Learning TO LEAD By Aidyn Intykbekov

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP ? WHO IS THE LEADER? HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADER?

 Leadership is ‘the art of getting a group of people to do something as a team because they individually believe that it is the right thing to do’  IT is all about organizational improvement  TO SUPPORT people to move in WORTHWHILE DIRECTIONS

BUT THE LEADER IS THIS … The word “principal” was first used in connection with school leadership in the 1800s, which was an adjective in front of another word, “teacher” (Pierce, 1935, p. 11). The “principal teacher” meant an INSTRUCTOR. A LEADER IS NOT THIS …

 LEARNING is to fully understand anything, you must have taught it successfully to someone else, for ‘to teach is to learn twice’. There is, perhaps, wisdom in the expression ‘he learned me how to do it’!

How Leadership influences Student Learning?  A seminal 2004 study, How Leadership influences Student Learning, asserted that leadership was the second most important school- based factor in children’s academic achievement and noted that there were few, if any, cases of troubled schools turning around without effective leaders (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004).

The Significance of School Leadership:  1. Studies report very large leadership effects not only on pupil learning but on an array of school conditions, as well (e.g., Mortimore, 1993; Scheurich, 1998). (ssl, p.12)  2. There was a 10 percentile point increase in pupil test scores resulting from the work of an average principal who improved her “demonstrated abilities in all 21 responsibilities by one standard deviation” (2003, p. 3).  3. At least 10, mostly recent, large-scale, quantitative, similarly designed, studies in Australia and North America have assessed the effects of transformational school leadership on pupil engagement (Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999a, 1999b; Leithwood, Riedlinger, Bauer, & Jantzi, 2003; Silins & Mulford, 2002; Silins, Mulford, & Zarins, 2002); and all have reported these to be significantly positive.

According to Leithwood, successful leaders engaged in 4 sets of core practices (QL):  ⇔ Setting directions (shared vision and group goals, high performance expectations);  ⇔ Developing people (individual support, intellectual/emotional stimulation, modelling);  ⇔ Redesigning the organisation (collaborative cultures and structures, building productive relations with parents and the community).  ⇔ Managing the Instructional (teaching and learning) Programme

5 practices central to Effective School Leadership (The Wallace Foundation, 2012): 1. SHAPING A VISION 2. CREATING A CLIMATE HOSPITABLE TO EDUCATION 3. CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP IN OTHERS 4. IMPROVING INSTRUCTION 5. MANAGING PEOPLE, DATA, AND PROCESSES

 “The research literature over the last quarter-century has consistently supported the notion that having high expectations for all, including clear and public standards, is one key to closing the achievement gap between advantaged and less advantaged students and for raising the overall achievement of all students,” write education leadership researchers at Vanderbilt University (Porter et al., 2008, p. 13). The development of a schoolwide vision of commitment to high standards and the success of all students. 1. SHAPING A VISION

 Principals ensure that teachers do not work in isolation from one another, but work collaboratively, giving each other help and guidance to improve instructional practices (Louis et al., 2010, p. 50). The key elements of a climate hospitable to learning:  1. A sense of student and staff safety;  2. Respect for all members of the school community, without regard to the professional status or position;  3. An upbeat, welcoming, solution-oriented, no-blame, professional environment;  4. An effort to invite and involve staff in various schoolwide functions;  5. A parallel outreach to students that engaged and involved them in a variety of activities” (Portin et al., 2009, p. 59). 2. CREATING A CLIMATE HOSPITABLE TO EDUCATION

 GOOD LEADERS make good use of all the skills and knowledge on the faculty and among others, encouraging the many capable adults who make up a school community to step into leadership roles and responsibilities.  Principals “do not lose influence as others gain influence” (Louis et al., 2010, p. 19). 3. CULTIVATING LEADERSHIP IN OTHERS

 Effective Leaders focus laser-like on the quality of instruction in their schools. “They emphasize research- based strategies to improve teaching and learning and initiate discussions about instructional approaches, both in teams and with individual teachers.” (The Wallace Foundation, 2012).  They make close observations of what’s working and what isn’t. And they make sure to discuss what they have found with teachers.  LEADERS also create opportunities for various teacher professional development activities, such as ‘lab sites,’ peer observations, grade-level meetings, and professional development sessions” (Portin et al., 2009, p. 59). 4. IMPROVING INSTRUCTION

 SCHOOLS THAT SHOW THE LARGEST IMPROVEMENTS ARE THOSE WHERE TEACHERS WORK COLLECTIVELY ON IMROVING INSTRUCTION, AND WHERE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IS INCLUSIVE AND FOCUSED ON INSTRUCTION !!!

 Effective leaders hire well and know how to retain the high performers. They also know how to give their teachers the backing they need to thrive.  “The number one reason for teachers’ decisions about whether to stay in a school is the quality of administrative support — and it is the leader who must develop this organization” (Darling-Hammond, 2007, p. 17).  6 Key Steps that school leaders follow in carrying out their central responsibilities: 1) planning 2) implementing 3) porting 4) advocating 5) communicating 6) monitoring (Porter et al., 2008, p. 15). 5. MANAGING PEOPLE, DATA, AND PROCESSES

 EFFECTIVE LEADERS ARE DEEPLY STEEPED IN THE CLASSROOM !!!  MANY PRINCIPALS WERE TEACHERS FOR HUGE CHUNKS OF THEIR CAREERS AND THEREFORE KNOW HOW TO BEST HELP TEACHERS !!! TEACHERS BEST UNDERSTAND TEACHERS !!!

 THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION

REFERENCES:  Chenoweth, K., & Theokas, C. (2012, Fall). The Professional Educator: Leading for Learning. AMERICAN EDUCATOR, 36,  Fullan, M. (2006). Quality Leadership ⇔ Quality Learning. Glounthaune: Lionra+.  Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2006). Successful School Leadership What It Is and How It Influences Pupil Learning. Nottingham: DfES Publications.  Mendels, P. (2012, February). The Effective Principal: Five Pivotal Practices that Shape Instructional Leadership. JSD, 33,