Professor David Hopkins HSBC Chair of International Leadership “The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Review of School Leadership” Presentation made at the NUT Conference on ‘The Future of School Leadership’ London, Tuesday 1st May 2007 Professor David Hopkins HSBC Chair of International Leadership 1

Today I will speak about…. Why school leadership is important at the policy level What is the focus of the OECD study on school leadership How we are contributing on the issue of ‘system leadership’

Why is it important? Instructional leadership Staff evaluation Rising expectations of schools and schooling (knowledge economy, globalisation, migration, decentralisation…) Greater accountability for schools and principals From teachers with additional responsibilities to full time managers of human and financial resources: Instructional leadership Staff evaluation Budget management Performance assessment Community relations Held accountable for results THE SUPER PRINCIPAL

Why: Different responsibilities for leaders

Why: Evidence draws a challenging picture… Is there enough capacity? Shortages of high-qualified school leader candidates. Australia: 92% of principals expected to retire/resign more than five years before they 'have to'. (Grady et al’s (1994)) Ontario, Canada: 75% of principals and > 40% vice principals expect to retire by 2007 (Williams, 2001) England: 4/10 deputy/assistant principals: no plans to become a principal; 4/10 principals considering early retirement (Earley et al, 2002). Many OECD countries don’t have any requirements for becoming principals.

Why: High priority in OECD education work OECD countries want answers: The OECD Teacher Policy Thematic Review (Teachers Matter, OECD, 2005) Education Chief Executives’ Meeting, Copenhagen, Sept. 2005 Ranked #3 out of 29 activities for the Education Committee Programme of Work (2007-2008)

Why: 22 participants Australia Austria Belgium (French) Belgium (Flanders) Chile Denmark Finland France Hungary Ireland Israel Korea The Netherlands New Zealand Norway Portugal Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom (England) United Kingdom (N. Ireland) United Kingdom (Scotland)

What: Our objective To provide policy-makers with information and analysis to help them formulate and implement school leadership policies leading to improved teaching and learning. By: Synthesising research on issues related to improving leadership in schools; Identifying innovative and successful policy initiatives and practices; Facilitating exchanges of lessons and policy options among countries; and Identifying policy options for governments to consider.

What: Our view of school leadership A broad view of leadership: Rather than focusing on leaders as individuals View that authority to lead can be distributed within schools and among different people.

What: Key Issues to respond to What are the roles and responsibilities of school leadership How to best develop effective school leadership

What: Roles of school leadership Role of school leadership under different governance structures Demands on school leaders Different roles and responsibilities of school leaders under different governance Types of skills required Is there a set of core competencies? Promising policies and conditions for linking school leadership with improving school outcomes Are demands on school leaders changing? What are the different roles and responsibilities of school leaders under different governance structures? What types of skills would be required from school leaders under different governance structures and in different contexts? Are there in fact a set of core competencies that all school leaders need, independent of governance structure and community context, and if so, what are they?

What: Developing school leadership How can effective school leadership be best developed and supported? Should it be a career path? Types of profiles – pedagogical or other Employment conditions support structures Type of training (pre-service, on the job, further training) Types of institutions to develop school leaders Employment conditions can be most supportive of school leaders’ careers? support structures can be put in place to help school leaders do their job more effectively? Type of training (pre-service, on the job, further training) and support seems likeliest to equip leaders with the requisite knowledge and skills to be successful? What kind of partnerships between higher education institutions, non-governmental organisations and school will be required to produce and support the next generation of effective school leaders?

How: Methodology of the Activity Analytical strand: Country Background Reports to focus on policies and structures that impact on the role and development of effective school leadership (January 2007) Innovative practices strand: Case studies to innovative practices New models of school organisation and management that distribute leadership roles and responsibilities in innovative ways (UK October 2006, Finland, January 2007; Belgium February 2007) Promising programmes and practices to prepare and develop school leaders

How: Outputs of the Activity Country Background Reports (2007) School governance and leadership Enhancing learning and school leadership The attractiveness of school leadership Training and professional development of school leaders

How: Outputs of the Activity International workshops (2006 and 2007) Expert papers Selected case studies (2006-2007) A final international conference (2008) A final comparative report (2008)

1 Workshop of participating countries: 1st meetings of the activity, London, 5-6 July, HSBC Headquarters: Contributed to clarify key questions on new and changing roles of school leaders. 1 Workshop of participating countries: 50 participants (28 national delegates, 9 international organisation, 8 experts) discussed the activity and country practices in this area. Common agreement on the timeliness: According to countries OECD has become a catalyst for thinking on school leadership at a national level. 2 Workshop of participating countries: Brussels, 1-2 February 2007 Presentation of Country Background Reports We had quite successful first formal meetings of the activity on Improving School Leadership last July in London, supported by a grant from the HSBC Education Trust and held in their headquarters. High level participation and outcomes were reached. A short update on the workshop and the international conference. Workshop: had numerous and qualitative participation, with countries, international organisations and experts sharing experiences and concerns. International conference (International perspectives on School Leadership for Systemic Improvement) explored the distribution of school leadership roles and responsibilities in innovative ways that lead to improved schooling outcomes. It was opened by UK Minister of State for Schools, Barbara and presentations from HSBC Chairman, Prof. Richard Elmore from Harvard and country innovative examples. Panels discussed implications of new and distributed roles for school leaders. Overall, the activity is moving forward constructively and on schedule.

School Leadership for Systemic Improvement “leadership for systemic improvement”: the distribution of school leadership roles and responsibilities to improve schooling outcomes. Meaning still developing, and practice includes : Leadership shared across schools so overall system improves; Connection of systems of leaders to create culture and pool of expertise to support school improvement; Collaboration of education/non-education organizations within the larger context to sharpen focus on school outcomes; and Systemic interaction in schools of administrators/teachers/ students as learning communities in which leadership is distributed according to expertise and need. Different approaches to the challenge of developing leadership across the system.

High Excellence High Equity – Raising the Bar and Narrowing the Gap 560 High excellence Low equity High excellence High equity Finland 540 U.K. Canada 520 Japan Korea U.S. Belgium 500 Switzerland Spain Mean performance in reading literacy Germany 480 Poland 460 Low excellence Low equity Low excellence High equity 440 420 60 80 100 120 140 200 – Variance (variance OECD as a whole = 100) Source: OECD (2001) Knowledge and Skills for Life

‘Every School a Great School’ as an expression of moral purpose What parents want is for their local school to be a great school. (National Association of School Governors; Education and Skills Select Committee 2004). The three system leadership commitments: relentless focus on reducing within school variation; collaborative working to eradicate between school variation; the embracing of segmentation or lateral approaches since a focus on individual school improvement always distorts social equity.

Towards system wide sustainable reform Prescription Building Capacity Professionalism National Prescription Every School a Great School The real challenge we all face is to move the system from National Prescription  Schools Leading Reform. As the Minister says, to move from a situation where Government delivers policy  to one that builds capacity. This is not a chronological shift, it takes time and it is always a blend, but we want to shift the balance. The aim is to go from a)  through b)  c). When at c) = High Excellence High Equity Schools Leading Reform System Leadership

4 drivers mould to context through system leadership Personalised Learning Professional Teaching SYSTEM LEADERSHIP Networks & Collaboration Intelligent Accountability

The Logic of System Leadership Learning Potential of all Students Student Repertoire of Learning Skills Teacher Repertoire - Models of Teaching Embedded in Curriculum Context and Schemes of Work Whole School Emphasis on High Expectations and Pedagogic Consistency Sharing Schemes of Work and Curriculum Across and Between Schools, Clusters, Districts, LEAs and Nationally

4 drivers mould to context through system leadership Leading Personalised Learning Below floor target Success-ful SYSTEM LEADERSHIP Professional Teaching Networks & Collaboration Low attaining Intelligent Accountability Internal variation Underperforming

Key strategies – responsive to context and need Networking and Segmentation: Highly Differentiated Improvement Strategies Type of School Leading Schools Succeeding, self-improving schools Succeeding schools with internal variations Underperforming schools Low attaining schools Below floor target Key strategies – responsive to context and need - Become leading practitioners - Formal federation with lower-performing schools - Regular local networking for school leaders - Between school curriculum development - Consistency interventions: such as AfL. - Subject specialist support to particular depts. - Linked school support for underperforming depts. - Underperforming pupil programmes, e.g. catch-up. - Formal support in Federation structure - Consultancy in core subjects and best practice - Intensive Support Programme - New provider: e.g. Academy.

System Leadership: A Proposition ‘System leaders’ care about and work for the success of other schools as well as their own. They measure their success in terms of improving student learning and increasing achievement, and strive to both raise the bar and narrow the gap(s). Crucially they are willing to shoulder system leadership roles in the belief that in order to change the larger system you have to engage with it in a meaningful way.’

System leaders share five striking characteristics, they: measure their success in terms of improving student learning and strive to both raise the bar and narrow the gap(s). are fundamentally committed to the improvement of teaching and learning. develop their schools as personal and professional learning communities. strive for equity and inclusion through acting on context and culture. understand that in order to change the larger system you have to engage with it in a meaningful way.

Leadership as Adaptive Work Technical Solutions Adaptive Work System Leadership Technical problems can be solved through applying existing know how - adaptive challenges create a gap between a desired state and reality that cannot be closed using existing approaches alone

Lead and Improve a School in Challenging Circumstances Act as a Community Leader Work as a Change Agent Managing Teaching and Learning Developing Organisations Personal Development Partner another School Facing Difficulties and Improve it Moral Purpose Lead a Successful Educational Improvement Partnership Strategic Acumen Developing People Lead and Improve a School in Challenging Circumstances

System Leadership Roles A range of emerging roles, including: Lead a successful educational improvement partnership Executive Headship or partnering another school facing difficulties i.e. run two or more schools (or ‘softer’ partnership) Lead in extremely challenging circumstances or become an Academy Principal. Civic or Community leadership to broker and shape partnerships across local communities to support welfare and potential. Change agent or school leader able to identify best practice and then transfer and refine it to support improvement elsewhere.

Principles for System Transformation Teaching and Learning School Improvement System Leadership System Wide Reform

So, for Transformation, System Leadership needs to be reflected at three levels: System leadership at the school level – with, at essence, school principals becoming almost as concerned about the success of other schools as they are about their own. System leadership at the local level – with practical principles widely shared and used as a basis for local alignment with specific programmes developed for the most at risk groups. System leadership at the Government level – with social justice, moral purpose and a commitment to the success of every learner providing the focus for transformation.

Paulo Freire once said… “No one educates anyone else Nor do we educate ourselves We educate one another in communion In the context of living in this world”

Professor David Hopkins HSBC Chair in International Leadership David Hopkins was recently appointed to the inaugural HSBC Chair in International Leadership, where he supports the work of iNet, the International arm of the Specialist Schools Trust and the Leadership Centre at the Institute of Education, University of London. He has also just been appointed a Professorial Fellow at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne. Between 2002 and 2005 he served three Secretary of States as the Chief Adviser on School Standards at the Department for Education and Skills. Previously, he was Chair of the Leicester City Partnership Board and Professor of Education, Head of the School, and Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Nottingham. Before that again he was a Tutor at the University of Cambridge Institute of Education, a Secondary School teacher and Outward Bound Instructor. David is also an International Mountain Guide who still climbs regularly in the Alps and Himalayas. Before becoming a civil servant he outlined his views on teaching quality, school improvement and large scale reform in Hopkins D. (2001) School Improvement for Real, London: Routledge / Falmer. His new book Every School a Great School has just been published by The Open University Press.