Mission Driven and Data Informed Leadership

Abstract

The contemporary challenges facing Catholic schools and Catholic school leaders are widely known. Effective and systemic solutions to these mounting challenges are less widely known or discussed. This article highlights the skills, knowledge, and dispositions associated with mission driven and data informed leadership-an orientation to school level leadership that we believe holds great promise for the renewal and revitalization of Catholic schools. The conceptual framework developed in this article takes specific shape through an examination of the problem-based learning strategies embedded in the curriculum of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program in the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame, and three exemplary action research projects completed by program graduates and current leaders in Catholic schools.

Testing Writing: The Washback Effect on English Courses

“…Once the data were obtained, they were analysed following an action research approach, which can be said to enable "researchers to develop a systematic, inquiring approach toward their own practices (Frabutt et al, 2008) oriented towards effecting positive change in this practice (Holter and Frabutt, 2012), or within a broader community (Mills, 2011, cited by Hine, 2013. In fact, the author herself took part in the research as part of the population and analysed her own lesson plans together with her colleagues' plans to try to identify the text types more widely used, how often they were practised and also to gain greater understanding of the activities that led to their students' success in the FCE exam.…”

Investigación-acción como metodología para el diseño de un serious game

“…En concreto, el proceso participativo busca principalmente reunir a la acción y la reflexión, la teoría y la práctica, con la participación de los demás, en la búsqueda de soluciones prácticas a problemas. En general, la Investigación-acción permite desarrollar un enfoque sistemático hacia sus propias prácticas orientado a lograr un cambio positivo (Holter y Frabutt, 2012). Ha sido además descrita como un proceso adecuado para desarrollar principios de diseño para un sistema (Lindgren, …”

The Leadership Challenge: Preparing and Developing Catholic School Principals

“…Neither is it a secret that passionate, visionary, data-informed Catholic school leaders are essential if schools are going to successfully meet and overcome these challenges, and thrive." (Holter & Frabutt, 2012).…”

“…Comparison between the NSBECS and ISLLC standards in this area highlights the complexities of the managerial role of the school leader. Whereas the ISLLC standard 3 speaks about the need for operational management, the responsibilities found in the NSBECS standards help to concretize some of the unique managerial tasks as outlined in the literature on the Catholic school principalship (Cook, 2008;Holter & Frabutt, 2012). This analysis suggests that the standards have some overlap and are not necessarily mutually exclusive.…”