Susan Lovett, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Neil Dempster, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Bev Flückiger, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Annual Conference,, Adelaide, Dec. 2 – 5, 2013

To analyse and discuss data from a study of educational leadership in Indigenous school communities in the light of positions derived from research literature on shared leadership and cross cultural community connections which support children learning to read.

The project’s professional learning program was designed around five modules combining two areas of knowledge and understanding: (i) what it takes to connect leadership with learning; and (ii) what it takes to learn to read in Indigenous communities.

1. Leadership for Literacy Learning 2. Learning to Read 3. Analysing Reading Data 4. Planning for Reading Improvement 5. Evaluating Reading Action Plans

Sources for learning are derived from schools and their communities (Priest et al. 2008). Therefore, leadership requires a rethinking of how to blend two cultures for the purpose of helping children and their learning. Principals in Indigenous communities need to accept and respect difference and learn how to create and interact in open ‘intercultural space’ where the cultural knowledge and experiences of Indigenous people are given equal value and voice (Taylor, 2003)

Priest et al (2008) and Panayiotis (2012) advocate that ‘both ways’ leadership is a way of formally recognising Indigenous people as active and necessary contributors to children’s learning.

Improvements in learning require partnerships between parents, teachers and members of the community While this is self-evident, it is easier in the saying than the doing This multi-lateral form of leadership needs to be given high priority by principals Emerson et al (2012); Andrews (2008); Muller & Associates (2009); and Auerbach (2009)

The creation and continuation of partnerships requires outreach from the school, a deep commitment to shared leadership by the principal and trusting relationships with Indigenous parents and community members. All this takes time and respectful acceptance of the cultural reciprocity necessary to sustain good working relationships in open intercultural space. Bishop (2011); Ishimaru (2013); Lester (2011)

 You can’t have a conversation without a relationship; and  You can’t have a relationship without a conversation.  You’ve got to have the conversation.  Everything starts here. What Works (2013)

Item 3. Parents and family members are learning about the Big Six in the teaching of reading (Principals: 2.6; ILPs: 2.9) Item 5. We are making progress on our Home Reading Practices Guide (Principals: 3.3; ILPs: 3.3) Item 6. Our partnership between Principals and ILPs is well established (Principals: 3.7; ILPs: 4.2) Item 7. We had success in finding Leaders of Reading from the community (Principals: 2.5; ILPs: 2.5) Item 11. Our reading action project is creating interest amongst parents and community members (Principals: 2.77; ILPs: 3.17)

While there is a positive view of the in-school partnership between Principals and Indigenous Leadership Partners, there is a lack of traction in enrolling family and community members as Leaders of Reading or in gaining their interest in the school’s actions on reading. While there is some promise in the results produced just nine months after the commencement of the project, the findings are indicative of the very real challenges faced in developing school and community leadership partnerships.

We suggest that far greater attention needs to be placed on a repertoire of outreach strategies to lift the concept of leadership in open intercultural space from the confines of the school into the community. With this added knowledge and much hard relationship work, engaging in leadership ‘both ways’ will enable new leadership partnerships to form, be valued and become self- sustaining.