Search

This article describes the need for additional cross-cultural study of teacher leadership. A rationale for researching teacher leadership is presented based on the need to provide clarity to the definition of the concept and to understand better how to facilitate teacher leadership development. A primary research question is shared: "How is teacher leadership conceptualized and enacted and what are the implications for educational stakeholders?" A set of attributes and indicators of teacher leadership is provided based on a review of literature focusing on teacher leadership. Then four additional concepts related to teacher leadership are described--formal and informal influence, school culture, school improvement, and professional development--followed by a summary of cautionary considerations. Finally, a multi-stage research design is presented in support of the International Study of Teacher Leadership, a cross-cultural examination of teacher leadership.

This editorial situates the special issue in the context of some of the dominant understandings of teacher leadership that appear in literature that spans several decades and includes comprehensive literature reviews. Then the origins of the International Study of Teacher Leadership are outlined and the process of forming a large international research team, developing research questions, and creating a study design is explained. This is followed by an overview of the articles in the special issue that present the findings from the first two stages of the International Study of Teacher Leadership, plus a report about teacher leadership in southeastern Mexico. The editorial concludes with a caution about the potential inappropriate use of the concept of teacher leadership across different contexts.

This report describes how teacher leadership is represented in the official documentation of key educational stakeholders in Alberta, Canada. Six themes emerged from the researchers' document analysis: foundational understandings; student diversity; innovative curriculum and student engagement; community engagement; 21st century competencies; and reflection and professional learning. Analysis of the idealized themes resulted in the identification of issues that may challenge teacher leaders. It is unlikely that teacher leaders can demonstrate competence in every theme area. Teacher leaders must necessarily prioritize some professional commitments in order to work sustainably. Several considerations were derived from the inherent tensions. The considerations were used to derive a composite profile of teacher leaders with the capacity to serve, influence, and thrive.

This article profiles the evolving role of educational administrators and leaders in higher education. Four guiding assumptions for leaders are presented related to social impact, community engagement, labor market success, and institutional stability. Then, seven key administration and leadership responsibilities are described. They include planning, academic entrepreneurship, data-driven decision making, revenue generation, creating professional and academic pathways for learners, curriculum development, and business development and marketing. This is followed by a set of pragmatic considerations that higher education administrators and leaders may consider in their professional practices. The considerations provide a framework for interrogating leadership assumptions and responsibilities, a framework that can be applied to analyze additional responsibilities as they emerge in relation to the assumptions that accompany them. The considerations pose intended and unintended possibilities for leaders to use to inform decision making, maintain principled leadership practices, and to challenge unexamined beliefs and values

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.

This account summarises the findings from one component of a six-stage study conducted in multiple international sites. Following a series of interviews, a 10-month case study was conducted in a K-12 private school in western Canada. Initial interviews demonstrated how the school manifested shared leadership, clear pedagogical goals, student success, and strong community support. Members of the school agreed to have two university researchers conduct further interviews, observe school-wide, grade level and subject area meetings. Two school-based researchers collaborated to identify key members of the school community, flag salient planning and celebratory events, and participated in ongoing debriefing meetings with the university researchers. All four researchers engaged in data analysis and reporting. The research team identified four themes. First, the teacher work theme included positivity, shared expectations for professionalism, and rigour. Second, communication included unique internal and external communication strategies. Third, there was a learning culture that utilised unconventional information sources. A fourth theme was operational support. Results highlighted the holistic nature of teacher leadership and suggested that teacher leadership is a complex, sophisticated state of being. Results challenge school governance stereotypes and invite educators to work with a sense of vocation and mission. [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.)

This paper discusses some of the issues related to e-journals: cost, speed of publication, global access, the politics of academic publication, and reduced control of publication houses. E-journals are also examined relative to their impact on academic responsibility, the peer review process, censorship, credibility, and academic literacy skill development. Commonly-cited drawbacks of e-journals are critiqued, e.g., archiving, range of quality, institutional acceptance, cost of technology, and plagiarism. The paper proposes a framework for assessing both e-journals and traditional print journals. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

This article provides a rationale for developing an online graduate course in educational leadership. Then, it offers a set of seven assumptions for online teaching: the relevance of public teaching and learning, the need for a broad leadership base in schools, the merit of peer guidance by classmates, the need to validate personal knowledge, the value of international learning networks, the strength of online learning communities, and the efficacy of leadership for teaching and learning. Then, the development of the online course is explained and lessons learned are provided, for example, the importance of a design team that includes technical support personnel, the need for instructors to have computer skills and access to ongoing professional development. Other lessons include the following: a caution about directing too much class communication through the instructor, the advantages associated with attention to community building among class members, the value of layered participation in the class by representatives of educational stakeholder groups, new perspectives on teaching time, cross-cultural differences in online participation, prudent considerations of copyright, and the politics of online teaching. The article closes with a set of questions and possibilities for online educators and a proposed model for developers of online courses and programs. (Contains 3 figures.)

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.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the preappointment experiences of early-career headteachers in Tanzania and to discuss implications for postsecondary institutions and ministries of education in East Africa. Research Design: Seven novice headteachers in a suburb of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, completed questionnaires and participated in face-to-face interviews about their preappointment professional and academic experiences germane to their school leadership roles. Themes within the data from the seven case studies were analyzed and are presented. Findings: There are very limited opportunities for formal preparation programs for headteachers. Preparation experiences typically follow an ad hoc apprenticeship model in which aspiring headteachers learn from their current headteachers. Inadequate preparation is reflected in the limited roles of headteachers in schools. Opportunities for collaborative headteacher preparation are emerging across East African countries but are dependent on support from the private sector and political leaders. Recommendations for further research are presented.

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 paper describes the recent creation at a western Canadian university of a distance-delivery Doctor of Education in educational leadership and administration that was developed in response to ongoing requests from the field. A rationale for the design of the program is presented based on the need for national and global graduate study networks that are accessible, affordable, and sustainable, and consistent with the boundary-breaking leadership development model offered by Robertson and Webber (2002). Pedagogical and practical considerations--such as content articulation, staffing, supervision, financing, support infrastructures, and access--are highlighted in relation to the strengths, limitations, and politics of distance-delivery technology-mediated formats for senior graduate study.

Examines the Boundary Breaking Leadership Development model's applicability to a cross-cultural travel study program for Canada and New Zealand graduate students in two university educational-administration programs. Evidence found in students' journals, field notes, reflective commentaries, and survey data revealed substantial emotional learning experiences and training insights. (Contains 16 references.) (MLH)

Describes a teacher inservice program promoting instructional improvement, more effective schools, improved school climate, and application of current theory in the Nipawin School Division in Saskatchewan (Canada). Results with 49 teachers between 1986 and 1990 suggest positive effects of this 21-day Host Classroom theory, observation, practice, and feedback program. (SLD)