Session Information
26 SES 04 B, Principals' Practices, Roles and Use of Time
Paper Session
Contribution
School leaders have been acknowledged as having critical, although indirect, role in fostering higher learning outcomes (Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012 & 2013; Finley, 2014). The changing times likewise pose shifting demands on the roles of the school principal. In fact researchers acknowledge that school leaders used to focus their attention more on administration - making sure that the school operates smoothly, before the current interest on leadership – ensuring continuous evolution and improvement of the school, became common (Reeves, 2008; Neumerski, 2013; Tulowitzki, 2015).
For a time, school leaders have been expected to become instructional leaders. Many scholars listed the roles and functions of the principal in providing instructional leadership. Among the common ones are: establishing clear vision, developing people, managing the instructional program, stimulating and supporting instructional innovation (Smith & Andrews, 1989; Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004; Robinson, Lloyd & Rowe, 2008; Horng & Loeb, 2010; Brauckmann & Pashiardis, 2011; Gurr, 2015).
Expanding on the instructional leadership studies, recent researchers have advocated for learning centered principalship (Dufour, 2002) learning-focused leadership (Copland & Knapp, 2006; Knapp, Copland, Honig, Plecki, & Portin, 2010); and leadership for learning (Murphy, Elliot, Goldring & Porter, 2007; Portin, Knapp, Dareff, Feldman, Russell, Samuelson & Yeh, 2009; Hallinger & Heck, 2010; Hallinger, 2011). These recent formulations including the Instructional Leadership Framework propounded by Hallinger and Murphy (1987) provided theoretical support for the study.
Looking into the extent to which school principals in the Philippines focus on learning is an endeavor worth undertaking, particularly for practicing educational leaders and managers like the authors of this study. This interest on how learning is enhanced via efforts from school principals is not only common in Europe, but in other countries as well.
The main aim of this research is to determine the practices of school heads, which demonstrate focus on learning.
The specific research questions were: (a) What practices are implemented by school leaders that focus on learning?, and (b) Do the teachers and principals differ in their perceived best practices in being learning-focused?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Brauckmann, S., & Pashiardis, P. (2011). A validation study of the leadership styles of a holistic leadership theoretical framework. International Journal of Educational Management, 25(1), 11-32. Copland, M. A., & Knapp, M. S. (2006). Connecting leadership with learning: A framework for reflection, planning and action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Dufour, R. (2002). The learning-centered principal. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 12-15. Gurr, D. (2015). A model of successful school leadership from the International Successful Principalship Project. Societies, 5(1), 136-150. Hallinger, P. (2011). Leadership for learning: Lessons from 40 years of empirical research. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(2), 125-142. Hallinger, P., & Heck, R. H. (2010). Leadership for learning: Does collaborative leadership make a difference in school improvement?. Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, 38(6), 654-678. Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J., & Williams, E. N. (1997). A Guide to conducting consensual qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25(4), 517-572. Horng, E., & Loeb, S. (2010). New thinking about instructional leadership. Kappan, 92(3), 66-69. Knapp, M. S., Copland, M. A., Honig, M. I., Plecki, M. L., & Portin, B. S. (2010). Learning-focused leadership and leadership support: Meaning and practice in urban systems. Seattle: University of Washington, Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/ 10 January 2017. Murphy, J., Elliot, S. N., Goldring, E., & Porter, A. C. (2007). Leadership for learning: A research-based model and taxonomy of behaviors. School Leadership and Management, 27(2), 179-201. Neumerski, C. M. (2013). Rethinking instructional leadership, a review. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49(2), 310-347. Portin, B. S., Knapp, M. S., Dareff, S., Feldman, S., Russell, F. A., Samuelson, C., & Yeh, T. L. (2009). Leadership for learning improvement in urban schools. Seattle, WA: Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, University of Washington. Retrieved from https://depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/PDFs/S1-SchoolLeadership-10-2009.pdf 10 January 2017. Robinson, V. M. J., Lloyd, C. A., & Rowe, K. J. (2008). The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(5), 635-674. Sebastian, J., & Allensworth, E. (2013). How do secondary principals influence teaching and learning?. Principal’s Research Review, 8(4), 1-5. Supovitz, J., Sirinides, P., & May, H. (2010). How principals and peers influence teaching and learning. Educational Administration Quarterly, 46(1), 31–56. Tulowitzki, P. (2015) The development of educational leadership and teaching professions in Germany, Retrieved 10 January 2017 from doi: 10.7358/ecps-2015-011-tulo.
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