A Study of ‘Effective’ Departments in Secondary Schools

How school leaders perceive the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools?

“…Research has shown that middle leaders occupy key 'link' positions to influence school improvement and effectiveness (Busher and Harris 1999;Harris 2000Harris , 2001Harris et al 1995). Earley and Fletcher-Campbell (1989, p. 3) asserted that 'the head of department plays a crucial role in the effective operation of the work of secondary school departments' and Fleming and Amesbury (2001, p. 2) in the following description highlighted the critical role of middle leaders in primary schools:…”

Effective Leadership and Departmental Improvement

“…Research has shown that within highly effective departments these values are shared by all staff (Harris et al, 1995). Consequently, departments need to be clear about the interpretation and articulation of values within their individual department context.…”

“…The work of UK researchers such as Sammons et al (1996aSammons et al ( , 1996b, Bennett (1995) and Harris et al (1995Harris et al ( , 1996aHarris et al ( , 1996b, Harris, (1998) suggests that heads of department within English secondary schools contribute to departmental performance in much the same way as headteachers contribute to overall school performance. This departmental sphere of influence has been termed the 'realm of knowledge' because of the importance of the subject boundary (Siskin, 1994).…”

“…Research studies have shown that the head of department is an important factor in differential departmental effectiveness (Harris et al, 1995;Sammons et al, 1997 A. Harris affect departmental performance. However, the different types of department found within a secondary school also makes leadership of a department a particularly difficult and complex role to fulfil (Busher & Harris, 1999).…”

Redefining School Effectiveness

“…Several school effectiveness researchers found that individual departments in schools also showed differential effects. Research on departmental effects, such as that by Fitz-Gibbon (1991, Harris et al (1995), Sammons et al (1997) and Harris (1998) focused attention onto even smaller groups and individual teachers. If departments could be located that were seen to be doing less well than other departments in the same school, then individuals could be isolated for blame-and, occasionally, praise.…”