System effectiveness and improvement: the importance of theory and context

Harris, Alma; Adams, Donnie; Jones, Michelle; Muniandy, Vasu

doi:10.1080/09243453.2014.987980

Cited by 34 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The drive for high quality leadership and for teacher professionalism can be located within a broader drive for social justice and 'excellence' which is clearly articulated within OECD reports (OECD 2016, Schleicher 2011. There is much criticism of this agenda which is often seen as part of a culture of performativity and is critiqued on the basis of a reductionist approach, driven by a neo-liberal, market economy (Brunila 2011, Grimaldi 2012), which does not reflect the complexity of school systems and the contextual and cultural boundaries in which they operate (Harris et al 2015).…”

Section: Placing the Concept Within The International Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interrogating the concept of ‘leadership at all levels’: a Scottish perspective

Mowat

McMahon

2018

Professional Development in Education

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Interrogating the concept of 'leadership at all levels' : a Scottish perspective The concept of 'leadership at all levels' has gained currency in Scottish education in recent years following the publication of 'Teaching Scotland's Future' (2010), a major review of teacher education focussing on teachers' initial preparation, their ongoing development and career progression. This paper traces the drivers of change that led to the recommendations in the review and subsequent developments and interrogates the concept through examination of the policy context. The paper argues that, whilst there have been many positive developments in advancing leadership and leadership education in Scotland, the concept of 'leadership at all levels' is problematic and there are many tensions which need to be addressed. In particular, the paper examines the tension between systems-led leadership development and that which focuses on the professional development of the individual, commensurate with the stage of their career, and argues that models that are more fluid and flexible allowing movement in, across and through the system are required. leadership at all levels; leadership development; systems leadership; distributed leadership; power relations; equity

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Section: Placing the Concept Within The International Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interrogating the concept of ‘leadership at all levels’: a Scottish perspective

Mowat

McMahon

2018

Professional Development in Education

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“…However, Harris et al (2015) cite a range of commentators who are critical of the over-simplistic ontological underpinnings of comparative international reports, the underlying premise of which is that the replication of strategies in new contexts will lead automatically to better outcomes. These, they argue, fail to take account of the complexity of school systems and the contextual and cultural boundaries in which they operate.…”

Section: Global Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has also highlighted tensions and contradictions between policy agendas seeking equity on one hand but promoting privitisation, competition and accountability on the other. The school effectiveness and improvement movements have demonstrated that school improvement arises not as a response to changing structures and systems, which international comparators almost inevitably lead us towards, but through engagement with the school community and changing culture (Harris et al, 2015, drawing from Reynolds [2010).…”

Section: Global Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As previously observed, there is abundant evidence that many attempts to reform schools have had little long-term impact, much of which may be attributed to an ill-conceived model of change, too heavily reliant on schools to 'deliver outcomes' while ignoring deeper-lying systemic issues. Systems reform, of necessity, will require collective capacity and a commitment to change at all levels of the system (Harris et al 2015).…”

Section: The Implications For Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Closing the attainment gap – a realistic proposition or an elusive pipe-dream?

Mowat

2017

Journal of Education Policy

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The attainment gap associated with socio-economic status is an international problem that is highly resistant to change. This conceptual paper critiques the drive by the Scottish Government to address the attainment gap through the Scottish Attainment Challenge and the National Improvement Framework. It draws upon a range of theoretical perspectives but principally examines the problem through the lens of Steiner- Khamsi’s (2014) concepts of ‘reception’ and ‘translation’ of policy and through examination of the international and national (Scottish) policy contexts. The paper argues that, rather than focussing narrowly upon attainment outcomes, an holistic approach should be adopted which takes account of the economic, social and relational constraints which impact upon families in poverty, calling for a systems-level approach. ‘Schools cannot go it alone’: there is a need to focus upon a wide range of public policy to redress inequalities in society. Whilst the Scottish Government has looked to the London/City/National Challenge as a potential solution to the problem, the complexities and limitations of policy borrowing need to be understood. Higher Education Institutions, government agencies, local authorities and schools need to work in partnership to develop research informed practice which will impact upon learning outcomes for all children and young people

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“…Leithwood et al 2007). Harris et al (2014) summarised these challenges as being related to time, culture, professional reluctance and the fear of "getting it wrong". Another way of generating leadership among teachers is to establish teacher teams considered to be influential in the evolution of a genuine working culture based on collaboration and capacity building.…”

Section: Leading In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The practice architectures of middle leading in early childhood education

Rönnerman

Grootenboer

Edwards‐Groves

2017

ICEP

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BackgroundAcross the globe, public sector leadership is generally organised in a hierarchical and linear way with decisions distributed to an appointed leader at each level in the organisation; this structure is particularly evident in the Swedish school system. Principals at each school are responsible to a director of education, and teachers are directly responsible to their principal. In this climate, a new kind of leadership is evolving with the specific purpose of facilitating collegial professional learning and the development of quality student learning in schools and preschools. Leaders in these roles generally have a recognised and often appointed role in supporting the professional development of their colleagues, but seldom this role is taken to be a more formal paid position in the linear or hierarchical formation of organisation. In Sweden, these leading roles are recognised as utvecklingsledare, handledare, förstelärare (development teacher, facilitator, first teacher) or curriculum coordinators. Moreover, these leaders are teachers whose work is mostly that of a classroom teacher. Their leading role has often been generated AbstractThe development of Early Childhood Education in Sweden is a central concern for national and local government, and for school districts and preschools. While principals have the responsibility for, and a particular role in, leading education in the preschools, they are somewhat removed from the core work of teachers. In this article, we argue that it is 'middle leaders' who are the critical professionals for developing quality in education. The argument is made through examining the leading practices of middle leaders using a practice theory framework. We specifically draw on the theory of practice architectures to explore and understand the arrangements and conditions that enable and constrain the practices of these leaders in their work. The study draws on survey data and recorded professional Learning Dialogues among participants. Responses revealed a number of enabling and constraining conditions relating to particular cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political conditions that influenced what was possible in their leading practices. Results further show how the practices of middle leaders were crucial in not only developing but sustaining quality in Early Childhood Education as they coordinate between the educational practices within the preschool and across the city district.

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System effectiveness and improvement: the importance of theory and context

Cited by 34 publications

References 5 publications

Interrogating the concept of ‘leadership at all levels’: a Scottish perspective

Interrogating the concept of ‘leadership at all levels’: a Scottish perspective

Closing the attainment gap – a realistic proposition or an elusive pipe-dream?

The practice architectures of middle leading in early childhood education

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