Session Information
26 SES 10 B, Key Challenges In Leaders‘ Training and Development. What Is „Really“ Important? (Part 2)
Symposium continues in 26 SES 09 B
Contribution
The main question that inspired the group of authors to collectively reflect on leadership training initiatives in four different countries (with attempt to offer broader perspective) was: how to secure relevant and sustainable support to school leaders? The set of papers will not focus only on “technology” of leadership but mainly will stress the leadership, which empower people and allow students to become self-regulated learners who are responsible for the process of learning and the environment in which it happens. The examples of practice will be reviewed.
Leadership focused on headteacher’s preparation are more typical for systems that start development of programs for school leaders. Antonio Partela points out, that in official discourse in Spain, headteachers are increasingly considered to be critically important for school success and improvement. However, 'leadership' itself has not been found to play a central role in Spanish education system until recently (OECD, 2007; Bolivar & Bolivar, 2011; Verger & Curran, 2014). In fact, it has been, so far, barely mentioned in regulatory initiatives and key policy documents. A new statutory national framework for headteacher training and development (November, 2014; see references) seems to represent a turning point. Presentation provides an understanding of its underpinnings (considered in the context of challenging circumstances faced by Spanish teachers and schools).
More complex approach to leadership development can be found in Mika Risku presentation that examines challenges in educational leaders’ professional training and development in Finland. It comprises three main scopes on the topic. First, on the basis of four analyses (Alava, 2006; Alava, Halttunen & Risku, 2012; National Board of Education, 2013; Taipale, 2013) a description of the Finnish setting concerning educational leaders’ professional training and development is given. Second, on the basis of a mixed-method study (Tian, forthcoming) on distributed leadership in Finnish schools an examination of various leadership actors and their tasks and relationships is presented. Third, a brief introduction is given on how the Institute of Educational Leadership at the University of Jyväskylä is attempting to meet the needs and demands of the two first scopes and how the approach is seen by the students.
Architects of leadership development programs, immersed in global knowledge networks, share globally legitimated convictions regarding the distinguishing attributes and competencies of good leaders. Those convictions intersect with culturally endorsed leadership qualities – the traits perceived in a given context as factors differentiating good and bad leaders. At the intersection of global and local discourses on the nature of and approach to leadership lie major challenges for the development and implementation of locally relevant professional development programs. The aim of the Marta Shaw and Joanna Kołodziejczyk paper is to examine the intersection of global and local influences shaping desired leadership traits among Polish educational leaders. It employs a theoretical framework based on the findings of the multi-year Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study (House et al., 2004). As House et al. (2004) demonstrate, the profile of the ideal leader in Eastern Europe differs significantly from that of the Anglo-Saxon country cluster from whence the majority of current leadership literature originates. While Anglo cultures value charismatic, participative and humane-oriented leadership traits and reject a self-protective style, the ideal leader in Eastern Europe is highly self-protective and autonomous, with the lowest value ascribed to participative behaviors (Hose et al., 2004).
References
Alava, J. (2006). Quality is not accidental: A Case of Cumulative Leadership. In M. Pan, Y. Fan & Y. Zhu (Eds.), Key to University Quality Assurance: Faculty/Staff Development in the Global Context (pp. 240-253). Fujian Education Press. Alava, J., Halttunen, L. & Risku, M. (2012). Changing School management. Status review - May 2012. National Board of Education 2012:3.Bolívar, A., & Bolívar, R. (2011). Schools principals in Spain: from manager to leader. International Journal of Education, 3(1), 1-18. Available at: http://macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ije/article/download/463/495 House, R.J., Hanges, P.J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies , Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Normore, A.H. & Brooks, J.S. (2010). Developing and preparing globally competent educational leaders. In H. SoongHe (eds.) Managing and developing core competencies in a learning society (pp. 151-180). Seoul, Republic of Korea, Seoul National University Press. Mazurkiewicz, G. (2011). Przywództwo edukacyjne. Odpowiedzialne zarządzanie edukacją wobec wyzwań współczesności. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Kraków. OECD (2007). School leadership in Spain (OECD Country Background Report). Paris: OECD, Directorate for Education. Verger, A., & Curran, M. (2014). New public management as a global education policy: its adoption and re-contextualization in a Southern European setting. Critical Studies in Education, 55(3), 253-271
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