Leadership in Singapore Schools: The Impact of National Culture

When we look at school management in Singapore, is there a distinctive characteristic that acts as a cultural imperative which shapes the working patterns and lives of school principals? As part of an international comparative study of the principalship, we sought to gain insights into the typical thinking and behaviours of four school principals. Using a cultural analysis model to examine power relationships, relationships with colleagues, gender issues and tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty, we concluded that these leaders' lives were far from routine and were characterized' by paradox. They used a range of cultural ‘tools’ as a way of trying to sustain stability in an erratic and fast-changing system. Thriving amidst the complexities and chaos of their jobs suggested a unique characteristic, something that might best be described as ‘Singaporeanness’.     

The Characteristics of Hong Kong School Principals' Leadership: The Influence of Societal Culture

This paper aims to identify the characteristics of principal leadership in Hong Kong. More specifically, it analyzes and integrates a number of studies to identify the consistency of principal leadership across the years and samples using a number of different leadership conceptions. These conceptions include both traditional and alternate approaches to educational leadership. The paper shows how societal culture and context combine with the principals' personal attributes to shape their school leadership. Findings indicate considerable diversity among Hong Kong principals even though they operate within the same social system. The paper stresses the importance of understanding culture and context if worthwhile leadership development programmes are to be developed.     

Lasting Leadership: A Study of High Leadership Capacity Schools

This report is about a study of high leadership capacity schools and those in the process of becoming such a school. Schools were selected for participation in the study based on the leadership capacity characteristics they possessed and evidence of improved and sustained student performance, professional cultures, and shared leadership dynamics. Analysis of the data examines the features, underlying factors, relationships, and patterns that contribute to leadership capacity for lasting school improvement. Ultimately, this is a story of educational leadership.     

Societal Culture and School Leadership Charting the Way Ahead

This paper discusses four issues emerging from the papers that make up the special edition. These are considered key issues as researchers further investigate the influence of societal culture on educational administration and leadership. The four selected issues target the definition of societal culture; possible relationships between organizational culture, personality and societal culture; the interface between school leadership, educational policy and societal culture; and some of the limitations of Hofstede's framework for guiding the study of cultural influence in educational administration. Each of the issues revolves around the concept of societal culture and its application as an explanatory and analytic device in the field of educational administration and leadership.     

Educational Practice in Leadership Mentoring: The Singapore Experience

Findings of a study on the practice of school management learned through mentoring reveal that leading surfaced prominently as the prime aspect of what could be learned through formal mentoring and could be put into practice on the job. These principals, who have the opportunity to learn through mentoring, suggest their learning and practice of leading primarily through relating with people. The three features involved are: leading through relating with people actively, promoting trust in relating with people, and serving as worthy models in their dedication to service. As such, the learning of leading through formal mentoring could be of significance in the professional development of aspiring principals. It highlights a known practice of leading, learned through leadership mentoring, for an unknown future. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Successful Educational Leadership at High Performing Schools

Successful educational leadership is not a random phenomenon, but an executed success which leaves cities whereby one can discover them. These clues lead to a desired destination--higher student achievement. Essential, non-negotiable elements have been identified. That is, each element has been systemically embedded at schools that have turned from low performing to high performing schools. These six elements/clues have been identified through decades of research and the author＇s leadership experience as superintendent in both urban and suburban districts. This paper names the actions of successful educational leaders, namely, the site principal, that results in increased student learning and achievement and that can be sustained overtime. These critical elements bring about increased numbers of students who are academically proficient and advanced as defined by the federal NCLB （No Child Left Behind） Act of 2001. Successful educational leaders understand the challenges of change, and they communicate a sense of urgency balanced with patience, persistence and optimism. There are no secrets to successful leadership, and success truly does leave clues. We know what must be done, and we can do the hard work to ensure that every child is successful. Let us share our clues and applaud our successes measured through the lens of students＇ academic achievement.     

Researching Principals: Context and Culture in the Study of Leadership in Schools

The role of the school principal has in recent years attracted the urgent attention of politicians, practitioners, parents and others in many parts of the world. This has resulted in the generation of some research and a very substantial literature. Why then should we need yet more studies of principalship? This paper examines two key reasons: because the role of the principal is important in determining levels of school effectiveness and pupil achievement; and because much of what we ‘know’ is of doubtful value insofar as it is out of date, based on limited research methodology and attention to contextual or cultural considerations. The paper advocates use of a three level biographic model for such research, and seeks to illustrate its merits drawing upon the work of the authors and other studies undertaken in East Asia.     

Threatened and Placed at Risk: High Achieving African American Males in Urban High Schools

This study investigated the risk and protective factors of 11 high-achieving African American males attending 4 urban charter high schools in a Midwestern city to determine what factors account for their resilience and success in mathematics courses, and in high school more generally. This research was guided by a Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory, which assisted in extrapolating how these young Black males make sense of their experiences despite the many challenges they face growing up in urban Black America. Results indicate that although students were under multiple forms of academic and physical threat within and beyond school walls, there was a keen presence of academic agency and an ability to manage potentially threatening situations to cleverly protect themselves from complex systems of risk.     

地方性文化的力量：张謇教育思想与区域县中繁荣

县中是县域教育的支柱和地方发展的希望所在,但近年来县中的师生与制度结构失去了比较优势,陷入困境。在建设教育强国的蓝图下,县中如何重整旗鼓？本文基于对全国知名县中聚集地——南通市的调查,借助强文化范式框架,探讨张謇教育思想何以成为一种与结构力量互补的地方文化力量助推县中发展。张謇教育思想在改革开放初的南通崛起叙事中被激活,锚定科教兴市的第一战略选择,使政府注意力优先分配于教育,从而塑造了县中的良好外部生态和主体积极实践,两者的适配进而带来区域县中繁荣。从文化社会学视角出发,将县中讨论转向地方性,揭示县中发展离不开由本土社会文化传统和资源产生的强大动力,这为其他地方教育振兴提供了启示。     

新形势下高职院校领导能力对学校发展的影响分析

随着近年来经济的发展和国家对高职教育的逐步重视,高职教育开始进入新的发展时期,高职院校发展也开始面临机遇与挑战并存、竞争日趋激烈的新形势。高职院校领导能力对学校发展影响重大,新形势也对高职院校领导能力提出了更高的要求。     

高校校园网络文化建设的对策

校园网络在促进高校教育发展的同时,也对青年学生产生了一定的消极影响。本文以校园网络文化的特点及负面影响的形成原因为主线进行研究,就如何建设高校网络文化提出了一些对策。     

Educational Leadership Reconsidered: Re-Invoking Authority in Schools

By far the most challenging task faced by schools in post-apartheid South Africa, has been the distance educational leaders were mandated to put between the educational institutions and the apartheid legacy of racial discrimination and exclusion. It is therefore not surprising that there are two dominant approaches to educational leadership, namely the transactional and transformational leadership paradigms that were considered as apposite to ensure the implementation of new educational policy and curriculum developments. Indeed, the theoretical debates about educational leadership have extended expositions of the concepts of transactional and transformative leadership that are often perceived as forms of educational leadership that can enhance the democratisation of educational institutions, such as schools. However, after the demise of apartheid all attempts to move beyond authoritative practices have been shown to be undesirable; and the transactional and transformative forms of educational leadership might have too hastily and prematurely abandoned authoritative forms of leadership. Therefore, in this article the authors argue in defence of authority as constitutive of transformative leadership in schools by reflecting on current leadership practices in schools.     

学校“领导”与“管理”的断裂:危害与对策

本尼斯的一句名言表明了一种重领导而轻管理的倾向,在管理还十分粗放的中国,同样出现了领导过剩与管理短缺的局面。领导与管理的失衡与断裂,使领导沦落为虚饰和取巧的工具,成为旧酒新瓶的华丽标贴,成了优势学校独家把玩的奢侈品。修复领导与管理的断裂成为我国学校管理实践的当务之急。借鉴国外相关经验,着力于平衡的考核评价、着力于管理技术含量的提高、着力于基本管理难题的破解、着力于骨干教师管理能力培育可以作为修复断裂的基本对策。     

Distributed Leadership for ICT Reform in Singapore

This study examines distributed leadership in Information Communication Technology reform in a government school in Singapore. The study adopts a naturalistic inquiry approach, drawing upon a case study of the aforementioned school for much of its data. The study found that leadership for Information Communication Technology reform is distributed according to functions of transformational leadership, instructional leadership, emotional leadership, and the strategic management of resources. The key enabling factors are an official leadership position, access to expertise, support by senior management, and interpersonal synergies among the leaders. Senior management consistently performs transformational leadership, whereas middle management generally performs instructional leadership. Both senior and middle management provide emotional leadership.     

分布式领导力理论博弈我国高级中学校长负责制

分布式领导力观点是指在学校对所有人的各种行为达到更加广泛的领导力总合的描述。分布式领导力观点包括两个方面:建立分布式领导力框架和领导力实践。运用分布式领导力理论分析我国高级中学校长负责制存在的问题,对探讨补充和完善我国高级中学校长负责制具有重要的实际意义。     

影响学校改进、提升与发展的领导文化

学校领导是学校战略的部署者,也是学校文化的引领者.目前我国薄弱学校领导与管理存在两个极端表现:一是校长的颁导太少、管理太多,二是学校管理粗放、无序、随意.研究表明,领导文化是影响学校改进、提升与发展的学校文化之一.构建领导文化应体现以下四大特点:专业引领的基本范式,多元分权的民主思维,精细管理的实践模式,追究问责的评价机制.     

马赛克文化抑或合作文化——课程领导转型与教师文化选择

马赛克文化强调个人或派别的相互独立,利于教师独立智慧的发展,但属于一种封闭性成长环境.合作文化使得教师彼此交流,促进思想碰撞,利于团体的智慧发展,但易有盲从现象.流动的马赛克文化可使两者优势融合,提升教师处理课程问题能力,也是课程领导转型与教师文化建设所需要的.     

日本和新加坡学校德育特色之比较

本文从学校德育的地位与领导、目标与内容、组织实施、衡量标准与评估依据四个方面对日本和新加坡的学校德育特色进行了比较分析,以期对我国学校德育的改革有所启迪.