School District Leadership Matters

149 Pages·2009·2.798 MB·English

by  Dr. Bruce Sheppard, Jean Brown, David Dibbon (auth.)

SCHOOLDISTRICTLEADERSHIPMATTERS
STUDIESINEDUCATIONALLEADERSHIP
VOLUME8
SeriesEditor
KennethLeithwood,OISE,UniversityofToronto,Canada
EditorialBoard
ChristopherDay,UniversityofNottingham,UnitedKingdom
StephenJacobson,GraduateSchoolofEducation,Buffalo,U.S.A.
BillMulford,UniversityofTasmania,Hobart,Australia
PeterSleegers,UniversityofNijmegen,TheNetherlands
SCOPEOFTHESERIES
Leadershipweknowmakesallthedifferenceinsuccessorfailuresoforganizations.This
serieswillbringtogetherinahighlyreadablewaythemostrecentinsightsinsuccessful
leadership.Emphasiswillbeplacedonresearchfocusedonpre-collegiateeducational
organizations. Volumes should address issues related to leadership at all levels of the
educationalsystemandbewritteninastyleaccessibletoscholars,educationalpracti-
tionersandpolicymakersthroughouttheworld.
Thevolumes–monographsandeditedvolumes–shouldrepresentworkfromdiffer-
entpartsintheworld.
Forfurthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/6543
SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
MATTERS
by
BRUCESHEPPARD
MemorialUniversity,
St.John’s,NF,Canada
JEANBROWN
MemorialUniversity,
St.John’s,NF,Canada
and
DAVIDDIBBON
MemorialUniversity,
St.John’s,NF,Canada
123
Dr.BruceSheppard Dr.JeanBrown
MemorialUniversity MemorialUniversity
Fac.Education Fac.Education
PrincePhilipDrive PrincePhilipDrive
St.John’sNFA1B3X8 St.John’sNFA1B3X8
Canada Canada
[email protected] [email protected]
Dr.DavidDibbon
MemorialUniversity
Fac.Education
PrincePhilipDrive
St.John’sNFA1B3X8
Canada
[email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4020-9746-1 e-ISBN 978-1-4020-9747-8
DOI10.1007/978-1-4020-9747-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2009920273
(cid:2)c SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2009
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Preface
Theideasputforthinthisbookrepresent25yearsofresearchandpracticewitha
particularemphasisonareflectiveanalysisofmy(Sheppard’s)effortstoleadmean-
ingfulchangeatthedistrictlevelusingavailableresearchevidence.Myresearchand
practice have been focussed on understanding how educational leaders in schools
and schooldistrictscanbringabout meaningful change withamoralpurpose. My
journeybeganduringthe1980s,whenIbecametheprincipalofalargehighschool.
It was painfully obvious to me that classroom practices had remained essentially
unchangedfordecades,manystudentsappearednottobewellserved,andIwanted
to make a difference. In that leadership role, I was constantly challenged and
intrigued by the complexities of bringing about meaningful change. As I explored
the literature on effective schools and change and attempted to apply the ideas to
my leadership practices, it became readily apparent that some efforts were more
beneficial than others. My thirst to better understand the leadership and change
phenomenon led me to pursue advanced studies that marked the beginning of my
academic career andhas shaped myresearch agenda sincethen.However, forme,
studyingandwritingaboutleadershipforchangewasnotenough.Mygoalofbet-
ter understanding leadership in order to lead meaningful change drew me back to
practice. Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to practice as a superintendent
of education in a mid-size school district where my colleagues and I had been
engagedinanactionresearchprojectrelatedtoleadership,organizationallearning,
and changing practices to improve student learning. During those years, I main-
tainedcontactwithmyresearchcolleagues,keptabreastoftheemergingevidence
relatedtoeducationalleadership,andkeptareflectivejournalofmypractice.
This book is not intended to give a historical account of successful district-
level leadership. Even if I attempted to claim some success, my claim would be
challenged, as I can think of no leader who has been “judged entirely successful,
eventhosewhohaveinfluencedmillions”(Kouzes&Posner,2003,p.259).Reeves
(2002)claimsthatagoodguideforabookofthisnatureisasfollows:“Ifyouwill
learn from my mistakes, as well as the mistakes and successes I have observed in
almost thirty years of leadership studies, everything will not necessarily be swell,
but you will approach each challenge with greater insight and more confidence”
(p. 115). It is to this purpose that this book is dedicated. Therefore, the intent of
thisbookistopresentthechallenges,mistakes,successes,andnewunderstandings
v
vi Preface
developedasoneleaderattemptedtoemploytheevolvingleadershiptheoryinorder
to bring about substantive district-level change with a moral purpose. Toward that
end,mycoauthorsandIremainedengagedasactionresearchersandcriticalfriends
throughouttheentiredurationofmypracticeassuperintendentofeducation.During
that period, I attempted to be a critical reflective practitioner who kept a detailed
reflective journal of my journey as a superintendent. My coauthors in their role
asacademic researchers continued ascriticalfriendstoensuretheaccuracy ofmy
accountsandcounteractmybiasesanduncoveredbeliefsthroughprovidinganin-
depthcriticalanalysisofmypractice.
Wearehopefulthatourreflectionsuponandcriticalanalysisofleadershipprac-
tice that was intended to be grounded in current understandings of change theory,
organizationallearning,andemergingmodelsofleadershipthatemphasizeinstruc-
tional, transformational, and value-based leadership will provide new insights and
questionsforacademicresearchersandwillinspirepolicymakersandpractitioners
to imagine what might be and to work toward it. Furthermore, we hope that this
bookwillassistsenior-levelpractitionersastheywrestlewiththeapplicationofthe-
orytopracticeandthatitwillcontributetotheadvancementofourunderstanding
of district-level leadership and how it interacts with leadership at the school and
provincial levels in leading changes that impact student learning at the classroom
level.Bothpractitionersandresearchersshouldfindthisbookofvalue.
References
Kouzes,J.,&Posner,B.(2003).Credibility.SanFrancisco,CA:Jossey-Bass.
Reeves,D.(2002).Thedailydisciplinesofleadership.SanFrancisco,CA:Jossey-Bass.
Acknowledgments
Tothemanyindividualswhocontributedthroughparticipationininterviewsoras-
sisted in maintaining the archive of district documents that populated the superin-
tendent’s reflective journal and to those who will recognize themselves within the
pages of this book, we thank you for your support to our research and for your
commitment to the ongoing improvement of public education. In this regard, we
extend a special note of appreciation to Gwen Hurley, executive assistant to the
superintendent of Discovery School District, for her detailed record keeping that
facilitated the retrieval of applicable district documents that were essential to the
successofourresearchworkthatservesasthefoundationofthisbook.
WethanktheschoolboardtrusteesofDiscoverySchoolDistrictwhoweresup-
portiveofthedistrictsuperintendentandwhowerewillingtoembarkontherisky
journeyofshiftingstructuresandengagingindecision-makingprocessesthatwere
facilitative of collaborative leadership and organizational learning. Similarly, we
acknowledgeandthankDiscoverySchoolDistrictsenioradministrators,divisional
directors,programspecialists,schoolprincipals,andteachersfortheiropennessto
changeandtheirwillingnesstoengageinthefacilitationofcollaborativeleadership
throughout the school district. Without their collective support, there would have
beenlittletowriteabout.
We would like to specifically recognize Dr. Kenneth Leithwood, editor of this
series, for his initial prompting to complete this work, for his encouragement and
supportthroughouttheprocess,andforhisownresearchandwritingthatcontinue
toshapeourthinkingrelatedtoschoolanddistrictleadership.
Besides,weextendanoteofappreciationtoWillOxford,FacultyofEducation,
MemorialUniversity,forhisproofreadingofourfinalmanuscriptdraft.Finally,we
recognize Sarah (Sadie) Sheppard for the countless hours that she volunteered to
proofreadandeditthemanydraftsofeachchapterthatcomposethisbook.Without
herworkandcontinuedsupportandencouragement,thisbookmayneverhavebeen
completed.
vii
Contents
1 WhereTheoryMeetsPractice..................................... 1
OurCaseStudyMethodology ...................................... 3
TheDistrictCase................................................. 5
TheSociopoliticalContextofDiscoverySchoolDistrict ................ 8
ChartingaNewCourse............................................ 10
References ...................................................... 12
2 LeadershipandOrganizationalLearning .......................... 15
ConfrontingtheChallenge ......................................... 18
How Can Formal Leaders Facilitate Collaborative Leadership and
OrganizationalLearning?.......................................... 20
StudyOne..................................................... 20
StudyTwo .................................................... 21
StudyThree ................................................... 23
StudyFour .................................................... 24
StudyFive .................................................... 25
Implications for the Implementation and Practice of Collaborative
Leadership ...................................................... 26
References ...................................................... 29
3 MeetingtheChallengesofHierarchyThroughDistrictLeadership.... 33
OvercomingResistancetoCollaborativeLeadershipThroughDistrict
Leadership ...................................................... 34
MyVoice ....................................................... 39
ThroughtheLensofCriticalFriends................................. 43
References ...................................................... 45
4 EstablishingCollaborativeStructures.............................. 49
MyVoice ....................................................... 52
NurturingCollaborativeLeadershipatDiscoverySchoolDistrict....... 52
CollaborativelyDefiningSharedDecision-Making................... 57
ThroughtheLensofCriticalFriends................................. 61
ix
x Contents
AnalysisoftheStructuralChanges ................................ 61
TeacherPerceptionsofCollaboration .............................. 63
Conclusion ...................................................... 65
References ...................................................... 66
5 StrategicThinkingandAdaptiveLearning ......................... 69
MyVoice ....................................................... 72
StrategicPlanninginDiscoverySchoolDistrict ..................... 72
DevelopingaSharedVisionforTeachingandLearning............... 78
PersonalReflections ............................................ 80
AFinalObservation ............................................ 80
ThroughtheLensofCriticalFriends................................. 81
References ...................................................... 83
6 ProfessionalDevelopmentandCapacityBuilding ................... 85
ProfessionalDevelopmentinDiscoverySchoolDistrict................. 88
MyVoice ....................................................... 91
AdoptingaNewApproachtoProfessionalDevelopment.............. 92
ThroughtheLensofCriticalFriends................................. 96
References ...................................................... 99
7 SystemsChallengestoGrowthandSustainabilityofMeaningful
EducationalReform .............................................101
TowardMeaningfulSchoolReform..................................102
SystemsThinkinginDiscoverySchoolDistrict........................105
SystemsChallengestotheDiscoverySchoolDistrictReformAgenda.....106
Challenge1:GovernmentControlofFinancialandHumanResources...106
Challenge2:TheDifficultTransitionfromPurposetoPractice.........109
Challenge3:LocalizedEducationinaGlobalizedWorld..............110
Challenge4:AMarket-OrientedApproachtoSchoolDistrict
Restructuring .................................................. 113
References ......................................................117
8 RecognizingWhatMakesEffectiveSchoolDistricts .................121
Recognitions:Discussion,Implications,andRecommendations ..........124
FinalThoughts...................................................131
References ......................................................132
AbouttheAuthors..................................................135
AuthorIndex ......................................................137
SubjectIndex ......................................................141
Chapter1
Where Theory Meets Practice
Abstract Confidence in public education has declined over the last few decades
withtheaccumulatedeffectofincreasedcentralizedauthoritariancontroloftheed-
ucationsystembygovernments.Thistrendofincreasedgovernmentcontrolappears
to run counter to the existing empirical evidence that highlights the importance of
collaborativeleadershipthatisfacilitativeoforganizationallearningasameansof
bringingaboutsuccessfulchangeandimprovedstudentlearning.Unfortunately,the
literaturerelated tocollaborative leadership has suffered froma lack of specificity
that is needed to guide the actual practices of district superintendents who are re-
sponsiblefortheadministrationandleadershipofverycomplexorganizationsthat
forthemostpartcontinuetobebureaucratichierarchies.Itwaswiththeobjectiveof
contributingtotheneededevidencethatweengagedinourdistrictstudyandhave
writtenthisbook.
Barth(1990)comparedthelifeofanadultworkinginaschooltoatennisshoeina
laundrydryer.Havingbeenateacher,aprincipal,andanassistantsuperintendentin
thek-12schoolsystemandhavingescapedBarth’slaundrydryer,I(Sheppard)had
theopportunitytoresearch,study,andreflectuponthepracticethatIhadloved,but
withwhichIhadbeenfrustratedbecauseofthesystem’sintransigencetochange.As
apractitioner,Ihadbeenfrustratedbyacademics,politicians,andsenioradministra-
torswhobelievedthattheyhadalltheanswersandthattheproblemwitheducation
was that teachers were just unwilling to follow their edicts. On the other hand, as
an academic, I found that while there existed much rhetoric among practitioners
around collaborative leadership and organizational learning1, they were often no
more than the current “buzzwords” or just another nice partnership project to be
pursued (Sheppard, 2003; Sheppard & Brown, 1999, 2000a, 2000b, 2000c). As
a result, I was often drawn to think, “If I had been aware of this when I was a
1Weemploythetermorganizationallearningsomewhatsynonymouslywithprofessionallearning
communitiesandlearningorganizations,withbothofthelattertermsreferringtoorganizationsor
communitiesofpractice,suchasschoolsandschoolboards,whichareengagedinorganizational
learning.
B.Sheppardetal.,SchoolDistrictLeadershipMatters,StudiesinEducational 1
Leadership8,DOI10.1007/978-1-4020-9747-8 1,
(cid:2)C SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2009