Session Information
26 SES 07 B, Diverse Settings and Challenging Cirrcumstances
Paper Session
Contribution
For some time now, a number of academics have argued that because context constrains leadership and gives it its meaning, it is a vehicle through which the agency of particular leaders can be empirically understood. Nevertheless, empirical research into leadership of educational organizations and particularly schools has traditionally lacked sensitivity to context. On this, Dimmock (2005) commented nearly ten years ago that “it is depressing to find so many scholars in the field who feel qualified to write about leadership while divorcing it from, and even ignoring, the specific contexts within which it is exercised”. (p.82)
To some extent, Dimmock’s observation still holds true today. At the same time, however, there has in recent times been recognition of the need to investigate how different contexts influence the nature and character of school leadership and to demonstrate how leaders in schools located within different environments shape their leadership accordingly. This recognition includes a growing body of work that has emerged from investigations into the ways leadership is understood and practised in the distinctive environment of the small, remote school (Clarke & Wildy, 2004). Attention has also been devoted to the challenges of leadership in multi ethnic schools in constructing and nurturing an inclusive school culture (Walker, 2004). Another area in which there has been interest is leadership as it is exercised in faith schools. Sullivan (2006), for example, highlights the distinctive expectations that are placed on leaders to develop a school ethos that is conducive to the religious faith, to build connections with the faith community, and to articulate the bearing of the faith perspective on how the curriculum is understood. Finally, there has been a focus on leadership in schools “that encounter a multiplicity of economic, emotional and social challenges” (Harris & Thomson, 2006, p. 1) that, in certain combinations, result in constant crisis. These schools are often located in inner city, low socio economic environments and have spawned a genre of leadership studies known as ‘leadership in challenging circumstances’. We argue, however, that there are many other distinctive environments which warrant closer academic attention because of their capacity to yield situated understandings for the exercise of school leadership. Responding to this recognition, this paper will portray four very different contexts to provide rare insights into the diversity of approaches to school leadership that are mediated by specific settings. These portrayals will be structured around considerations of the issues and influences that school leaders face as they perform their work, the nature of the context within which these issues and influences arise, the strategies school leaders adopt to deal with the complexities of their work, the reasons behind these strategies, and possible conceptualisations of school leadership as they apply to the given context. For the purpose of this exercise, context is understood to relate to “the particular situation, background, or environment in which something is happening” (Fink, 2010, p. 46). The depiction of the context, therefore, will comprise:
its internal dimension consisting of the school itself, as well as its students, curriculum, buildings and infrastructure;
its external dimension incorporating, where appropriate, the influence of middle tier structures, the school’s parent and broader community and the government(s) of the day.
Each depiction of school leadership will lend a distinctive edge to scholarly discussion about the influence a particular context can have on the agency of leaders. Collectively, the depictions will illuminate critical aspects of conceptualizations and practices of school leadership.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Chapman, C. & Harris, A. (2004). Improving schools in difficult and challenging contexts: strategies for improvement. Educational Research. 46 (3) 219-228. Clarke, S. & Wildy, H. (2004). Context counts: viewing small school leadership from the inside out. Journal of Educational Administration. 42 (5) 555-572. Dimmock, C. (2005). The leadership of multi-ethnic schools: What we know and don’t know about values-driven leadership. Education Research and Perspectives. 22 (2) 80-96, Fink, D. (2010). Developing and sustaining leaders of learning. In B. Davis & M. Brundrett (Eds). Developing Successful Leadership. (pp. 41-60). Dordrecht: Springer Sullivan, J. (2006). Faith schools: A culture within a culture in a changing world. . In M. de Souza, G. Durka, K. Engebretson and A. McGready (ed.), International Handbook of the Religious, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education (pp. 937-947). Heidelberg: Springer. Walker, A. (2004). Priorities, strategies and challenges. Proactive leadership in multi-ethnic schools. National College for School Leadership. www.ncsl.org.uk/publications-index.htm
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