Assembling the actors: exploring the challenges of ‘system leadership’ in education through Actor-Network Theory

This paper presents insights into the leadership implications of recent shifts in a range of policy contexts towards notions of collaboration and partnership. The paper draws on empirical research into the formation and operation of government instituted networks in the context of education in Victoria, Australia. From 2001, School Networks and Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLEN) were implemented by the state government to support young people in their transition through school and into employment in a context of a risk society, a context where pathways into sustainable employment for young people, and others, had become more erratic. For comparative purposes, the paper also draws on published research into the implementation of joined-up approaches, including Primary Strategy Learning Networks (PSLN), in England. Using concepts from Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the paper argues for the value of considering the full range of actors – both human and non-human, real and unreal – involved in networking initiatives and proposes some thoughts on the implications of such a sociology of associations for both leadership and governance.     

立足“四个一”,创新思政课实践教学模式——以三峡电力职业学院思政课实践教学改革为例

实践是思政课教学的手段和目的。"05方案"实施以来,三峡电力职业学院一直坚持探索思政课实践教学,教学模式渐具特色,效果显著。该校实践教学的实施立足于四个方面,即以联动的机制和充足的经费为前提,以设计符合学生身心发展需要的课堂实践为关键,以社会主义核心价值观引领校园文化建设为重大课题,以坚持"送出去和请进来"为重要途径,创新思政课实践教学。     

Democracy and School Leadership in England and Denmark

Evidence will be presented from two projects to support our argument that concepts and associated activities of leadership are shaped by the political contexts in which they are embedded. By comparing the managerialist purposes and definitions of school leadership in England with more democratic orientations in Denmark, we add our voices to the growing concern about the future of democracy in England.     

Inclusive educational leadership to establish a co-operative school cluster trust? Exploring perspectives and making links with leadership for learning

ABSTRACT

One remarkable feature of the contemporary school landscape in England is the number of schools that have chosen the co-operative framework to shape their work and relationships. When a group of schools decides to become a co-operative trust, leadership challenges arise both in the process of establishing an inclusive collaborative cluster and in living out co-operative values. To add to the limited literature on co-operative school leadership, a study in a school cluster trust explored headteachers’, governors’ and teachers’ perspectives and beliefs through interviews, group discussions and questionnaires. These data sources revealed some of the motivations for, benefits of, and strategies to support inter-school collaboration guided by the co-operative values of democracy, solidarity, equality, equity, self-help and self-responsibility. Importantly, a range of perspectives on the extent to which leadership was viewed as, and appeared to be, an inclusive practice undertaken by all members of the cluster was identified. A particular contribution of this work is that it exemplifies resonances between the values and principles of the co-operative movement and those of the Leadership for Learning framework. Since these two models are being increasingly adopted and integrated into a variety of educational settings, the research findings may inform leadership practice more widely.     

School leadership models: what do we know?

The growth in the importance of school leadership has been accompanied by theory development, with new models emerging and established approaches being redefined and further developed. The purpose of this paper is to review current and recent writing on leadership models. The paper examines theoretical literature, to see how leadership is conceptualised, and empirical literature, to demonstrate whether and how the research evidence supports these concepts. The paper shows that leadership models are subject to fashion but often serve to reflect, and to inform, changes in school leadership practice.     

职业生涯理论视野下的高职学生社会实践探析

目前,大学生社会实践存在诸多问题,如执行力不强、短期化等。究其原因,是缺乏系统理论支撑。本文从职业生涯理论出发,将社会实践与大学生职业教育相结合,提出社会实践阶段论、环境模式论、动态适应论,并提出职业化、阶段化、匹配化、体系化\"四化\"改进大学生社会实践活动的措施。     

分布式领导:缘起、概念与实施

分布式领导是近年来兴起的一个概念,自提出以来受到极大关注。分布式领导理论是组织思考的根本改变,它将领导定义为学校所有人的责任,而不仅仅是校长等少数人的行为。分布式领导致力于在组织成员中分享领导职能,建立清晰的愿景和目标,提升组织成员的领导能力,同时考虑到学校组织结构和管理体制、绩效责任制度以及学校文化等因素的配合。     

Investigating instructional leadership in Kuwait's educational reform context: school leaders’ perspectives

This study explores the practices of Kuwaiti school principals acting as instructional leaders during education reforms, using qualitative content analysis of standardised open-ended interviews with 28 randomly selected school principals. The results showed that principals faced obstacles related to the deeply-ingrained centralised structure in the Ministry of Education, whose mandates conflicted with the stated goal of building principals’ capacity. There were variations in instructional leadership dimensions, including defining the school’s mission, managing the instructional programme, and creating a positive climate for teaching and learning. A gradual, planned decentralisation is recommended to improve educational leadership practices in Kuwait.     

The village school context and principalship in Hong Kong: what do they contribute to leadership studies?

To enhance the cost effectiveness of primary schools, the government of Hong Kong imposed a regulation for operating primary one classes up to a minimum enrolment rate in 2003. This policy has forced a number of village schools to cease operation. During 2005–2006, 36 of them were involved in this enforcement, accounting for two-thirds of the total number of such schools, causing a possible extinction of them. This paper is part of a research project with the purpose of tracing the history and development of village schools in Hong Kong since the 1930s and 1940s. Adapting Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital and field, this paper examined the village school context of Hong Kong from a socio-historical perspective and examined how the context was related to leadership characteristics of village school principals. Related issues were also discussed. It is hoped that the study has suggested a direction for understanding principal leadership within different school contexts.