Session Information
26 SES 02 A, Leadership and System Reform
Paper Session
Contribution
Educational reforms are the concrete outcomes of educational policies at state level as a result of the global and local encounter with the global developments , challenges and swift transformations. As Ball, Maguire and Brown (2012) asserted, the context in which policies are formed is important and how they are implemented at the institutional level is linked to the context. Furthermore, state policy has a considerable impact on shaping what happens on a daily basis in schools (Bell &Stevenson, 2006; p. 8). As for the context and significance of this research, educational reforms in England has been extensive and on the leading edge when compared to many of the countries in the world (Hansen&Vignoles, 2005; Townsend, 2007). One defining feature of the recent reforms is the creation of new school types such as academies, which are publicly funded independent schools. They do not have to follow the national curriculum and can set their own term times, yet still following the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools. (Department of Education, 2015). Moreover, changes in the National curriculum and tests are also recent reforms in the system. Presently, the main feature of recent reform is a drive to a more decentralised system in which funding, and decision making powers, are devolved to school level. On the other hand, there is a parallel centralisation, most notably in the form of a powerful national inspectorate. Therefore, the situation poses some contrasts in it.
Tackling such extensive reforms and implementing them successfully is not an easy task. In this respect, school principals act as the key actors to implement and even to enact educational policies and consequent reforms. Moreover, they have to mediate the policy- intensive environment and navigate through ensuing complex reforms. They have to act as the actual mediators between the government reforms and the inner and outer mandates of their schools in addition to the technical, human, symbolic and cultural aspects of their professions (Sergiovanni, 2001). Faced with diverse roles and responsibilities, the school principals in England has to deal with the challenges whilst having to be able to master change management (Fullan, 2005) and other expected leadership skills (Day&Leithwood, 2007). Therefore, this study aims to explore how school leaders in England mediate educational policy in practice and navigate their ways, and further explore their roles and competencies in implementing the reforms in their own contexts The findings are likely to lead to open up new perspectives of research in enacting educational policy and implementing reform initatives at school level especially in policy intensive contexts. Research questions serving the above mentioned purpose are
1. How do policy developments have impact on the role of school principals? To what extent is the role of Principal re-cast by policy?
2. How do school principals view the concept of leadership, and see their own role as leaders whilst mediating education policy and practice?
3. What are their attitudes towards policy changes and reform implementations?
4. What do school leaders find most challenging about linking the policy and practice interface?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge. Bell, L., & Stevenson, H. (2006). Education policy: Process, themes and impact. London: Routledge. Day, C. & Leithwood, K. (Eds.). (2007). Successful principal leadership in times of change: An international perspective. Dordrecht, UK: Springer. Department of the Environment. (2015).Types of Schools. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school/academies Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and sustainability: System thinkers in action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press; Toronto: Ontario Principals’ Council. Hansen, K. and Vignoles, A. (2005). The United Kingdom education system in a comparative context . In What’s the Good of Education? The economics of Education in the UK, Machin, S. and Vignoles, A. (eds). Princeton University Press: Princeton and Oxford. Sergiovanni, T. (2001) Leadership: what’s in it for schools? London: Routledge Falmer. Townsend, T. (Ed.). (2007). International handbook of school effectiveness and improvement (Vol. 17). Dordrecht: Springer.
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