Educational Leadership Through A Practice Lens

This book provides the theoretical and analytical resources for an urgent rethinking of the social project of educating and educational leading. It examines what educational leadership is, namely the politics and power of leadership as a practice, and what it can and should be, offering a pedagogical and praxis-informed approach to educational practice. Drawing on research conducted at various Australian schools and education districts, it argues for a reframing of educational leadership as pedagogical practice/praxis to transform theorising and practice in the field. The book provides a rich account of educational leading through a practice lens, bringing into dialogue the theory of practice architectures with site ontologies, Bourdieu’s thinking tools and feminist critical scholarship. The book tracks the practices and praxis of educational leaders as they grapple with the changing landscape and forces of educational policies that have informed Australian education. It reimagines education leadership by integrating Continental and Northern European understandings of pedagogy and praxis as being morally and ethically informed, as opposed to the narrower Anglophone notions of pedagogy as teaching and learning. The book adds to the body of knowledge on the “actual work of leadership” as a “distinct set of practices” that is morally and ethically informed. Readers will find a more holistic understanding of educational leadership practice and praxis, based on the everyday accounts of educational leaders, teachers and students in schools and education districts.

This book explores school leadership through a cross-cultural comparative lens, drawing on data from 16 countries located on five continents. The book gives a voice to both primary and secondary school principals, who discuss the nature of their work and explain their understanding of school leadership, strategies used to support their leadership, and how they 'do leadership' in a time of unprecedented change. The book highlights a number of important elements in school leadership: that it is personal and internally-motivated; change oriented and entrepreneurial; dependent on the qualities and motivations of school teachers; dependent on environmental factors related to economy, geography, political stability; heavily influenced by policies within and outside the field of education; and dependent on partnerships within and outside education. The book provides an authoritative cross-cultural account of what school leaders regard as school leadership. It will be essential reading for students, researchers and policy-makers in the fields of educational leadership and management, in particular those with an interest in comparative and international research, school leadership, and education policy.

Educational Leadership brings together innovative perspectives on the crucial role of theory and theorising in educational leadership at a time when the multiple pressures of marketisation, competition and system fragmentation dominate the educational landscape. This original and highly thought-provoking edited collection is a much-needed counterbalance to the anti-theoretical trends that have underpinned recent education reforms. Contributors employ a range of theories in original and innovate ways in order to reveal the lived experiences of what it means to be an educational leader at a time of rapid modernisation, where the conceptual terrain of ‘modern’ has been appropriated by corporate and private interests, where notions of ‘public’ are not only hidden, but also derided, and where school leaders must meet the conflicting demands of competing accountabilities. Drawing on research projects conducted in the UK, Educational Leadership presents convincing evidence that the need to consider theory crosses national borders, and the authors discuss changes to professional identities and practices that researchers around the world will recognise. This detailed and insightful work will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education and sociology, as well as those with an interest in organisational and political theory. The topical subject matter also makes the book of relevance to practitioners and policy-makers in education and the public services more generally.

As the sixth volume in the International Research on School Leadership series, the contributing authors in this volume consider the history, challenges, and opportunities of the field of research and practice in educational leadership and administration in schools and districts. Ten years after the work of Firestone and Riehl (2005) and their contributing authors, our aim with the present volume was to summarize and update the work of the field, and provide a space to consider the multiple futures of educational leadership in schools and districts, as both challenges and opportunities. The first decade of the twenty?first century brought significant critiques, challenges, and competition to the research and practice of training leaders and administrators of schools and districts around the world. Congruently, the field experienced significant growth and change, as multiple new sub?domains flourished and were founded. Thus, in this volume we were delighted to included excellent chapters from multiple authors that considered the duality of the challenges and opportunities of: - The work of the field of educational leadership and administration research to date. - The opportunities and challenges of new visions of leadership in traditional and non?traditional schools. - The evolving state of research evidence in educational leadership and the increasing sophistication of multiple methodologies, including qualitative research, quantitative modeling, the ability to test theory, and the increasing opportunities brought on by the intersection of data, research, and practice. - The preparation of educational leaders. - And the emerging trends in the professional development of school leaders. The authors of the nine chapters in the present book volume took on this challenge of confronting the duality of not only including the past as we look to the future, but also the duality of the critique of the field in the midst of exciting and significant progress in our knowledge and understanding of leadership in schools. In the first section of the book (Chapters 2, 3 and 4), the authors examine the interplay of educational leadership research and theory as it relates to reform in schools, especially as it relates to serving historically underserved populations globally. In section 2 (Chapters 5 and 6), the authors highlight the importance of methodological considerations in school leadership research as a means to understand theory and practice as well as providing interesting avenues that point to multiple exciting future possibilities through rely ing on current innovations noted within the chapters. Section 3, (Chapters 7 and 8) examine the research and practice of school leadership preparation, especially as it relates to university?district partnerships and non?traditional school settings. And in the final chapter, (Chapter 9), our capstone contributor provides a means to link the present volume with the past writings on these topics, while also providing a lens to view the exciting possibilities and promises of the multiple futures of the field of educational leadership research and practice.

This book offers a richly observed study of three principals working in some of the most disadvantaged primary schools in Victoria, Australia. It explores their social justice understandings and practices in working to improve the educational outcomes for children in their schools, through autobiography, biographical interviews, in-depth interviews and observations. The work looks into their life histories, the formation of their primary and secondary habitus, and uncovers and examines their encounters with the public education field. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and his ‘thinking tools’, the book investigates how the principals’ understandings of social justice are shaped by the intersection of their life and work histories. This book is of interest to educational leadership scholars interested in the application of critical theory to studies of leadership. The book provides an exemplar for the application of Bourdieu’s theory of practice, and it makes a strong contribution to Bourdieusian scholarship, social justice scholarship and educational leadership scholarship.

"Leading Change through the Lens of Cultural Proficiency is rooted in the proven tools of Cultural Proficiency and a case study of an actual P-12 school district that contended with its own approach to teaching and valuing students of diverse backgrounds. Using vignettes focused on community engagement, leadership, implementation frameworks, and collaborative professional learning communities, the authors demonstrate and recommend organizational changes necessary for uncovering and remedying inequities like those described above. The book is designed to support school leaders in developing policies and fostering practices that respond to the educational and social needs of all students"--

This book is significant in that it offers an in-depth historical analysis of educational leadership and educational policy in the United States and around the globe. The book focuses on how leadership preparation and practices as well as policy and procedures have affected and continues to effect all stakeholders including school leaders, teachers, and students. The aim of the book is to examine both the positive and negative implications (nationally and internationally) of: (1) trends in educational leadership preparation; (2) trends in educational leadership practices; (3) educational policy; and (4) the procedures and the intended/unintended consequences associated with such policies. ENDORSEMENTS: "Equity & Access: An analysis of Educational Leadership Preparation, Policy, & Practice provides an excellent lens into some of the field's most relevant and timely topics. This book provides practical resources on multiple levels. Specifically, it can help educators incorporate various concepts into practice. Additionally, readers will strengthen their knowledge base in leadership preparation. This book is a must-read and should be adopted in Educational Leadership programs across the country." — David Buckman, Augusta University "Centering equity and access at the heart of the educational leadership conversation makes this book volume a standout in the array of educational leadership texts. In a single-source, each author challenges learners to think through their motivations, and the consequences of their actions and decision-making in the real-world, as they also acquire practical skills and concrete knowledge. Never has the time been more appropriate than now, for a focused book like this one – a needed and welcome addition for those invested in the preparation and on-going development of educational leaders." — Stephanie James, Jacksonville University "Equity & Access serves as a stark reminder that, as practicing school leaders in the 21st Century, everything we do and every decision we make should be done so through the lens of what is equitable for all stakeholders including students, staff, parents, community members, and business owners." — James Wrede, Southern California Principal "Connecting theories of effective leadership to practical examples is not an easy task. It demands a rigorous interdisciplinary approach, thoughtful theory of change, and must be grounded to the lives of real people. This new edited volume, On Leadership, is alive with lessons! It provides a roadmap where educational equity is not merely the destination, but the journey." — Vajra M. Watson, Sacramento State

In this updated 2nd edition, the authors created a blueprint for educational leaders to arrive at an understanding of the complexity of shared leadership for achieving reflective school improvement. The dispositions for leadership success are embedded in the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL, 2015) created by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA) and the NELP standards (2018) created by a committee for National Educational Leadership Preparation approved by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The NELP and PSEL standards are aligned to provide specificity around performance expectations for beginning level and district leaders. To support these key standards Transforming Professional Practice: A Framework for Effective Leadership 2nd Edition advances the educational conversation by its keen focus on effective professional growth and development. This framework recognizes that the uniqueness of school leadership, whether at the central office level, school building level or department level, is dependent upon effective leaders who are self-reflective and developmentally attuned to professional growth opportunities.