and -ilins 25%%$3, and Bishop 25%%@3 provide evidence and models which trace the impact of the principal:s educational leadership on student outcomes' ,rom our own research on successful school principal leadership, it is our contention that the educational leadership role of the principal is now as important as at any other time' The unrelentin" focus on student outcomes, increasin" use of desi"n approaches to school reform, and consideration of schoolin" for the /nowled"e society have forced principals to reassess their role and to reassert their instructional e+pertise' Cithin the #ustralian conte+t this view is stron"ly supported' 6ill 25%%53 su""ests that for schools to improve student outcomes principals need to devote more time to establishin" preconditions and interventions directed at improvin" teachin" and learnin", and reduce time devoted to administrative and mana"erial roles' ,or Munro 25%%53, principals need to be leaders in learnin" rather than .ust leaders of learnin"' 6e further su""ests that principals need to understand contemporary theories of learnin", have an e+plicit personal theory of learnin", and be able to utilise this /nowled"e' Beare 25%%$3 ar"ues

that seein" the future and settin" a framewor/ will be an essential educational leadership role' Caldwell 25%%@, 5%%F3 proposes that education leaders are li/ely to be the chief resource in preparin" others in transformin" learnin" in a short time and on a lar"e scale' ,rom <ew Eealand, 4obinson 25%%83 calls for a reconceptualisation of the concept of educational leadership to have a stron"er instructional focus and to construct this by bac/ward mappin" from what is desired at the classroom level to the type of leadership needed to support this' (. The Impact of Instructional Leadership on Student )utcomes !ne of the /ey issues raised by the instructionalGeducational leadership debate is the impact of educational leadership on student outcomes' (arly research was contradictory and unable to confirm the e+tent of impact, su""estin" it was minimal at best 2Murphy 7 6allin"er, &;>>1 6allin"er 7 6ec/, &;;83' Bet, the school effectiveness literature, as noted above, ar"ued that educational leadership was a /ey component of the characteristics of effective schools' Most writers a"ree that the effect of educational leadership is indirect 2 6allin"er 7 Murphy &;>=1 6allin"er,&;>;1 Leithwood 7 HantAi, 5%%%1 6allin"er 7 6ec/, &;;8, &;;>3' CitAiers, Bos/er, IrJ"er, 25%%$, p' @%&3 conducted a meta0analysis that showed the limitations of the direct effect, as 9the leader:s contribution is mediated by other people, events, and or"aniAational and cultural factors': Leithwood 7 4iehl 25%%$3 ar"ue that educational leadership is mainly indirect because leadership is essentially an influence process where educational leaders are mostly wor/in" throu"h or influencin" others to accomplish "oals Kthe impact of educational leadership on student achievement is demonstrable' Leadership effects are primarily indirect, and they appear primarily to wor/ throu"h the or"aniAational variable of school mission or "oals and throu"h variables related to classroom curriculum and instruction' Chile ?uantitative estimates of effects are not always available, leadership variables do seem to e+plain an important proportion of the school0related variance in student achievement' 2Leithwood 7 4iehl, 5%%$, p'&$3 *n a further review Leithwood, Day, -ammons, 6arris, 7 6op/ins 25%%8, p F3 conclude 9leadership has very si"nificant effects on the ?uality of school or"anisation and on pupil learnin"': They also su""est that while school leaders have some direct effects on staff capacities, the stron"est influences were indirect and based on providin" supportin" conditions that impacted staff motivation, commitments and beliefs' 4ecent #ustralian research confirms this positive principal impact, includin" the impact on instruction' The Leadership for !r"anisational Learnin" and -tudent !utcomes 2L!L-!3 research involvin" ;8 #ustralian secondary schools, includin" over F,%%% students and $,=%% teachers and their principals 2-ilins 7 Mulford, 5%%@3 found that leadership that ma/es a difference is both position0based 2principal3 and distributive

2administrative team and teachers3' But both are only indirectly related to student outcomes' !r"anisational learnin" 2!L3 involvin" three se?uential development sta"es 2trustin" and collaborative climate, shared and monitored mission and ta/in" initiatives and ris/s3 supported by appropriate and on"oin" professional development is the important intervenin" variable between leadership and teacher wor/ and then student outcomes' That is, leadership contributes to !L, which in turn influences what happens in the core business of the school L the teachin" and learnin"' *t influences the way students perceive teachers or"anise and conduct their instruction, and their educational interactions with, and e+pectations for, their students' The L!L-! research found that students: positive perceptions of teachers: wor/ directly promoted their participation in school, and enhanced academic self0concept and en"a"ement with school' -tudent participation is directly, and student en"a"ement indirectly 2throu"h retention at school3 related to academic achievement' -chool siAe is ne"atively, and socio0economic status 2especially student home educational environment3 positively lin/ed to these relationships' L!L-! has developed a well0defined and stable model accountin" for >@M of variance in student en"a"ement, 8@M of student academic achievement and >=M of or"anisational learnin"' # model of successful school leadership 2described below3 derived from our more recent #ustralian research reinforces the comple+ity of leadin" a school in the current climate and how principal instructional leadership is typically indirect, mediated throu"h a variety of processes' Ce now turn to consider this leadership model and describe the instructional leadership of three of our principals' *n so doin", we are presentin" two cases that confirm the typical indirect educational leadership role of principals, and one case which demonstrates a more direct influence' *. Three e+amples from successful schools The followin" #ustralian case studies emphasise a complicated leadership model in which principals lar"ely e+ert a stron" but indirect influence on instruction L refer to ,i"ure &' *n this model, principals e+ert an influence on student outcomes 2broadly conceived3 throu"h a focus on teachin" and learnin" driven by their own values and vision, an a"reed school vision, elements of transformational leadership and increasin" school capacity across four dimensions 2personal, professional, or"anisational and community3, ta/in" into account and wor/in" with the school conte+t, and usin" evidence0based monitorin", and critical reflection to lead to chan"e and transformation' This model is e+plored in "reater detail in Gurr, Drysdale and Mulford 25%%83' ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Place Figure 1 -ere

Figure 1. Australian Successful School Leadership Model

The three case studies ori"inate from Gurr, Drysdale and Mulford:s 25%%F3 fourteen case studies that formed the Nictorian and Tasmanian ?ualitative contribution to the *nternational -uccessful -chool Principalship Pro.ect 2*--PP further information about this pro.ect can be found in the special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration, volume @$, number 8, and in Day and Leithwood, 5%%=3' The three case used in this paper were chosen to not only illustrate the powerful but lar"ely indirect instructional leadership of principals 2Nic/i ,orbes and Mar"aret Church3, but to also hi"hli"ht the possibility of direct instructional leadership 2Hohn ,lemin"3' /. 0ic%i Forbes. Polishing the sil#er Nic/i was appointed as principal of Brentwood -econdary Colle"e in 5%%% after havin" been an assistant principal for five years in a hi"h profile 9successful: school that en.oyed a reputation in the community for academic e+cellence' Brentwood -econdary Colle"e is a co0educational, sin"le campus school established in &;8; in a residential eastern suburb of Melbourne' By the mid &;;%s the reputation of the school had declined in comparison with other hi"h profile schools in the area' The school viewed itself as a dumpin" "round for those students that no other school wanted' By &;;= the school had launched a mar/etin" campai"n which saw numbers increase from =%% to >%% when Nic/i became principal in the year 5%%%' Chilst the reputation of the school had improved, Nic/i believed that the school was underperformin" and she set about improvin" the school:s performance in a number of areas, particularly student achievement' Under Nic/i:s leadership school enrolments have continued to increase 2currently &$F% in 5%%=3, student achievement in (n"lish and mathematics in years = to &%, and performance across most study areas at year &5 has continued to improve and is well above state and li/e school benchmar/s 2based on socio0economic and (n"lish lan"ua"e bac/"round status3, the percenta"e of students pro"ressin" to tertiary education has increased, and there is improvement in other areas such as sport' The school is now re"arded as one of the top performin" "overnment schools in the state' Much of the success was attributable to Nic/i:s role as an educational leader' This and other aspects of Nic/i:s wor/ are fully described in Iarvouni 25%%F3' Most of Nic/i:s impact on student outcomes has been indirect, focussin" more on wor/ within level 5 of the model in ,i"ure &' Nalues, beliefs and vision are important, as they were in Hohn:s leadership' Nic/i focuses considerable ener"y into attractin", retainin" and developin" staff, promotin" shared leadership and decision ma/in", developin" personal and professional capacity of staff throu"h a focus on improvin" teachin" and learnin", and buildin" relationships' *t is in this last aspect that she has a direct impact on students as she directly influences their values and beliefs about school, which leads to improved learnin" outcomes' /.1 0alues1 beliefs and #ision Nic/i demonstrated the importance of values and beliefs in ma/in" an impact' -he had an ethos of a learnin" community and believed it was possible to inte"rate a focus on hi"h

academic achievement with a carin" and trustin" environment' * thin/ we have mista/enly believed that you can:t have hi"h e+pectations, ri"or and care and support and trust runnin" to"ether and inte"rated and that has been a mista/e that we have made in the way that schools have been mana"ed K* thin/ the real challen"e is to have the two inte"rated and * thin/ that is what * have tried to do' These values and beliefs were manifest in her vision for a better school' Nic/i set a vision for an academic school' 6er vision was for the school to be the leadin" secondary school in the area and school of first choice' 6er moral purpose was to chan"e the culture to one of hi"h e+pectations and academic ri"our to pursue e+cellence but at the same time care about people' -he also saw the need to create a culture where teachers saw themselves as professionals, able to ma/e .ud"ements based on evidence rather than the intuition so often used' My personal vision is that all of the teachers in the school would have the s/ills and capacity to be e+cellent class room teachers and therefore create learnin" e+periences for students that would help them to achieve their personal bestK2to3KCreate a culture where teachers see themselves as professionals who are able to loo/ at evidence and act upon that evidence with respect to what:s happenin" in the class rooms' Nic/i said she made sure the vision was re0enforced and repeated a"ain and a"ain until 9they "ot it:' The fact that it was transparent and people did "et it was ac/nowled"ed by all sta/eholders interviewed in the study' Nic/i was seen as successfully 9wal/in" the tal/: and used lan"ua"e, words, symbols and actions to re0enforce the vision' -he used the lan"ua"e of hi"h e+pectations with teachers and students' This is where the lan"ua"e we use is so powerful' *t is not .ust about a achievement, it:s about bein" the best you can be, it:s about challen"in" and stretchin" yourself' /. "e#eloping personal and professional capacit!. A focus on teaching and learning Chen Nic/i arrived at the school she believed the school was 9coastin":' Conse?uently she made 9teachin" and learnin": a ma.or focus' The challen"e was to 9"et inside the classroom door to improve teacher and student learnin"': -he attempted to 9brea/ down the silos: by to encoura"in" peer observation Cell we must be the only profession in the world that doesn:t learn throu"h observation' Bou have to encoura"e people to "o into each others classrooms K *t is that sharin" and the trust that you have with that collea"ue that will enable you to develop your own s/ills' Ultimately it is about the ?uality of the teachin" that happens in classrooms'

>

!ther strate"ies included establishin" professional learnin" communities, challen"in" staff to reflect on current practice, debatin" issues in staff forums, and readin" and e+chan"in" new ideas' -he was specifically concerned that teachers should e+amine evidenced based data to inform decisions on peda"o"y' # chan"e in culture in staff meetin"s also helped to focus efforts on improvin" teachin" and learnin"' 4arely was that time now used for administrative matters' Meetin"s were held once a fortni"ht with every second meetin" devoted to teachin" and learnin"' The 6ead of Teachin" and Learnin" described these meetin"s as characterised by 9ten minutes of shared readin" and by 9thin/, pair, share: sessions about 9what we believe about teachin" and learnin"': /.& Attracting1 retaining and de#eloping staff Because the school was "rowin" Nic/i selected /ey leadership people and was influential in selectin" be"innin" teachers' #ppointin" the ri"ht staff was viewed as an important element in the school:s success by most staff as the Professional Development Mana"er indicates' Chen Nic/i arrived she was very much mindful of choosin" the ri"ht person for the ri"ht .ob and by doin" that it meant that the vision that she wanted to achieve was able to be implemented more fully' -o she very much ensured that she had the /ey personnel where they should have been and also then "ot that "roup to wor/ collectively' Developin" staff was a crucial strate"y' Chile she believed the school was underperformin" she reco"nised that there were talented teachers whose potential was untapped' -he commented that it was 9li/e findin" the silver in the cupboard and polishin" it' : -he consistently challen"ed staff to be their best' /.( Student relationships. 'hanging #alues and beliefs 4elationships with teachers, students and the community are a cornerstone to Nic/i:s leadership' -tudents have been encoura"ed to develop a stron" wor/ ethic, the success of which is evidenced by the hi"h Bear &5 results' But .ust as importantly, Kthere is an enormous amount of encoura"ement to "et the best out of the students so that in a way we do ma/e a success of it whether we "et the results or not' 26ead of Department3 -tudents come here to learn so this inspires teachers to produce their best' 2-chool Council President3 !ne area in which her leadership that could be described as havin" a 9direct impact: on student outcomes was her relationship with students' Chether it was in the school yard, in her office, or at other school and social activities, she made a point of establishin" a

trustin" relationship with students and influencin" how they viewed school' -he used the lan"ua"e of hi"h e+pectations with teachers and students This is where the lan"ua"e we use is so powerful' *t is not .ust about a achievement, it:s about bein" the best you can be, it:s about challen"in" and stretchin" yourself' /.* Shared leadership and decision ma%ing Nic/i describes her style as consultative and people oriented' -he noted that you can have hi"h e+pectations but still be carin"' -he e+plained how she encoura"ed and tried to motivate people to ta/e ris/s' -he also noted that she used a dele"atin" style in order to empower staff to ta/e responsibility, for e+ample, she noted that she often had to 9accept a lesser .ob: than she would normally do herself in order to 9let "o and learn to dele"ate': Chile she thou"ht that leadership was as much an art as a science, she believed that you had to be strate"ic 6avin" that understandin" between when the timin" is ri"ht and when it is not is somethin" that you would have to listen to other people, listen to some of your senior staff or the movers and sha/ers which don:t have to necessarily be the senior staff, but see/ advice' Go with you "ut a little bit' Chat may wor/ in one situation may not wor/ in another situation' -tudents confirmed her style as 9consultative:1 they saw her has bein" very 9professional:, 9very focused and motivated:, 9open door:, and 9business li/e:' They felt that they could 9say anythin" to her: and that she was 9easy to interact with:' Teachers also described her as bein" collaborative, but one who was prepared to ma/e hard decisions' !ther described her style as 9transformational: or of modellin" 9distributed leadership:' -hared leadership was particularly evident amon"st the senior leadership team' ,or e+ample, the senior leadership team ac/nowled"ed that teachers needed to be supported and reassured in times of chan"e especially in developin" new s/ills and adopt new peda"o"ies, and that it was the responsibility of the whole leadership team to dot this' /./ Summar! Nic/i demonstrates an indirect form of instructional leadership and one in which much of her effort is focussed on level two initiatives' -he has a clear vision, hi"h e+pectations, fosters a positive and supportive culture, supports innovative teachin" and learnin", is "ood at attractin" and retainin" the ri"ht staff, builds positive relationships with the school community, fosters professional capacity buildin", and shows leadership that 9wal/s the tal/:' 2. Margaret 'hurch . "aring to be different Mar"aret Church and Billabon" Primary 2all names in this case study are pseudonyms3 were selected to hi"hli"ht indirect instructional leadership in the conte+t of a successful suburban Tasmanian primary school in a very low socioeconomic area' Traditional

&%

measures of academic achievement are less relevant in this school, with success measured more broadly in terms of a ran"e of e?ually important, but lar"ely non academic, outcomes' Billabon":s success was found to be built upon a number of interactin" factors, includin" the development of a new learnin" culture, and "overnance and structures within the school that facilitated democratic decision0ma/in"' Mar"aret:s leadership manifest itself in a stron", open, consistent style characterised by distributive leadership practices' Chat stood out was the principal:s coura"e in darin" to be different for the sa/e of her students' That this has been successful is indicated in "radually improvin" literacy levels, increased student self esteem and empowerment, improved social learnin", "reater sense of community within the school, and increased en"a"ement with school' 2.1 0alues and beliefs Comin" from an impoverished childhood herself, the only child of 9fabulous, carin": but older adoptive parents, the thin" that stri/es you about Mar"aret was her empathy with the Billabon" students and their families' -pecifically she was a passionate campai"ner for social .ustice throu"h the public education system Chy should /ids have to have such a rou"h trot simply because they:re on the wron" side of the trac/s here or anywhereO Public education ou"ht to always be about .ustice and "ivin" /ids a chance' Mar"aret described her motivation simply in the followin" way 9* love /ids, * want them to do well' * can show them how to "et there if they don:t /now the rules of the "ame:' Mar"aret unashamedly instilled amon"st staff a stron" belief that 9nothin" is too "ood for our studentsKnothin" but the best:' Drivin" chan"e at Billabon" Primary was Mar"aret:s passionate commitment to social .ustice for her students' Literacy coordinator Lesley Garrison e+plained -he PMar"aretQ would not miss an opportunity to tal/ to us at staff meetin"s, to parents, to community members about our vision of where the school is "oin"' <ow, that vision entails valuin" every child and it entails doin" the utmost best that we can for every child in this school' Ce have hi"h e+pectations of children:s learnin" and their behaviour, * will say that they are hi"h but they are realistic' (very child is seen as an individual' Teachers understand the conte+t of where these children are operatin" from' -he also has a stron" belief that the school has a /ey role to play in empowerin" the community by buildin" social capital, vital in an area that was so economically and socially impoverished, and mar"inalised from mainstream society' Billabon" Primary was promoted as a place where adults were made welcome, where their lac/ of faith and trust in authority can be restored, and where lifelon" learnin" was encoura"ed and supported' 2. 3uilding relationships1 and sho$ing indi#idual support and commitment -tudents, staff and parents found her approachable, a "ood listener, and someone who

&&

always had time for others' (arly childhood teacher Christine Ha"o described Mar"aret as very welcomin" to children' *f a child brin"s a piece of wor/ up to her office K she ma/es a bi" deal out of it and it:s often those children that need a little bit of encoura"ement that we send up K <ot surprisin"ly, her office door was very rarely closed' (ach interruption we witness, and there were many, was dealt with cheerfully, respectfully and fully, with Mar"aret ma/in" no apolo"y for that fact that her priorities are always 2&3 students 253 teachers 2$3 parents and other staff, and 2@3 district and central office demands' Mar"aret was particularly "ood at reco"nisin" and valuin" the efforts of students and staff ali/e' Literacy coordinator Lesley Garrison, who had tau"ht at the school for ei"ht years, found this 9odd at first because * wasn:t used to it, to receive positive comments, verbal positive compliments from a Principal:' -he was upfront re"ardin" her e+pectations, and li/ed to 9play with a strai"ht bat:, as she described it' The staff was in no doubt about her e+pectations of them, as Lesley Garrison recalled Kshe has told us that it is no reflection on us but if we feel that we can:t "ive that &%% percent that these children need, no ne"ative thou"hts about that on her behalf, but it mi"ht be time to move to a different school' 2.& 4nderstanding the $ider conte+tual influences 6er openness and honestyRsome would call it outspo/ennessRwas not always appreciated, and caused some problems in her relations with others, includin" Department of (ducation personnel' ,or e+ample, her decision, supported by her staff, that Billabon" Primary would not officially .oin the Department of (ducation:s Curriculum Consultation pro.ect as a pro.ect school' #lthou"h supportive of this department0initiated chan"e, Mar"aret believed the school was already wor/in" towards ma.or curriculum and peda"o"ical chan"e, driven by intrinsic motivation to do the 9very best we can for our /ids:, not by the financial rewards attached to pro.ect participation' District and central office personnel criticised her decision, but Mar"aret was convinced that the school vision would be best served by continuin" on the path of chan"e be"un two years earlier' -he recalled * thin/ we:re seen as off the mar/ sli"htly' Perhaps even borderin" on resistin", which is an irony' K because of the nature of Pthe schoolQ conte+t, this is actually "roundbrea/in" here' -o, far from bein" resistant and belli"erent, this is hi"hly pro"ressive, but this is ?uality stuff that is happenin" here' 2.( )rganisational capacit!. "e#eloping a learning culture1 trust and ris% ta%ing. !n arrival at Billabon", Mar"aret 9pled"ed two thin"s that in the first year the /ey aim would be to shift the learnin" culture and number two there would be democratic

&5

decision0ma/in" and *:ve held to those:' Developin" a learnin" culture within the school meant reviewin" the curriculum for relevance and coherence, and identifyin" four priority areas for school0wide attention' These areas were behaviour mana"ement, literacy, numeracy, and the arts' # cohesive and consistent approach to each area was bein" developed, with early indicators of success particularly evident in behaviour mana"ement and literacy' Predictably, these two ma.or chan"es caused upheaval and discomfort amon"st a staff that had 9done thin"s in one way for a very lon" time:' -ome formed a 9"in"er: "roup intent on preventin" chan"e' Chile they did 9"et a couple of scores on the board:, they were lar"ely unsuccessful in their attempts' # number of them have since left the school' The new direction that the school is movin" in, supported by a stron" evidence0informed professional development pro"ram, depended very much on the development of a ris/ ta/in" culture amon"st staff, supported by Mar"aret' The confidence to ris/ ta/e is based on the e+tent of trust within the school, which be"an with the level of trust between principal and staff' Teacher #nnabel 6unter e+plained * thin/ we:re trusted as teachers' * mean Mar"aret made me feel so wonderful when * came K and * .ust strai"ht away started to thin/, she trusts me, she trusts me to do a "ood .ob, that helps us to feel confident in what we:re doin" K *:m sure when you feel that you:re trusted you are more confident to ta/e ris/s, try new thin"s and openly discuss outcomes' 4is/ ta/in" is further supported by increased staff colle"iality, where teachers wor/ to"ether to 9share the "ood practices and see/ out other ideas:' The e+tent to which the school supported ris/ ta/in" is confirmed by a 5%%5 staff survey which found that >5 percent of participatin" staff 9stron"ly a"ree: that 9staff is willin" to ta/e initiatives and try new teachin" strate"ies to help students learn better:' 2.* Summar! Mar"aret displays an indirect form of instructional leadership, one that is centred on wor/ within level 5, with some elements of level $' There is also a stron" emphasis at loo/in" at student outcomes broadly' The success of Billabon" Primary is due to a committed and focused staff, and to a principal who is similarly committed and focused, a "ood role model, and a stron" and purposeful leader' #s Mar"aret ar"ued, deeper en"a"ement of students in their learnin" is evidenced by 9thousands of e+amples of hi"hly s/illed practitioners en"a"in" actively with children and ma/in" school life K a really en.oyable e+perience:' *t is also supported by findin"s from the Grade FG8 student survey ;8 percent a"reedGstron"ly a"reed that teachers ma/e wor/ interestin"1 ;% percent a"reedGstron"ly a"reed that their teacher is enthusiastic about school wor/1 and, >> percent a"reedGstron"ly a"reed that they "ive their best at school' This success si"nifies a radical shift in teachin" practices which were, as one teacher e+plained, previously based on 9.ust /eepin" them PstudentsQ ?uiet and puttin" the

&$

nau"hty /ids in front of the computer:' -ometimes it does pay for a school leader to 9dare to be different:S 5. 6ohn Fleming. -ands7on and direct instructional leadership Hohn /new early in his career that he wanted to be a principal because he is passionate and driven in his ?uest to ma/e a difference to the lives of children, and bein" principal "ives him the most influence on what happens in a school' #fter &F years as a teacher, Hohn became the assistant principal 2&;;53 and then principal 2&;;83 of Bellfield Primary -chool, and more recently, the head of the I0&% Berwic/ campus of 6aileybury Colle"e 25%%83 ' Bellfield is a small 255% student3 "overnment school in a hi"h poverty suburb of Melbourne, whilst 6aileybury Colle"e is a lar"e 2more than 5F%% student3, hi"h0fee, independent school in Melbourne' The contrast between these two schools is dramatic' Bet, and this is perhaps the central feature of Hohn:s wor/ as a principal, his passion, purpose, mission and fundamental views about education remain the same 0 to ensure that the children are provided with an environment in which they can do their best' Hohn epitomises the Tinstructional leaderT concept that came to prominence in the educational literature in the ei"hties' 6e has e+ceptionally hi"h e+pectations and a very positive, Tcan doT attitude' 6e demonstrates a stron" belief that every student can learn and achieve in all areas' 6e demonstrates a hi"h level of ener"y, e+cellent peda"o"ical and curriculum /nowled"e, and a capacity to develop and ali"n staff' 6e is ever present, re"ularly visitin" classes to wor/ with students and teachers, to help them improve' The followin" focuses in particular on Hohn:s wor/ at Bellfield Primary -chool, and illustrates many of the elements of levels one and two from ,i"ure &' Hohn:s clearly articulated values, beliefs and vision, focus on providin" teachers with individualised support and developin" their personal and professional capacity are level 5 impact' There are also or"anisational and community capacity elements that Hohn has emphasised, especially buildin" a physically and emotionally safe environment, buildin" social capital and developin" parent0school partnership1 these and other aspects of Hohn:s wor/ are fully described in Gurr et al' 25%%$3, 6ardy 25%%83 and Caldwell 25%%83' !f course level 5 is where most principals direct their influence' Hohn is different from most principals in that he can demonstrate direct influence on the ?uality of instructional, curriculum and assessment and student learnin" L the level & impact' These dimensions of Hohn:s wor/ also illustrate how Hohn lives the four dimensions of instructional leadership mentioned above developin" mission and "oals1 mana"in" the educational production function1 promotin" an academic learnin" climate1 developin" a supportive wor/ environment' 5.1 0alues1 beliefs and #ision #t Bellfield, Hohn was actively involved in all aspects of school life' 6e was the drivin" force behind the success of the school' Part of the success was in Hohn:s clearly articulated beliefs about important aspects of the school such as e+pectations, peda"o"y, relationships, and school structure, and his ability to ali"n all with this vision' *t is perhaps best to let Hohn e+plain this The school is here for the children to learn to their full potential' The

&@

curriculum side is very important L teach /ids at their level' -ocial s/ills are very important for our /ids L solvin" problems by ne"otiation and not a""ression' The ethos of the school is based on two people Canter:s wor/ on assertive discipline is important' *n terms of mana"in" the /ids the emphasis is on effective relationships with the /ids' #ll teachers have a very "ood relationship with the /ids' The /ids /now that they are valued and respected' -lavin:s wor/ on whole school improvement is also important' The curriculum needs to be structured and e+plicit' *t is clearly mapped out for teachers what is e+pected in terms of curriculum' <ot only what students will learn, but also how they will learn it' Teacher responsibility to the /ids is important, as is accountability to the principal L monitorin" performance is important for both students and teachers' Ce are data driven, we benchmar/ the /ids performance, and report re"ularly' 5. "irect influence on instruction1 curriculum and assessment Hohn:s clarity of purpose and process is perhaps best illustrated by the approach to literacy development used at the school with its stron" focus on e+plicit instruction and the development of phonemic awareness' Ce believe in e+plicit instruction L we will teach /ids how to do these thin"s' !ur /ids are very stron" readers, very stron" spellers' They are stron" spellers because they /now how to brea/ words up into parts and they /now what letter sound combinations come to"ether 0 very stron" on phonemic awareness and very stron" on phonics. Hohn was unapolo"etic about this approach and he e+pected all teachers to be doin" this' The whole school was focussed on what Hohn calls 9the four pillars:' Ce needed to "et our peda"o"y ri"ht and we needed to "et our vision ri"ht and that is one of the thin"s * did from the very start' *n our triennial review in &;;8 there was the data L more than >% percent of our /ids were failin"' Ce needed to revamp and chan"e what we were doin"' Bellfield was ri"ht into the whole lan"ua"e at that sta"e and we have chan"ed that around' Ce believe in teacher directed learnin" and Bellfield has four pillars' * am sure any of the teachers at Bellfield could tal/ to all of our visitors about the four pillars' The four pillars are our vision and our peda"o"y about how children learn' They are absolutely crucial to how we have turned this school around' The first pillar is that we believe in teacher directed learnin", not child centred learnin"' The second pillar is that we believe in e+plicit instruction !ur third pillar is e+ceptionally important we believe in movin" /ids /nowled"e from short term to lon"0term memory' !ur fourth pillar states that none of the top three will ta/e their place effectively unless you have very "ood relationships with your /ids' Cith the four pillars there were also 9si+ "ivens: e+cellent relationships between students and teachers, hi"h e+pectations, e+cellent presentation s/ills, provision of feedbac/,

&F

display of student wor/, and settin" the ri"ht tone for the school' 6avin" a clearly articulated view concernin" core peda"o"ical approaches is part of the story' Hohn also has a clear understandin" about the type of school environment that will promote learnin"' -tudents, he says, essentially need three thin"s they need teachers that care for them, they need friends, and they need to be "iven wor/ at their level of ability' 5.& "e#eloping teacher capacit! Hohn loves the challen"e of helpin" people to develop, and particularly en.oys wor/in" with teachers to improve their practice' Hohn wor/s e+tensively with teachers and e+pects all to show commitment to the students and to the school, and to want to improve' 6e realises that not all the teachers will e+traordinary teachers, but if they are willin" to support the school direction and to wor/ to improve their practice, then Hohn will support them 9&%% percent:' ,or Hohn "ettin" the most out of teachers is about creatin" a hi"h e+pectation, data0driven learnin" environment' #s Hohn describes, it is about creatin" 9a culture in which teachers are accountable, /eepin" data that is fair din/um, settin" hi"h e+pectations, "oin" in and watchin" teachers teach formallyK: To lead a school, Hohn believes that teachers want to see that a principal is passionate, determined and understands the wor/ of classrooms teachers' Trust is an important element, and in terms of "ainin" the trust of staff, Hohn tal/s about the ;%G&% principle' -tated simply, to improve school practice focus on the ;% percent of thin"s that are "ood, not the ten percent that needs improvin"' By doin" this it shows faith in people and demonstrates an understandin" of what they are doin"' This "ains commitment to then improve those ten percent of thin"s that need improvin"1 demonstratin" rapport, and "ainin" credibility and respect are important in wor/in" with staff to chan"e' 5.( Summar! This clear learnin" and social framewor/ L four pillars, si+ "ivens, three needs L bac/ed by research evidence, practical e+perience, and presence, passion and ener"y, allow Hohn to create an ali"ned and ener"ised learnin" community, one in which students are able to do their best' 6e has a clear vision and establishes e+cellent school community ali"nment, mana"es the educational production function in a very hands0on manner, has hi"h e+pectations about academic learnin", and is e+pert at developin" a supportive wor/ climate' 6e is a very hands0on and direct instructional leader' 8. 'onclusion Principals are an important part of how schools help students to attain e+cellent outcomes' The model presented in ,i"ure & and the three case studies provide a "limpse of the complicated yet important wor/ of principals leadin" schools' #ll three principals centred their efforts at level 5' The principals: values, beliefs and vision were clear, understood and supported by all in the school community 2but not necessarily by their employers, as in the case of Mar"aret3, and used to drive improvement' Hohn had perhaps the most clearly articulated and inte"rated view of teachin" and learnin", whilst Mar"aret had very stron" social .ustice values, and Nic/i saw the need to wor/ with and throu"h staff' They emphasised the importance of developin" relationships, particularly the

&8

interactions they had with students as this sent important messa"es to the students about the sort of values, beliefs and behaviours that would help them succeed' Hohn had a more direct influence on students within classrooms than the other principals' The three principals wor/ed well with staff, understandin" them as individuals and helpin" them to develop their personal and professional capacities' #"ain, Hohn seemed to have a more direct impact on classroom instruction, yet both Nic/i and Mar"aret were effective in improvin" the ?uality of instruction, curriculum and assessment' Mar"aret wor/ed well within the broader conte+t 2level $3, especially in bufferin" the staff and students from anythin" that did not fit her and the school:s clearly articulated and communicated ob.ectives' Hohn, was the most direct leader of the three in that he spent a lot of time in classrooms wor/in" with teachers and students to improve the teachin" and learnin"' #ll three principals were clearly influential 2indeed, most in the school communities believed that the success of these schools was lar"ely due to the efforts of the principals3, yet Nic/i and Mar"aret wor/ed more throu"h others to influence teachers, student and parents to influence student outcomes, whilst Hohn was more directly involved, wor/in" in classrooms often' This is encoura"in" for those that are, or aspire to be, principals as it is clear that there are many pathways to attainin" outstandin" student outcomes' *n other words, the three case studies demonstrate that educational leadership ma/es a difference in different ways' The model presented in ,i"ure & su""est how principals mi"ht e+ercise leadership by considerin" the different levels of impact on student outcomes within and evidenced0based, critically reflected environment focussed on chan"e and transformation' The use of this model, alon" with others such as that derived from the L!L-! pro.ect, illustrate the comple+ity of leadin" schools, and provide a useful counterpoint to the simple, but important, emphasise on core leadership dimensions contained in models such as instructional leadership mentioned above, or the more recent wor/ of Leithwood and collea"ues who believe that leadership in schools is comprised of buildin" vision and settin" directions1 understandin" and developin" people1 redesi"nin" the or"anisation1 and, mana"in" the teachin" and learnin" pro"ram 2Leithwood and 4iehl, 5%%$1 Leithwood, Day, -ammons, 6arris, #' 7 6op/ins, 5%%83' 19. References. Bambur", H'D' 7 #ndrews, 4'L', 2&;;&3' -chool Goals, Principals and #chievement' School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 2, &=F0&;&' Beare, 6' 25%%$3 9The school of the future:' *n Davies, B' and Cest0Burnham, H' 2(ds3 Handbook of Leadership and Mana ement' London Pearson Lon"man' Chapter 8& Bishop, P' 25%%@3 -tories from within leadership, learnin" and lives in a hi"h poverty school, paper presented at the Australian Association for !esearch in Education Annual "onference, Melbourne, December Bredeson, P' N' 2&;;83' <ew directions in the preparation of educational leaders' *n I' Leithwood, H' Chapman, D' Corson, P' 6allin"er, 7 #' 6art 2(ds'3, International handbook of educational leadership and administration 2pp' 5F&05==3' Dordrecht, the <etherlands Iluwer #cademic' Caldwell, B' 2&;;>3 -trate"ic leadership, resource mana"ement and effective school

&=

reform, Journal of Educational Administration, $82F3 @@F0@8&' Caldwell, B' H' 25%%@3 !e#ima inin the Self#Mana in School' London -pecialist -chools Trust Caldwell, B' H' 25%%F3 $he %e& Enterprise Lo ic of Schools' London -pecialist -chools Trust Caldwell, B'H' 25%%83 !e#ima inin Educational Leadership' Melbourne #C(4 presss' Day, C' 7 Leithwood, I' 25%%=3 Successful 'rincipal Leadership in $imes of "han e ' Dordrecht, <etherlands -prin"er' Gorton, 4' 2&;=83 School Administration and Supervision, Dubu?ue, *a' Cm' C' Brown Company Publishers Gurr, D', Drysdale, L', Di <atale, (', ,ord, P', 6ardy, 4' and -wann, 4' 25%%$3 -uccessful school leadership in Nictoria Three case studies, Leadin and Mana in , ;2&3, pp' &>L$= Gurr, D', Drysdale, L' 7 Mulford, B' 25%%F3 -uccessful principal leadership #ustralian case studies, Journal of Educational Administration, @$283, pp F$;0FF& Gurr, D', Drysdale, L' 7 Mulford, B' 25%%83 Models of successful principal leadership, School Leadership and Mana ement, 582@3, pp' $=&0$;F 6allin"er, P' 2&;>;, #pril3' Chat ma/es a differenceO -chool conte+t, principal leadership and student achievement' Paper presented at the annual meetin" of the #(4#, -an ,rancisco 6allin"er, P 25%%$3 Leadin" (ducational Chan"e reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership, Cambrid"e Hournal of (ducation Nol' $$, <o' $, <ovember 6allin"er, P', 7 6ec/, 4' 6' 2&;;8, #pril3' The principal:s role in school effectiveness #n assessment of methodolo"ical pro"ress, &;>%0&;;F' Paper presented at the #(4#, <ew Bor/' 6allin"er, P', 7 6ec/, 4' 6' 2&;;>3' (+plorin" the principals: contribution to school effectiveness &;>%0&;;F, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, ;253, &F=0 &;&' 6allin"er, P', 7 Murphy' H' 2&;>=3' *nstructional leadership in the school conte+t' *n C' Greenfield 2(d'3, *nstructional leadership Concepts, issues, and controversies 2pp' &=;05%$3' Boston #llyn 7 Bacon' 6ardy, 4' 25%%83 -uccessful Leaders *n -uccessful -chools # case study of a "overnment primary school principal in Nictoria, #ustralia' Unpublished Master of (ducation Thesis, The University of Melbourne' 6ec/, 4'6', Marcoulides, G'#' 7 Lan", P', 2&;;&3' Principal *nstructional Leadership and -chool #chievement The #pplication of Discriminant Techni?ues' -c hool Effectiveness and School Improvement, (, &&F0&$F' 6ill, P' 2&;;=3 6ill, P'C' 25%%53 Chat all principals should /now about teachin" and learnin", in M' -' Tuc/er 7 H' B' Coddin" 2(ds3 $he principal challen e 2-an ,rancisco, C#, Hossey0 Bass3, pp' @$0=F' 6op/ins, D' 25%%53 *nstructional Leadership and -chool *mprovement' <ational Colle"e of -chool Leadership, www'ncsl'or"'u/Gpublications. Iarvouni, #' 25%%F3 -uccessful -chool Leadership in Nictoria # case study of the principal of a "overnment secondary school' Unpublished Master of (ducation

&>

Thesis, The University of Melbourne' Leithwood, I', HantAi, D' 25%%%3' Principal and teacher leadership effects # replication' School Leadership ) Mana ement, 2*2@3, @&F0@$@' Leithwood, I' #', 4iehl, C' 25%%$3 +hat ,o +e Alread- .no& About Successful School Leadership/ Prepared for the #(4# Division # Tas/ ,orce on Developin" 4esearch in (ducational Leadership Leithwood, I', Day, C', -ammons, P', 6arris, #', and 6op/ins, D' 25%%83 -even stron" claims about successful school leadership, <ational Colle"e of -chool Leadership, www'ncsl'or"'u/Gpublications. Levine, D' U', 7 LeAotte, L' C' 2&;;%3' 0nusuall- effective schools1 A revie& and anal-sis of research and practice' Madison, C* <ational Center for (ffective -chools 4esearch and Development' Macpherson, 4'B' 7 Crowson, 4'L' 2&;;@3' The Principal as Mini0-uperintendent Under Chica"o -chool 4eform' *n, Murphy, H' 7 Louis, I'-' 2(ds'3 2&;;@3' !eshapin the 'rincipalship1 Insi hts from $ransformational !eform Efforts. Thousand !a/s, Cal' Corwin Press' Mulford, B' 7 Hohns, -' 25%%@3 -uccessful school principalship, Leadin ) Mana in , &%2&3, @F0=8 Mulford, B' 7 -ilins, 6' 25%%$3 Leadership for or"anisational learnin" and improved student outcomes, "ambrid e Journal of Education , $$253, &=F0&;F Munro, H' 25%%53 Leadin" learnin" communities1 IA!$2 seminar series 1 <o' &&;' *ncorporated #ssociation of 4e"istered Teachers of Nictoria, Holimont, Nictoria Murphy, H' 2&;>>3' Methodolo"ical, measurement and conceptual problems in the study of instructional leadership' Educational Evaluation and 'olic- Anal-sis, 32@3, 5;%0 $&%' Murphy, H' 2&;;%3' Principal *nstructional Leadership' *n, Advances in Educational Administration1 "han in 'erspectives on the School, 4, &8$05%% Murphy, H' 2&;;@3' Transformational Chan"e and the (volvin" 4ole of the Principal (arly (mpirical (vidence' *n, Murphy, H' 7 Louis, I'-' 2(ds'3 2&;;@3' !eshapin the 'rincipalship1 Insi hts from $ransformational "han e Efforts ' Thousand !a/s, Cal Corwin Press' Murphy, H', 7 6allin"er, P' 2&;>>3' Characteristics of instructionally effective school districts' Journal of Educational !esearch, 542$3, &=F0&>&' Murphy, H' 7 6allin"er, P', 2&;;53' The Principalship in an (ra of Transformation' Journal of Educational Administration, 6*7$3, ==0>>' <ea"ley, 4' L' and (vans, <' D' 2&;=%3 6andboo/ for (ffective -upervision of *nstruction (n"lewood Cliffs, <ew Hersey Prentice06all 4obinson, N' 25%%83 Puttin" education bac/ into educational leadership, Leadin and Mana in , &52&3, pp' 850=F' -ammons, P', 6illman, H', 7 Mortimore, P' 2&;;F3' .e- characteristics of effective schools1 A revie& of school effectiveness research' London !,-T(D' -ilins, 6', Mulford, B' 7 Earins, -' 25%%53 !r"anisational learnin" and school chan"e, Educational Administration 8uarterl-, $>2F3, 8&$08@5' CitAiers, B', Bos/er, 4' H', IrJ"er, M' L' 25%%$3 (ducational Leadership and -tudent #chievement The (lusive -earch for an #ssociation, (ducational #dministration Uuarterly, Nol' $;, <o' $ 2#u"ust 5%%$3 $;>0@5F'

&;

Figure 1. Australian Successful School Leadership Model

QuickTime and a TIFF (LZW) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

5%