Distribution dilemmas

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the relationship of democracy to educational leadership; more specifically, to the notion of distributed leadership as it unfolds within policy-mandated multi-site school collaboratives, with particular reference to practices in Malta. Under the policy framework ‘For All Children To Succeed’ introduced in Malta in 2005, Maltese primary and secondary state schools embarked on the process of being organized into networks, legally termed ‘colleges’. I explore leadership distribution among the leaders constituting the college and the subsequent inherent tensions within this educational scenario. The notion of distributed leadership as perceived by the leaders is examined, and especially the leaders’ reception of its presentation in the policy document as the leadership discourse; and its eventual (non-)enactment at both school and college level. A Foucauldian theoretical framework, specifically Foucault’s concepts of power relations, governmentality, discourse, and subjectification, is used to carry out a case study of a Maltese college, collecting data via semi-structured, in-depth interviews, participant observation and documentary analysis. Narrative is both the phenomenon under study and the method of analysis. The policy discourse does not unfold in a participatory democratic manner in practice, resulting in an organizational paradox where leadership enactment in a Maltese college is ‘directed’ from above, rather than ‘distributed’. These findings may be significant for educational practice, policy and theory in terms of the generation of problematization which may lead to further research on this contested topic.

The Relationship between distributed leadership practices and academic optimism among faculty members in Northern Border University

“…As the concept of leadership is broadly explored in school leadership research (Harris, 2008;Mayrowetz, 2008;Mifsud, 2016;Spillane, Halverson & Diamond, 2007;Tian, Risku & Collin, 2016;Woods, Bennett, Harvey & Wise, 2004) which explored higher educational institutions such as Bryman (2009), Creanor (2014), Harkin and Healy (2013), Jones, Lefoe, Harvey and Ryland (2012;2014a;2014b).…”

“…Okul liderlik araştırmalarında liderlik kavramı genel olarak araştırılsa da (Harris, 2008;Mayrowetz, 2008;Mifsud, 2016;Spillane, Halverson & Diamond, 2007;Tian, Risku & Collin, 2016;Woods, Bennett, Harvey & Wise, 2004), yükseköğrenim bağlamında Bryman (2009) Okul liderliği üzerine Wallace Foundation (2011) tarafından yürütülen çalışmanın raporuna göre, okul müdürlerinin sorumlulukları arasında öğretmenler ve diğer çalışanların liderlik eğitimi almalarını teşvik etmek de olmalıdır. Böylece, okulun vizyonunu sğlamada bireyler kendilerine düşen görevleri daha etkin gerçekleştirebilecek ve liderlik eğitiminin kendilerine ve öğrencileri üzerindeki olumlu etkilerini daha iyi anlayabileceklerdir.…”

School Principals in Spain: Interplay of Leaders, Teachers and Context

“…Studies such as those by Leithwood and Riehl [21] have pointed out that one of the main points of pedagogical leadership is its emphasis on instruction in order to improve student learning. In addition, the discourses are mediated by context, as has already been found in studies conducted by Llorent-Bedmar et al [43]. As a result, the cultural, social and economic features of a secondary school will influence how teaching and learning processes develop, the resources available, as well as the teacher profiles employed in secondary schools.…”

“…In the secondary school located in the city of Granada, under a well-established project, the participants assume that support and supervision exercised by the management team, as well as by other middle management positions, justifies their school's academic success [9]. In this regard, they demonstrate that they have overcome the confrontation between democracy and autocracy, often drawn when attempting to include distributed leadership modalities [43].…”

Distributed leadership in the construction of a new higher education campus and community

“…For over a decade, the ideas of distributed leadership have been extensively discussed by school management researchers (e.g. Harris, 2008;Mifsud, 2016;Tian et al, 2015). Although the emphasis on the collective management dynamics could offer a counterbalancing perspective against the managerialist and leaderist discourses in academia (Crevani et al, 2015;Kezar and Lester, 2011), higher education researchers have been less eager to accentuate the value of distributed leadership, with a few exceptions (Creanor, 2014;Harkin and Healy, 2013;Jones et al, 2012;Jones et al, 2014a;Jones et al, 2014b;Keppel et al, 2010;Zepke, 2007).…”