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This report is part of the International Study of Leadership Development in Higher Education project (ISLDHE) project which is examining leadership development for university leaders. This paper presents an update to our original exploration of the literature about university contexts and leadership development, but also compares the themes as they relate to Latin American countries and those emerging from other countries. We identified the skills that university leaders should have to appropriately manage the challenges of contemporary universities. We also report on themes pertaining to currently available leadership development programs. The review showed a high coincidence in the skills required for leaders in Latin American contexts to those in non-Latin American universities. We noted that the lack of clarity in the characteristics and formats of optimal leadership development programs were pervasive throughout both western and Latin American literature; however, there was a distinct lack of research on leadership and leadership development emerging from Latin America. One significant difference in Latin American leadership literature was the emphasis on senior leadership levels, whereas in non-Latin American countries, leadership and power were more distributed to decanal and head of department levels as well as senior leadership levels.

Purpose: The purpose was to highlight aspects of principals' work that are problematic and the degree to which they feel prepared to address those aspects. It profiles principals' pre-appointment learning. Research Methods: The study was conducted in Alberta with principals in the first three years of their appointments. A questionnaire was administered to novice principals in a range of school jurisdictions. Data were analyzed using SPSS and thematic coding. Findings: There were aspects of the principalship that respondents found highly challenging. Items in a second tier were ascribed lower levels of concern but still considered problematic. Together, these were called foundational elements. A second order was classified as transitional, i.e., issues of lower immediate concern but still important. Respondents also provided perceptions about how adequately they were prepared. Respondents indicated the dominant features of their preparation. Implications for Research and Practice: Study participants had a strong locus of control and professionalism perhaps fostered best through a configuration of accessible learning experiences, embedded but not mandated expectations, and selection of principals from a pool of aspiring leaders. Postsecondary institutions should retain their focus on theoretical and empirical dimensions of educational leadership but reconsider the assumption that foundational elements can be learned on the job. Postsecondary institutions should revisit curriculum content in educational leadership programs and re-evaluate the expected practical experience base of university faculty members. Other providers should examine how to enhance pragmatic learning for principals and not assume that principals have basic leadership skills and are ready for advanced learning.

In the dynamic landscape of contemporary higher education, the demand for leaders well-versed in the intricacies of its challenges has become paramount. Despite the availability of leadership fellowships and retreats globally, there is a notable dearth of institution-specific leadership development programs tailored for post-secondary education leaders. This deficiency leaves a substantial number of higher education leaders ill-equipped with the fundamental competencies needed for effective leadership. This review underscores the pressing necessity to establish institution-based leadership development initiatives explicitly crafted for academic leaders and faculty members. The exploration encompasses diverse platforms and methodologies for delivering such programs, drawing insights from empirical studies that underscore the advantages of leadership development. Also, the review discusses the content of leadership development curricula. Focusing on academic leaders and faculty, these curricula cover competencies such as strategic planning, interpersonal communication, talent management, and adaptive leadership. The outcomes underscore the significance of institutions integrating leadership development efforts within their academic domains. The discussion delves into the manifold benefits of instituting leadership development programs, not only as a cost-effective alternative to external fellowship courses but as a strategic move with multifaceted advantages. These advantages encompass streamlining competitive succession planning, magnetizing and retaining talent, cultivating expansive networking opportunities, and augmenting the capacity to confront contemporary challenges in higher education. By prioritizing the nurturing of academic leaders, institutions can effectively bridge the gap between current leadership skills and the evolving demands of the higher education landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the entrepreneurial activities of two university faculties, one Canadian and the other Australian, that were designed to meet the educational needs of students and to garner the resources necessary for program delivery. A conceptual framework for educational entrepreneurship, containing six dimensions, is proposed. The dimensions are: innovative behavior, networking, time-space communication framework, local-global perspective, educational organizations as knowledge centers, and integrated face-to-face and Internet-based learning. Major considerations suggested for entrepreneurial initiatives include access, equity, quality, and sustainability. Educational entrepreneurship is defined as the strategic focus on creating short and long-term opportunities for learning that will make a significant difference for individuals and their societies. Elements of educational entrepreneurship highlighted are strategic planning, the capacity to make responsible but timely decisions, business acumen, faculty development, and strategic alliances. Entrepreneurial leadership must be found among academic and support staff, as well as students. Impact on students is discussed. Other lessons learned include the need for a multi-faced approach to institutional change that incorporates a clearly articulated educational vision, well developed policies and procedures to guide action, sustainable funding plans, and evidence-based practices. Although educational entrepreneurship is reported to be difficult to achieve and seen as vulnerable to changes in personnel and political influences from within the organization and beyond, it is seen as providing a more equitable access to graduate studies and promoting growth in social and human capacity. (Contains 3 tables.)

Globally, there is increasing pressure on schools to enact change, and the literature indicates that transformational leadership is positively associated with school leaders' effectiveness at implementing positive reforms. Here, we report on a study conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within the current context of intense educational restructuring in the K-12 system. The purpose was to investigate whether school principals in the UAE practise transformational leadership, and whether they and their teachers perceived principals' leadership styles differently to their western counterparts. This study adopted a mixed methodology, and revealed variation in perceptions between principals and teachers related to whether principals were practising transformational leadership. However, when analysed using Hofstede's cultural framework, this variation may be related to cultural differences between the western orientation of the leadership model adapted by Emirati principals and the Islamic orientation of the population. Therefore, a new model of transformational leadership is proposed, based on a paradigm that may be more appropriate for Middle Eastern/Islamic contexts. This "Modified Transformational Model" may be useful to those leaders who wish to adopt transformational leadership with cultural accommodations.

This paper presents the leadership implications from a study that explored how to increase the quality of teaching in a university thereby presenting data from the bottom up--the academic perspective--to inform leadership, policies, and academic development which generally flows from the top down. We report academics' perceptions of and motivations to engage with teaching and learning, as well as their opinions of the university's recognition and rewards for quality teaching. Pedagogical professional development needs of academics were also examined. Tensions existed between teaching and research in this research-intensive university; even so, academics valued teaching, were committed to students, but were resentful that institutional values and rewards remained focused on research. A common perception was that having a doctorate was all that was required to be an effective teacher. Administrators were reported as privileging research-oriented professoriate activities over the work of teaching-focused lecturers. We present a model of leadership considerations that can inform leadership decision-making and priorities that findings indicated influence academic engagement.

The paper reports on a study undertaken in Nairobi, Kenya with school leaders. We examined their perceptions of the adequacy of their preparation experiences and what aspects remained problematic. This paper only reports on the survey findings which included rating-type and open-ended responses. Principals conceptualized their apprenticeship/experiential preparation as useful for instructional leadership but reported the desire for formal qualification which would provide them with more credibility for their complex roles. Principals were primarily focused on survival and compliance with ministry expectations related to the managerial aspects of their role. Recommendations include a policy framework for leadership qualifications, competencies, and experience to provide standards and benchmarks designed to increase leader and system credibility.

This paper focuses on promoting fairness and equity in student assessment practices. The researchers used questionnaires and interviews and the study encompassed a total of 3312 individuals representing a range of stakeholders. The paper is presented in two parts: fairness and discrimination, and challenging policy and practice. Five key principles emerged. Educators must strive to address the personal impact of assessment practices on individual students and their families. Assessment must be differentiated to accommodate the ability, social, cultural and linguistic background of students. All members of school communities must challenge the complacency associated with accepting indefensible assessment practices. The frequency, intensity and intrusiveness of assessments must not be overwhelming for students and their families. Finally, assessment must not be used to counter inappropriate student behaviour or reward desired behaviour. Implications for practice are presented. Additionally, the authors describe changes to policy and practice that occurred as a result of the study.

This article explores the various elements of Canadian educational entrepreneurialism as manifested yesterday, today, and tomorrow and in relation to the social and political influences of the time. This discussion is informed by the findings of the International Study of the Preparation of Principals (ISPP) and represents an expansion of the dimension of boundary-breaking entrepreneurialism contained in the Life Long Learning Leader (4L) leadership development framework. The showcasing of entrepreneurialism in Canada is offered in an attempt to advocate for and to demystify the dimensions of principled and socially responsible educational entrepreneurship needed by tomorrow's leaders. The article closes with conclusions intended to inform leadership development in other cultural contexts. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This article reports on a subset of findings that emerged from the Alberta Student Assessment Study in relation to the preservice and in-service development of teacher knowledge of, expertise in, and beliefs underpinning their assessment practices. Findings indicate that, although there has been a lot of attention given to improving assessment, confusion remains for teachers about terminology, principles, and pragmatics that undermine teacher confidence about assessment and making sound judgments about students' work. (Contains 1 figure.)

This report on the Alberta Student Assessment Study describes the context, methodology, and emergent themes. It outlines the purposes and uses of assessment according to the various stakeholder groups. Using both qualitative and quantitative data from students and parents, as well as educators at all levels, there were six areas or themes that emerged for further exploration: politics of assessment, decision making, teacher learning, communication and relationships, instructional leadership, and fairness and equity. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

This study is part of the International Study of Principal Preparation project and reports on a Canadian Catholic Board's mentoring programme for novice school principals. This programme aims to produce effective managers and provide formal collegial support. A pragmatic, mixed-method approach involving interviews with participants along with an analysis of programme documentation is employed. Findings indicate the programme is successful in providing useful information and guidance to novices. Mentors refresh their enthusiasm for their own administrative role and are more conscious of organisational processes as a result of mentoring. Outcomes include increased comfort of mentees in their complex role. There are socialisation and enculturation outcomes for the organisation. Selection as a mentor represents a valuing of expertise and effectiveness. Potential challenges of the programme are time, uncomfortable pairings, power relationships, and the overt managerial focus. Recommendations to enhance this successful programme are presented.

This research report presents a student-focused model aimed at involving students, academics, and administrators in improving and enhancing learning and teaching at a university business school. The "partners in learning" model involves using student feedback to develop curriculum, teaching, and assessment; systematic, in-context professional development; and curriculum review. This longitudinal study reports that without strong educational leadership and organizational commitment, positive change is slow in showing results. The lessons learned are included for university professional developers. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

Purpose: This paper aims to use the results of three research initiatives to present the life-long learning leader 4L framework, a model for leadership development intended for use by designers and providers of leadership development programming. Design/methodology/approach: The 4L model is a conceptual framework that emerged from the analysis of one study conducted in Canada and two others conducted in international settings. Findings: The 4L framework contains eight dimensions that leadership development programming should address: career stage, career aspirations, visionary capacity, boundary breaking entrepreneurialism, professional skills, instructional design and assessment literacy, crisis management, and approaches to leadership development. Research limitations/implications: As with all research, findings are subject to researcher biases and limitations. Practical implications: The 4L framework can be used as the basis for graduate programs in leadership, small- and large-scale leadership development initiatives, and cross-cultural leadership development. Implications of the 4L framework are discussed in relation to stakeholder roles, e.g. leaders, professional developers, university leadership preparation programs, employers, policy makers, and researchers. Originality/value: The 4L is a framework for leadership development not only applicable within the field of education but also in broader contexts such as business and industry, health and social services, sports, and government. The 4L framework merits serious consideration by professional development providers and institutions of higher learning as a vehicle for leadership training and nurturing. It is comprehensive in that it suggests particular learning content for leadership development initiatives but it also addresses the processes for effective professional development of adult learners. (Contains 1 table.)

In response to the need for the tertiary sector to ensure the ongoing quality of teaching and learning, a Western Australian university has implemented a divisional strategic plan in order to gain quality student feedback and support staff professional development. In 2000-2002 the Business Division within the university established a systematic quality assurance mechanism called the Unit Effectiveness Project (UEP) to obtain feedback from students regarding their perceptions of their learning experiences. Based on this feedback a strategic plan to refine the units was implemented, and these planned refinements were then re-examined in the following UEP cycle. While not presenting logistical problems for onshore staff, the use of such a refinement process experienced increased problems in offshore settings and, in 2001, the Business Division proposed to initiate a professional development workshop series in order to enhance the teaching and learning skills of lecturers working in partner institutions. The professional development mirrored the service provided to the onshore campus teaching staff. This case study investigates the results of the research that was conducted with the offshore lecturers who participated in the professional development workshops. These lecturers were generally Singaporeans teaching within the Business School programme. The results of both the quantitative and qualitative data collected suggested that the participants had benefited from the workshop components that dealt with the identification of common presentation faults, planning and organisation, the establishment of optimal learning environments and appropriate teacher characteristics. The sample also agreed that there was a strong need for the on-going provision of staff development for offshore lecturers and that the experience had been of assistance in clarifying a number of issues related to teaching and learning such as the importance of interacting with students and colleaguesand sharing ideas associated with good practice. The results indicated that the programme should continue; however, amendments were needed to structure and content such as an increased use of case study approaches, more opportunities to witness and discuss good practice in teaching and learning, and possible formal accreditation for achievement of programme outcomes by offshore participants. (Contains 1 figure.)