Session Information
SES D 09, Paper Session
Paper Session
Contribution
For several decades, educational researchers have been advocating the benefits of partnership between schools, families, and communities as a means of promoting student achievement (Cummings & Dyson, 2007; Epstein & Sanders, 1998; Davis & Johnson, 1996). Multi-agency partnership is one of the vectors in the current British government educational policy. Professionals from education, health, social services, youth organisations, community and voluntary organisations have to work together in partnerships to address the Every Child Matters agenda (DfES, 2004). This raises important questions about what forms of leadership “work” within multi-agency partnerships and how to create a collaborative culture of schooling.
This paper presents some selected findings from a study for a PhD. Through an interpretive-constructionist’s epistemological paradigm, the research project investigated leadership practices within a multi-agency context. The following research questions were developed to realise the purpose of the study:
- What leadership practices have been developed within a multi-agency environment?
- How does the presence/lack of trustimpact on leaders’ practices in a multi-agency partnership?
- What leadership strategies can best promote and sustain a collaborative culture of schooling?
The study’s conceptual framework is based on Huxham and Vangen’s (2005) theory of collaborative advantage, and on the theoretical concept of social capital (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman 1988; Putnam 2000). Relevant literature on multi-agency partnership, leadership, organisational culture and current educational policy in England is brought together and integrated to frame the research design and analysis.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In J. J.Karabel & A. H. Halsey (Eds.), Power and ideology in education. New York: Oxford University Press. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-258). New York, London: Greenwood Pres Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94(Supplement), 95-120. Departmen for Education and Skills. (2003). Every Child Matters. London: DfES. Dimmock, C., & Walker, A. (2005). Educational Leadership. Culture and Diversity. London: Sage Publication. Epstein, J. L. (2001). School, family, and community partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jarsorn, N. R., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2002). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Huxham, C., & Vangen, S. (2005). Managing to Collaborate: The Theory and Practice of Collaborative Advantage. London ; New York: Routledge. Muijs, D. (2007). Leadership in full-service extended schools: communicating across cultures School Leadership and Management, 27(4), 347-362. National College for School Leadership. (2006). Collaborative Leadership in Extended Schools. Leading in a multi-agency environment (pp. 76): National College for School Leadership. Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative leadership: Developing effective partnerships for communities and schools (2nd ed.): Thousands Oaks, CA:Corwin Press. Sanders, M. G. (2005). Building School-Community Partnerships: Collaboration for Student Success: Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Sanders, M. G., & Harvey, A. (2002). Beyond the school walls: A case study of principal leadership for school-community collaboration. Teachers College Record, 104(7), 1345-1368. Tschannen-Moran, M. (2009). Fostering Teacher Professionalism in Schools The Role of Leadership Orientation and Trust Eduational Administration Quarterly, 45(2), 217-247.
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