Session Information
26 SES 03 B, Educational Leadership
Parallel Paper Session
Contribution
This paper presents the results obtained through a research project R&D, funded by Spanish Ministry of Education on leadership for learning. Within this project we are interested in the network relationship and complex possibilities of professional interaction between principals (as leaders for learning in power) and school counselor (as a service to this leadership and support to the school improvement as a learning community), in order to make an effective school for all.
While the large educational agreement is to advance a more just society, it may need to experiment and walk along the byways of the solid local agreement that are building spaces, actions, scenarios, tasks and commitments in line with the inclusive education and quality for all. The true inclusive education begins at Educational School project. The most innovative schools focus on diversity as the main aspect for its educational project. They involved in a process of reconstruction and conquest of the curriculum justice, in which the role of the principal is key (Ainscow & West, 2008).
There are empirical data that prove the effectiveness of leadership for learning and its impact on outcomes (Leithwood, 2009). Principals can influence the results and give school a strong pedagogical leadership in order to improve the school.
The developing this kind of leadership in Spain is quite controversial (Coronel & Fernández, 2002). The principal in Spain is not a professionalized figure. This requires support in order to make the school an education project, integrating perspectives and a community of purpose and speech doing.
This support could be provided by school counselor (ASCA, 2008) if they overcome mistrust between them (Amatea & Clark, 2005). On the one hand, counselors have a clear tendency to support equity and diversity, and on the other hand, principal look for quality. Both must be aware there is no efficiency without equity and good results. Both joint is a bet for future (Ainscow, 2005; Sammons, 2007; Sammons & Bakkum, 2011) that is the nexus for this relationship.
Likewise, school counselor works closely to the management team as an agent of social change for learning improvement (Wolker, 2006; DeVoss & Andrews, 2006). The reasons are clear, their training in psycho-pedagogy and the role they have assigned, gives them a systemic and educational view and an important strategic position.
The ultimate aim of new internal support services is to mediate and give technical support to promote internal skills that make change possible; especially those directed to develop pedagogical aspects (Elmore, 2010) that is, focused on the sustaining effective professional learning communities (Bolam, R. et. al., 2005).
So, this professional is now located in a strategic position which has a broad overview and systematic whole vision (House & Hayes, 2002) that make possible collaborative work with teachers and management team (Janson, Stone & Clark, 2009), to articulate a joint educational project from an eminently pedagogical perspective (comprehensive, inclusive, intercultural and effective) in terms of learning outcomes.
Therefore, it is important to know the expectations and possibilities of this professional interaction.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
A.S.C.A. (2008). School Counselor Competencies. American School Counselor Association Ainscow, M. & West, M. (2008). Improving urban schools. London: Open University Press Ainscow, M. (2005). The next big challenge: the improvement of the inclusive school. International Congress on School Effectiveness and Improvement, Barcelona. Amatea, E. & Clark, M.A. (2005). Changing Schools, Changing Counselors: A Qualitative Study of School Administrators’ Conceptions of the School Counselor’s Role. Professional School Counseling Journal, 9(1), 16-27. Bolam, R. et. Al. (eds.) (2005). Creating and sustaining effective professional learning communities. Bristol: DfES. Clandinin, D.J. & Connelly, F.M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Coronel, J. M., & Fernández, M.L. (2002). Is there a way out? A critical analysis of participation, leadership and management in Spanish schools. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 5(4), 303-322. DeVoss, J. A., & Andrews, M.F. (2006). School counselors as educational leaders. Boston: Lahaska Press. Elmore, R. (2010). Mejorando la escuela desde la sala de clases. Santiago de Chile: Fundación Chile. House, R.M., & Hayes, R.L. (2002). School counselors: Becoming key players in school reform. Professional School Counseling, 5(4), 249. Janson, C., Stone, C., & Clark, M.A. (2009). Stretching leadership: A distributed perspective for school counselor leader. Professional School Counseling, 13(2), 98-106. Leithwood, K. (2009). ¿Cómo liderar nuestras escuelas?. Santiago de Chile: Fundación Chile. Sammons, P. & Bakkum, L. (2011) Effective Schools, Equity and Teacher Effectiveness. Executive summary. Profesorado. Journal of curriculum and teacher Education, 15(3), 9-26 Sammons, P. (2007) School effectiveness and equity: making connections. Executive summary. CfBT. Wolker, J. (2006). Principals and counsellors working for social justice: A complementary leadership team. Guidance and Counseling, 21(2).
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