Session Information
26 SES 04 B, School Improvement and Quality Through the Lens of Educational Leadership
Paper Session
Contribution
The purpose of this proposal is to update previous research on verifying a roadmap for school leaders to ensure teacher quality can be sustained overtime.
The research question was to explore the usefulness of the roadmap as a guide for principals to ensure teacher quality based on new data.
Background and Conceptual Framework
This paper argues that a major leadership challenge for school leaders is to attract, deploy, develop and retain quality teachers. To gain commitment and engagement of teachers over their career, we propose leaders take a strategic and long-term approach. Previously (ECER 2019/2021) we presented a roadmap as a conceptual framework. Between 2018-2022 we tested this roadmap with a range of leaders and teachers representing schools. We now present an updated version of the roadmap but with supporting evidence from over 300 case studies to demonstrate its veracity as a strategic framework. In early versions of the roadmap, we highlighted key touch points such as identifying aspirants, preparation programs, sourcing talent, induction and socialisation, professional learning, and performance management as stages in ensuring quality. Our past findings verified that leaders could ensure quality by focusing on each of these factors. Our accumulated research findings show that focusing on each touch point separately is valuable but does not explain the dynamic interaction of touch points. Our latest findings show that to be successful, leaders need to be aware that the touch points are best integrated as a process rather than distinct stages.
Current evidence-based research has shown that the ‘good’ (effective/inspiring) teacher is a significant factor in improving student outcomes (OECD, 2005; Stronge, 2007, Sammons 2017). Research shows that teachers are the most significant in-school factor influencing student learning. Estimates of the percentage contribution of teachers to student outcomes varies from 30% (Hattie 2003) to 59% (Alton-Lee 2003; Rowe 2003). Findings from the Sutton Trust (2011) demonstrated the significant difference between good teacher and bad teacher as being one full year of student growth. With the pressure to improve student outcomes and the significance of teacher quality, it is incumbent on school leaders to ensure that they attract, acquire, develop, and retain quality teachers.
In the context of increased devolution and accountability, school systems not only in Europe but in other countries now recognize the changing role of school leaders. The traditional school leader role of teacher deployment is being challenged because they are expected now to adopt a Talent Management strategy (McBeath 2007), which involves attracting, developing, and retaining quality teachers. The pandemic has seen a major change in the teaching workforce where there are teacher shortages not only in Europe but in most countries around the world. This has added pressure on recruiting and retaining teachers.
We believe the road map is also useful within the conference theme, The Value of Diversity in Education and Educational Research). Touch points on the road map recognise the social challenges and different values and beliefs. Leaders and teachers work within different expectations, prescriptions, reconciliations. Within this complex context the road map helps leaders identify and acquire the best candidates for the teaching profession, develop their capabilities and support them in their teaching profession. The roadmap outlines key stages of a teacher’s journey: the aspiration to teach, the preparation and recruitment into the system, and their early experiences with the teaching profession. School leaders can play an important part in at each stage: identifying, acquiring and developing teachers though what we have identified ‘touchpoints.
We argue that leaders need to understand the whole journey and intervene to help teachers reach their potential and help them to sustain it over their career.
Method
The roadmap is built on sound theory and research. It is based on a strategic human resource management (SHRM) framework (Mercer, Barker, Bird, 2010). The authors draw on the SHRM literature and the emerging literature on SHRM in education to support the road map. The objective of SHRM is to make the best possible use of people within the accepted social, economic and ethical framework and standards of the existing the culture or society. SHRM is a multi-disciplinary approach which draws its theories and practices from many sources. It aims to help people to work more effectively, improve performance, provide a productive and supportive environment, improve managing and leading people, establish appropriate principles, policies and practices, and provide competitive advantage (Stone, 2017; Nieto, 2014). The key operative functions include: job design & evaluation; manpower planning; recruitment and selection; induction & socialisation; training & development; performance management; working conditions; employee relations; remuneration & benefits; retirement & redundancy (Ogunyomi, Shadare & Chidi, 2011; Mondy & Martocchio, 2015; Youssef, 2012; Dessler, 2011; Hendry, 2011). The intended outcome is to ensure the competence of an organization’s workforce to perform, compete, and innovate (Lawler, Mohrman & Ledford, 1998). Over the past two decades the principles of SHRM have been applied to schools. Educational writers such as Runhaar (2016); Odden (2011); Kimball (2011), have championed SHRM as a disciplined approach to recruitment and development as compared with the ad hoc approach that is common in schools. Case Studies. In 2018-2022 we tested the roadmap with over 300 postgraduate students who were completing a Masters of Education subject, Leadership for Teacher Quality, at the authors’ university. The students, both Australian and international, were a mixture of teachers, middle level leaders and principals. Within the limits of 4000-word case studies, students were required to evaluate the current practices and processes for teacher quality and quality teaching in their own school setting against the road map. A review of the related literature was required to inform their analysis. Furthermore, they were required to identify recommendations to the school's leadership group. Using a matrix highlighting touchpoints from the roadmap, the case studies were analysed and placed into themes.
Expected Outcomes
The findings showed support for the road map in a range of different educational settings, including highly challenging circumstances and diverse settings. Our updated version of the roadmap identities six touchpoints- sourcing talent, recruiting talent, induction, deployment, professional learning and performance management. These domains are based on key operational functions from the SHRM literature. Findings from the case studies identified these leadership practices that enhanced teacher quality: induction, professional learning, professional identity, effective recruitment and selection practices, career planning, pedagogical support in the classroom, and effective feedback. Gaps in leadership practice were also identified particularly with induction and teacher evaluation. However. the most significant new finding was that these functions were integrated, for example, best practice induction involved socialisation, professional learning, coaching, establishing professional identity, and performance management. The most effective leaders also underscored the touchpoints by developing and maintaining good working conditions, building a productive culture, and providing motivation for teachers. In our presentation we outline practices where leaders focused on the needs in both the short and long term to build and maintain teacher commitment and engagement. We found that successful leaders addressed individual and team needs, built individual and profession capacity, supported and resourced teaching and learning, maintained sound and healthy working conditions, developed a productive culture, helped teachers build resilience, and provided opportunities for motivation. We accept that in different systems and in different countries there will be varying levels of devolved responsibility, leader autonomy and accountability. Leaders may have greater opportunities to impact on touchpoints in some systems, for example, recruitment and selection, whereas in other systems recruitment and selection may remain centrally controlled. However, we believe that leaders need to pay attention to the whole journey of a teacher’s career and that this roadmap highlights these touch points.
References
Darling-Hammond, L (2006) Constructing 21st-Century Teacher Education, Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300-31 Darling-Hammond, L (2010) Teacher Education and the American Future, Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 35-47 Day, C. (2012). New Lives of Teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 39(1), 7-26. Day, C. (2017) Teachers’ Worlds and Work: Understanding Complexity, Building Quality, Routledge, NY. Dessler, G. (2011). Human resource management. Boston, Mass.: Pearson. Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Paper presented at ACER Research Conference, October 19-21, in Melbourne. Jensen, B. (2011). Better teacher appraisal and feedback: Improving performance. Melbourne: Grattan Institute. Kimball, S. M. (2011) Principals, Human Capital Managers at Every School, Phi Delta Kappan 92(7) 13-18. Lawler, E. E., Mohrman, S. A. and Ledford, G. E. (1998). Strategies for High Performance Organizations – the CEO Report. San Francisco: Jossey – Bass Publishers. Macbeath, J. (2006) The talent enigma, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 9(3), 183-204 Mercer, J, Barker, B., Bird, R. (2010) Human Resource Management in Education [electronic resource] Contexts, Themes and Impact, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis Nieto, M. L. (2014). Human resource management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Odden, A. R. (2011) Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education. New York: Routledge Ogunyomi, O.P. & Shadare, A.O. & Chidi, O.C. (2011). Current trends and future directions of human resource management practices: A review of the literature, European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences. 29, 19-25. OECD (2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD (2008). Measuring improvements in learning outcomes: Best practices to assess the value-added of schools. Paris: OECD. Rowe, K. (2003). The importance of teacher quality as a key determinant of students’ experiences and outcomes of schooling. In Building teacher quality: Research conference 2003: 15-23. Melbourne: ACER. Runhaar, P. (2016). How can schools and teachers benefit from human resources management? Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 45(10), 639-656. Stronge, J. H. (2007). Qualities of effective teachers (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Youssef, C. M. (2012). Human resource management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
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