1. Student-centred Leadership
One model of leadership (not the only one) – lots of models with no right one but this model does emphasises dimensions
Has been very useful for me to give me some focus about what I do as a leader in my school
Has given me a framework in which to evaluate my leadership
Leadership is contextual so I can tell you what the research says but you need to think about what the priorities are in your school.
Tom Webb
Presentation to the ISNZ Aspiring Leaders’ Seminar

2. References
Robinson, V., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes: identifying what works and why. Best Evidence Syntheses Iteration (BES), Ministry of Education, New Zealand. Robinson, V. (2011). Student-centered leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
BES:
One of a series of meta-analysis on different aspect of education
Uses effect sizes (similar to John Hatties work)
Looks at all available research worldwide to see what evidence there is on leadership
The measure of effective leadership is student outcomes
Evidence is mainly from the primary sector
SCL:
A very good summary of the BES which puts it into a very useable format
Excellent examples which bring the research to life
Very clear model of leadership
Bendikson, L., Hattie, J., & Robinson, V. (2011). Identifying the comparative academic performance of secondary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(4),
Robinson, V. M., Bendikson, L., & Hattie, J. (2011). Leadership and student outcomes: are secondary schools unique?. Leadership and learning,
Bendikson, L., Robinson, V., & Hattie, J. (2012). Principal instructional leadership and secondary school performance. SET: Research information for teachers, (1), 2.
Bendikson, L. (2011). The effects of principal instructional leadership on secondary school performance (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland).

3. ISNZ Forward to BES
“Despite the increasing demands on our time, we must not lose sight of the importance of the pedagogical leadership role and the positive effect that this type of leadership can have on teaching, learning, and – most fundamentally – student outcomes.”
Julie Moor, Principal, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch
Lynda Reid, Principal, St Cuthbert’s College, Auckland
Graeme Yule, Headmaster, Scots College, Wellington
Graeme will be speaking to you later today

4. Transformational Leadership
Focus on the leader-follower relationship
Transformational leaders are able to inspire people with a vision that encourages them to work towards a common goal
Transformational leaders employ four influence processes:
Individualised consideration: giving personal attention to individual staff so they feel uniquely valued
Intellectual stimulation: encouraging creativity and new ways of thinking about old issues
Inspirational motivation: communicating optimism and high expectations
Idealised influence: providing a vision and a sense of purpose that elicit trust and respect from followers
Ken Leithwood (Canada) and colleagues adapted Transformational Leadership to an educational setting
Mean effect Size = 0.11 (no or weak impact)
Transformational leadership has more impact on the creation of a collaborative staff culture than on student outcomes
Pedagogical (Instructional) Leadership
Focus on:
Establishing an academic mission
Monitoring and providing feedback of teaching and learning
Promoting professional development
Heroic leadership – principal involved all areas of the running of the school
Mean effect Size = 0.42 (moderate impact)
Transformational leaders create a sense of purpose among the staff
Pedagogical leaders create a sense of purpose with a focus on the needs of the students
Other Leadership
Surveys that used other leadership theories:
Social network theory
Principals control and coordination of teaching programme
Principals supportiveness and directedness
Leadership as incumbent – change in principalship
Leasership as an organisational quality

5. The meaning of Student-centred leadership
We use these terms synonymously:
Educational leadership;
Pedagogical leadership;
Instructional leadership

6. What is student-centred leadership?
leadership that makes a difference to the equity and excellence of student outcomes
Which of the listed activities ‘fit the bill’?

7. Student-centred leadership is more than…
Well managed schools
Good relationships with staff and parents
Innovation
School reputation

8. Exercise: Is it student-centred leadership?

9. The ruler for evaluating leadership
We should judge leadership primarily by impact on students rather than on adults

10. The more leaders focus their relationships, their work and their learning on the core business of teaching and learning the greater their influence on student outcomes.
The big message

11. “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Source: Sonny Donaldson, superintendent of
Aldine school district in Texas

12. Five dimensions of student-centred leadership
Establishing Goals and Expectations
Resourcing Strategically
Ensuring Quality Teaching
Leading Teacher Learning and Development
Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment
Which would you expect to have greatest effects – rank them 1 – 5.

13. Five dimensions of student-centred leadership
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment
Effect Sizes:
0-0.2 = no or weak impact
= small impact
= moderate impact

14. In your context which of these five dimensions needs the biggest focus?

15. The How and the What of Student-Centred Leadership
What do leaders need to do to have a bigger impact?
How do they do it?

16. Leadership capabilities
High quality teaching and learning
Building relational trust
Solving complex problems
Integrating educational knowledge into practice
Leadership capabilities
Leadership dimensions
Establishing goals and expectations
Resourcing strategically
Ensuring quality teaching
Leading teacher learning and development
Ensuring an orderly and safe environment
The five dimensions tell us what to focus on to have a greater impact on student outcomes but they don’t say how to do it. These are the capabilities – the knowledge skills and dispositions needed to make the dimensions work in a particular context.
The first capability is about the educational knowledge that you bring to your decision making – for example when you are reviewing your appraisal process what do you know about effective appraisals, when you are looking at your staff appointment processes what do you know about effective interview technique. How do you bring this knowledge into the decisions that you make.
The second capability is about solving complex problems. Many of the problems we have in school are extremely complex with a very hidden connection to student achievement. How do we inquire into these problems so that we ensure we don’t have to revisit them in six months time. How do we address the demands of staff who have particular points of view or agendas.
The third capability is about the relational trust that we need to build to solve complex problems and improve teaching and learning in schools. Leaders who are strong in this area are able to tackle tough issues (like teacher competency) whilst maintaining and improving relationships.
Source: Robinson, V.M.J., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009) School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying what works and why. Wellington: Ministry of Education

17. Exercise: Self-assessment of student-centred leadership
Read the handout and review your school leadership in light of the leadership framework
Think about your own leadership and what aspects do you need to focus on and develop.
Think about your current situation as well as any prospective situation

18. Growing Great Leaders
Growing Great Leaders
Growing Great Leaders is for educational leaders in any setting. It is based on a framework first developed for The Best Evidence Synthesis on School Leadership and Student Outcomes (Robinson, Hohepa and Lloyd, 2009).
Tailored to individual needs and including modules such as:
Student centred Leadership
Open-to-learning™ Conversations
Goals and Targets
Resourcing Strategically
Problem Solving
Surviving and Thriving in Leadership

19. Open-to-learning™ Conversations
Research-based professional development with direct relevance to participants’ own leadership and school development.
Coaching and extensive feedback from experienced and accredited facilitators on participants’ personal leadership style.
Problem solving contextualised to each participant’s role and organisation.
Small group settings, which allow for one-to-one coaching on OTL™.
High quality course materials that include templates, cue cards, selected readings and workbooks.
“OTL will impact immediately on my leadership capacity. It has provided me with a framework to consider when having conversations with members of our school community.”

20. Aspects of goal setting
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment
Based on: Robinson, V.M.J. (2011) Student-centred leadership, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,

21. Student-centred leadership: Dimension two
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
Within-school Expertise
External Expertise
2. Resourcing Strategically
PEOPLE
MONEY
TIME
ARTEFACTS
&
SYSTEMS
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
PRIORITY
GOALS
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

22. Student-centred leadership: Dimension two
Involves clarity about what is and is NOT being resourced and why
A focused rather than fragmented approach to school improvement
Importance of critical thinking skills in allocating scarce resources
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
Material Resource Management
IT; photocopying; librarian
Inquiry into causal links between programmes, practices and outcomes
Human Resource Management
Employing, allocating and managing staff
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

23. Student-centred leadership: Dimension three
Focus on
Teaching quality –
the biggest source of school-based variance in achievement
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

24. Three big ideas includes: A coherent teaching programme
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
A coherent teaching programme
2. Resourcing Strategically
A defensible theory of effective teaching
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
Data use
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
Ensuring Quality
Teaching
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

25. A more defensible theory of teaching
Effective teaching maximises the time that learners are engaged with and successful in the learning of important outcomes

26. ACADEMIC LEARNING TIME
LACK OF ENGAGEMENT
MISALIGNMENT
ACADEMIC LEARNING TIME
LACK OF SUCCESS
Source: Associate Professor Graeme Aitken, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland

27. Discussion Point 5: Leading teacher learning and development
Consider what is effective and what is not in each paragraph of this scenario.
Rate each paragraph for leadership effectiveness. If time – compare notes and ratings with a partner.
Be prepared to defend your decision.

28. Student-centred leadership: Dimension four
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
Leadership that not only promotes but directly participates with teachers in formal or informal professional learning
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

29. Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle to promote valued student outcomes
What knowledge and skills do our students need?
What knowledge and skills do we as teachers need?
What has been the impact of our changed actions?
Design tasks and experiences
Teaching
actions
Timperley, Wilson, Barrar & Fung, 2007 , University of Auckland.

30. Student-centred leadership: Dimension four
Focus on the links between what is taught and what students have learned
Use expertise external to group
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
2. Resourcing Strategically
TPL&D
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
Ensure worthwhile evidence-based content
Voluntary or compulsory?
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

31. Student-centred leadership: Dimension four
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
Why is this dimension so powerful?
Symbolic importance
Increased leadership expertise brings increased influence
Increased understanding of the conditions required to achieve improvement goals leads to better strategic alignment (i.e., strategic resourcing)
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

32. Student-centred leadership: Dimension five
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
Norms and routines that support cognitive and behavioural engagement
Relationships of mutual trust between leaders, staff, parents and students
2. Resourcing Strategically
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5.. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

33. Student-centred leadership: Dimension five
1. Establishing Goals and Expectations
Protecting time for teaching and learning by:
2. Resourcing Strategically
reducing external
pressures and
interruptions
establishing an orderly and safe environment both inside and outside classrooms.
3. Ensuring Quality Teaching
4. Leading Teacher Learning and Development
5. Ensuring an Orderly and Safe Environment

34. Suggested reading
Robinson, V. M. J. (2007). School leadership and student outcomes: Identifying what works and why. The University of Auckland Centre for Educational Leadership: Monograph & Resource Pack (available from
Robinson, V. M. J. & Timperley, H. S. (2007). The leadership of the improvement of teaching and learning: Lessons from initiatives with positive outcomes for students. Australian Journal of Education, 51 (3),
Robinson, Viviane (2011). Student-centered leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.