Achieving Educational Goals through Effective Leadership: Experiences from a Rural District in Zimbabwe By G.N SHAVA - POST DOC, North West University, Potchefstroom Campus A leader without followers is simply taking a walk

Introduction The quality of leadership in schools is the key factor driving the transformation in school improvement. Our presentation is structured in four main sections: First section unpacks the literature review Second section presents the theoretical frameworks Third section provides the methodology Fourth section presents the results and discussions

Literature Review Effective leadership makes a great difference in improving student learning( Arikewuyo2007, Woods 2007, Day et al., 2000 and Leithwood et al., 2008) Heads are responsible for Training subordinates Motivating subordinates Supervising employees Providing the necessary communication

Literature Review Cont. According to Kouzes et al., (2002) principals as leaders guide schools to better teaching and learning by: Shaping a vision of academic success for all Creating a climate hospitable to teaching and learning Improving instructions to enable teachers to teach at their best and students to learn to their most Managing people, data and processes to foster school improvement. Cultivate leadership in others.

Theoretical frameworks Our study uses Margaret Archer,s (1995) social realist theory of structure, culture and agency to examine the role of leadership in enhancing the achievement of school goals. According to Archer the notion of stratified reality provides a model comprising of three domains (ie) structure, culture and agency which are superimposed on each other. Structural domains comprise of, policies, roles, rules, committees as well as abstract phenomena such as race, gender and social class (Basker 1978)

Theoretical frameworks cont' Cultural factors mainly focus on ideas, beliefs, norms, values and ideologies of society from which events and experiences emerge. Agency refer to the personal and psychological make up of individuals their roles and capacity to act in a voluntary way ( Archer 2003, Boughey 2010).

Methodology The study was qualitative case study of six schools in one cluster in Zimbabwe. Data was collected through semi structured in depth face to face interviews and focus group discussions During interviews participants were coded as (H1-H6) for heads, (T1S1 –T2S6) while School Development Committees (SDCs) were coded as (SDCS1 –SDCS6

Methodology cont'. Purposive sampling with maximum variation was adopted to select participants. Multiple sources of evidence were used to ensure credibility and transferability of research findings An interview question guide with six questions was eventually used:

Results and discussions The analysis of findings involved an intensive reading and recording of reach transcript and the identification of key words and phrases. The six schools are in the same geographical location Only the secondary school is electrified Community is affected by a range of social and economic problems like, persistent drought, food shortages, poverty, illness and dearth from HIV/DIDS Such factors according to Owens(200) hinder learning achievement

Statistics for the schools The six school had the following statistics: SchoolType of school No of learners No of Teachers S1Council Pri2107 S2Council Pri2509 S3Council Pri30310 S4Council Pri48015 S5Council Pri2218 S6Council Sec54016 TOTAL

Results cont., The five primary schools exhibited a range of problems which include, lack of furniture for both teachers and learners, clean water, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of text books and overcrowding in the classrooms. Out of the six school only one head is female All the six schools have an elected SDC constituted according to the Zimbabwe Education Statutory Instrument 96 (1992)

Cultural factors Developing a culture of learning among learners. Creating a school culture that is hospitable to learning. Shaping the culture and climate of the school towards learning improvement. Shaping the values, beliefs and attitudes necessary to promote a stable learning environment. Seeking to eliminate cultural barriers that affect learning Basically the findings from the interviews point to the fact that the quality of teaching and learning improvement depend on the head's initiative and creative mind( Harris 2003, 2014, Leithwood et al., 2000, Bennet et al., 2003 and Spillane et al., 2011).

Structural factors Promoting distributed leadership in the schools Establishing committees for enhancing teaching and learning. Building collaboration structures in the school Promoting team work Engaging teachers in roles and practices that promote effective teaching. Engaging in participative decision making The establishment of substructures in schools contribute to organizational effectiveness (Katzenmeyer2001, Day and Harris 2003 and Leithwood 2003,2008)

Agential factors Empowerment of teachers All members are regarded as important team players. Head stimulates change by analyzing the organization's for change. Isolating and eliminating structures and routines that work against change Fostering open communication Ensuring viability of teams "Head encourages team work"

Leadership styles likely to enhance goal achievement Democratic or participative where leader engages people in decision making. Transactional leadership based on reciprocal exchange duty and rewards Transformational developing the commitment and beliefs of members. Consultative leadership where the leader makes genuine efforts to listen to ideas. Distributed leadership or shared leadership which concentrates on engaging expertise where it exists.

Conclusion The impact of leadership upon school goal achievement and school improvement is significant. Heads should seek to eliminate cultural, structural and agential barriers in schools END END END END