Norman McCulla

Journeys to school leadership How action learning identified what participants valued in a year-long Australian leadership development program centered on principles of good practice

The need to identify and suitably prepare teachers to undertake school leadership roles especially as principals is now well documented in the literature. Similarly documented is the general concern about the lack of suitable applicants willing to consider the role. This study raised the question of what might be learnt when a purposefully-selected cohort of 31 teachers drawn from executive, non-principal roles participated in a year-long, multi-phased leadership development program: The Flagship Program of the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales, Australia (AIS). The design of the program was informed by internationally acknowledged principles of good practice in leadership preparation. Evaluation of the program combined action learning methodologies working with participants with more formal evaluation of each of the program’s stages to investigate participant growth and program effectiveness. The action learning component undertaken with the direct involvement of all participants and with the support of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) was able to pinpoint what the participants themselves saw as important and what was less so at this stage of their preparation for school leadership roles. In so doing, the study adds a valuable participant perspective to the overall literature on leadership preparation.

Learning about teacher professional learning: case studies of schools at work in New South Wales

Abstract The extent of the human and financial resources that teachers have access to for their professional development, and the extent to which they have the capacity to determine when, how and with whom learning takes place, are key factors in determining the quality of professional learning that results. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), as an Australian state education system, is the largest employer of teachers in the southern hemisphere. In 2004 it introduced a 4-year,

An exploration of the influence of school context, ethos and culture on teacher career-stage professional learning

144 million program supporting teacher professional learning, and a new policy framework for the area in response to needs identified by teachers and research. This article identifies some of the issues to be resolved in establishing policy frameworks for professional learning. It tells the stories of how schools in a variety of locations throughout the state are going about interpreting the new policy framework, the changes it is making to their practice and the implications that are seen for the immediate future of their professional learning programs. It identifies some of the implications for further research that arise.

Investigating the Use of Capability and Standards – Referenced Frameworks to Support the Professional Learning of Aspiring, New and Experienced School Leaders in the Public Education System in New South Wales, Australia1

Abstract School ethos and culture, and their influence on teacher career-stage learning, are integral yet often overlooked components of school-based professional development planning. An in-depth study was conducted over two years within and across three independent schools in Sydney, Australia utilising a collegial methodology centred on principles of action research and focused on continuous school improvement. It revealed how specific school contexts have a substantial and differential impact on teacher learning across all career stages from neophyte to principal. Each school’s ethos and culture were seen to produce a distinctive teacher learning culture that subsequently influenced whole-school planning for, and participation in, teacher professional development. Teacher growth, well-being and job satisfaction were integrally related to ethos and culture and further influenced by the specific characteristics of the career stage of the teachers and school executive involved. The study gave further insights as to how the nature of teacher learning changes according to career stage. It was evident from the study that, for teachers, the school that they are in has a sizable impact on the nature of their professional learning and how they develop differentially at each stage of their career path trajectories.

The Transition of accomplished teachers from the classroom to school leadership

Recruitment to positions of school leadership, the preparation of aspiring school leaders, support for the induction of newly appointed school leaders, and ensuring quality professional learning for experienced school leaders all require agreement and transparency on what it is that successful school leaders do.