The Contemporary Context of Educational Change

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The Contemporary Context of Educational Change

If there ever was a time in which schools could operate in isolation that time has long since vanished . There are now many actors and players who would like their say in shaping what is taught , to whom , and how and who want to take a lead on the education stage . Some will have greater authenticity than others , but will be capable to lead on their own . The leadership tapestry is multifaceted , rich and ever changing p

Leadership is more than a role-based function assigned to , or attained by one person in an organization who uses his or her power to influence the actions of others . It extends beyond the instantaneous school community , embracing those numerous actors on the wider leadership stage - governments , trade unions , school districts and businesses - recognizing the diverse roles which they play

Orton , J . and Weick , K . E (1990 ) of educational organizations as loosely coupled systems is a third image of the university that still captures the frustrations of deans and college and university presidents who often describe managing change in higher education as herding cats

School leadership is a way of influencing others through communication Yet it took half a century before researchers stopped up looking at the "traits " of leaders and began to think concerning the leadership situation itself . Since then a lot of work has been done on how people become leaders as well as how they can best influence followers , how they can develop teacher and student morale , and how they can better the performances of staff members as well as the children they serve . A recent survey of the research agreed on these points

1 . Leadership is not domination or compulsion of others but the encouragement of efforts to achieve communal goals and

2 . Leadership promotes change but it can also oppose change when it feels itself susceptible (G . Egan , 1990 , pp . 48-49

The idea of leadership as a network of relationships amongst people structures and cultures , both within , and across organizational boundaries has been re-affirmed

The numerous actors are drawn together in quest of the education reform agenda : an agenda that has focused to a great extent on schools Increasingly , governments of different persuasions have shared the belief that the macro-problems of the state and society can be addressed through improving the micro-efficiency of the school . As a consequence schools have been assigned the task of righting a range of social and economic ills - a role which numerous would argue is beyond the capability of schools to achieve

Rising national expectations about schools have been accompanied by reduced teacher autonomy and increasing demands for higher performance - of teachers , as well as of pupils (MacBeath , Moos and Riley 1996 223-50

One of the fundamental areas of agreement between researchers who have investigated educational change concerns the powerful impact of head teachers on processes related to school effectiveness and school improvement . Research identifies consistently that those schools which...