Christine Wise

Variabilities and Dualities in Distributed Leadership Findings from a Systematic Literature Review

This article examines the concept of distributed leadership, drawing from a systematic review of relevant literature commissioned by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) and jointly funded by NCSL and the Open University’s Centre for Educational Policy, Leadership and Lifelong Learning (CEPoLL). The concept attracts a range of meanings and is associated with a variety of practices, with varying implications for organizational processes and values. The article highlights key variables that emerged from the literature review. It then elaborates one of the emergent themes—the distinction between structure and agency—and seeks to utilize this further as a means of illuminating the concept and practice of distributed leadership. In conclusion, areas for future research are identified.

Understandings of middle leadership in secondary schools: a review of empirical research

School middle leadership has become an important focus of attention for research and development. This paper reports on two reviews of empirical research into the nature of posts of responsibility held by teachers in secondary schools who are not regarded as part of the senior school management team. Empirical studies in the English language published between 1988 and 2005 were systematically reviewed. The authors found that two key tensions were identified repeatedly in the literature: between expectations that the middle leader role had a whole-school focus and their loyalty to their department, and between a growing culture of line management within a hierachical framework and a professional rhetoric of collegiality. Three key issues ran through these tensions: issues associated with the concept of collegiality; questions around the concepts of professionality, authority and monitoring; and questions of authority and expertise. A range of factors influencing middle leaders’ attitudes to their role are discussed, and the possibility of analysing these through institutional theory and structure-agency duality is discussed.

The Monitoring Role of the Academic Middle Manager in Secondary Schools.

This article examines aspects of the monitoring role of academic middle managers insecondary schools since the implementation of the Education Reform Act of 1988,drawing on the perceptions of middle managers. The data were collected from a largescalepostal survey of middle managers in three local authorities and three case-studyschools. Middle managers acknowledge the need for management tasks, including themonitoring of colleagues teaching, to be part of their role but still experience difficultiesin fulfilling this task. One suggested cause of this difficulty is the fact that the departmental team is perceived by middle managers to be against the monitoring of its work.

Working with young people

Working with Young People provides a selection of writing from a complex, ambiguous and dynamic field of work. The editors take a multidisciplinary approach to draw together key readings reflecting the variety of theoretical and practical perspectives on working with young people. The selection aims to cover the key themes currently under discussion. Such content means the book equips students with knowledge of values and principles required for successful qualification as a worker in the field.

School federation governing Translation or transformation

This article examines the ways in which being a member of a federation governing body impacts upon the governor identities of individuals. Using an ideographic case study based upon a single academy federation, the investigation employs a framework for identity analysis to analyse qualitative in-depth interviews with members within governing organizations in the federation. The data reveal changing understandings around the term ‘governor’, the bifurcation of actual and perceived roles between the executive governing body and the advisory committees, and important insights into governor succession planning. The study concludes that future research into governor identities is important in terms of both governor role performance and the maturation and development of federation systems of school governance.

Is Funding Fair? Perceptions and Experiences from Foundation Schools

Amending the funding arrangements for maintained schools in England and Wales was among New Labour’s educational priorities when it came to power in 1997. Accordingly a new devolved system was introduced in April 1999 known as ‘Fair Funding’. This change was particularly significant for schools that had been grant maintained (GM) under the previous government because it not only ended the favourable funding situation they had enjoyed but it also, once again, directed their funding through their local education authority. This article reports research into perceptions and experiences about the new funding arrangements in such schools.

Foundation Schools and Admissions: The local dimension

In 1998, the Labour Government instituted the School Standards and Framework Act which abolished Grant Maintained (GM) schools and introduced three new categories of school: community, voluntary and foundation. The latter two were to have much of the autonomy of GM schools, particularly with respect to admissions. This article reports on the findings of a study which gathered the perceptions of heads, governors and senior staff about admissions issues in 11 foundation schools after their first full term in their new status.