eTwinning: Leading 21st Century Schools

Workshop agenda:
1. Why school leadership matters? 2. Competing for student attention the leadership challenge 3. How to let school leaders lead (and achieve results)? 4. Summary.
Please note: the participants of my workshop will receive a one-page questionnaire for the assessment of their level of readiness for the 21c school leadership.

School leadership
for learning

Prof. Jan Fazlagi

(Poznan Universyty of Economics, Poznan, Poland)

Berlin, 10-12 November 2011

Why school leadership matters (1)

School leadership has become a priority in education policy agendas internationally! It plays a key role in improving school outcomes by influencing the motivations and capabilities of teachers, as well as school climate and environment.

Why school leadership matters? (2)

The legacy of the Industrial Era still present in education systems:

1.Planning: deciding what needs to happen and

generating plans for action.

2.Organizing: (Implementation) including staffing.

3. Leading/directing:

Determining what needs to be done in a situation and getting people to do it.

4.Controlling/monitoring: checking
progress against plans.

Why school leadership matters? (3)

"Leadership and learning go hand in hand and we are just beginning to persuade people that leadership is something you learn throughout your life.
John Adair

Why school leadership matters? (4)

Industrial-type management is mostly about processes. Leadership in 21c schools is mostly about

behaviour

Why school leadership matters? (5)

How to improve the quality of leadership in education (according to theOECD recommendations)?

Why school leadership matters? (6)

How to improve the quality of leadership in education (according to OECD Recommendations)?

1. (Re)define school leadership responsibilities

(Research has shown that school leaders can make a difference in school and student performance if they are granted autonomy to make important decisions).

3. Develop skills for effective school leadership

(Initial leadership training (national programmes, collaborate with local level governments); organise induction programmes: a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge and selfstudy; in-service training to cover need and context)

2. Distribute school leadership

(distributing leadership across different people)

Why school leadership matters? (7)

How to improve the quality of leadership in education (according to OECD Recommendations)?

4. Make school leadership an attractive profession

(Professionalise recruitment including - succession planning proactively identifying and developing potential leaders; focus on the relative attractiveness of school leaders salaries; acknowledge the role of professional organisations of school leaders)

2. Competing for student attention

(This part of presentation inspired by Bartek Rycharski of Filmpoint.pl, a young Polish entrepreneur who looks at the education system in a reflexive way

2.Competing for student attention the leadership challenge

Competing for student attention: entertainment

The monopoly
is over!

Edutainment

Competing for student attention: support

Competing for student attention:

social interaction

Competing for student attention: evaluation

of

learning outcomes

3.How to let school leaders lead (and achieve results)?

The new leadership:

You need to be a conductor someone who knows how to orchestrate their talents and bring them together in a beautiful symphony.

Leading creatve people is like herding monkeys

What Creative workers love:

Having clear direction, Knowing what the rules of the game are and what boundaries to play within. Freedom to figure out how to get it done.

School leaders of yesterday

(and today?)
Have become the Principlas because they fit the criteria Are under pressure to influence the teachers Work hard on their own (and desperately seek for allies)

cel spotkania What kind of leaders do creative Przywdcy klasy kreatywnej class need?
22

Providers of ideas Content is the King! Leadership as a rebellion Leader enables leadership in employees

Part of the school leaders job is to be very clear in setting those guidelines and establishing the vision.

The leader also has to be brave enough and smart enough to let their Creative teams do what they do best without getting in their way just steering and guiding them occasionally when they get off- track.

How to lead 21c teachers?

Care for the school environment

Provide challenges (gamification of life) Provide time and space for creative sessions Always respect the employees Evaluate the teaching outcomes results not the process
Nigel Collin, HOW TO LEAD YOUR CREATIVE PEOPLE N=182 from a variety of creative industries, comprising both business leaders and creative people

Limit the bureaucracy

cel spotkania The School Leader for Gen-Y

27

How to let school leaders lead (and achieve results)?

Become an ideas person A daily delivery of fresh ideas from the school leader Become an architect of an condusive environment Make list of the most popular ideas on school leadership you have herad in the last 10 years try to forget them (unlearn)!

DOs
Present ideas Look for leaders around Free creative thinking

DONT s
Focus on the end result Tell who the leader is (=YOU) Playing a role

Inspirations

Using tried-and-true methods

Summary
1. Traditinal school culture does not accept leadership 2. The monopoly is over!
3. Provide ideas to the teachers many new ideas!

Thank you for you attention!

Prof. Jan Fazlagi

(Poznan Universyty of Economics, Poznan, Poland)

e-mail: jan.fazlagic@ue.poznan.pl