Maria Assuno Flores

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"Views on Leadership and Learning
Implications for School Improvement in Urban
Contexts"

• Maria Assunção Flores
• University of Minho, Portugal
• aflores_at_iep.uminho.pt
• Paper presented at the 22nd International
  Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, January 4-7 2009

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• Broader research Project Leading Schools
  Successfully in Challenging Urban Contexts
  Strategies for improvement under the Socrates
  Comenius 2.1 Programme
• Nine European countries participated in this
  Project England, Portugal, The Netherlands,
  Sweden, Finland, Greece, Poland, Spain and Ireland

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• Goals to characterise best practice in
  school leadership to identify strategies used
  by school leaders in challenging urban
  circumstances to design training materials in
  the countries involved to be used both at a
  national and international level.

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• The context of the study Four case studies in
  each country in public schools (2 secondary, 2
  primary schools)
• All schools were located in urban challenging
  contexts.
• The majority of pupils were drawn from
  economically and socially deprived background
  with implications for schools in terms of
  attendance and behaviour problems.

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Four case studies carried out in Portugal

• Criteria for selecting the schools
  Improvement levels established through regional
  and national recognition Reputation of schools
  in media and crafted gossip Improvements in
  student attendance during the time the head has
  been in post Sustained improvement in pupils
  test results Improvement in student dropout
  rates Improvement in social behaviour
  Improvements in student engagement in projects
  and in competitions.

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Four case studies carried out in Portugal

• Data were collected in 2006 through
  semi-structured interviews to school principals,
  pupils, teachers and parents
• In the Portuguese schools all headteachers were
  over 45 years old, they had been in the teaching
  profession for more than 20 years, and their
  experience as headteachers ranged from 3 and 9
  years.
• This research projects aims to identify the ways
  in which successful leaders may make the
  difference in challenging circumstances
• The case studies present real life experiences
  which can be used to support activities for
  school leaders both for primary and secondary
  schools

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• The schools
• School A is a Portuguese lower secondary school
  (students aged between 10 to 15 years old) with
  1127 pupils and 126 teachers, in total. It is
  located in a commercial and residential area two
  types of housing upper middle class residences
  and Council housing/subsidized housing there are
  three institutions in the community where
  children at risk are placed, usually when taken
  out of their families upon court order.School B
  is a Portuguese upper secondary school with 2600
  students and 250 teaching staff. A portion of the
  student body resides in the city centre, while
  the rest comes from outlying areas, in boroughs
  away from the centre. A great part of parents has
  only completed the primary school level. School
  C is a Portuguese primary school with 217 pupils
  and 13 teachers. At the moment, the school offers
  a regular timetable, from 900 to 1730, with
  curricular and complementary activities. School
  D is a Portuguese primary school with 173 pupils
  and 11 teachers. Given that the school serves an
  area of Council Housing and is known to have many
  ethnic Roma (Gypsy) pupils in attendance, it
  suffered for many years from a negative image,
  being referred to as the gypsy school. The main
  facilities of the school are located in a
  residential building (near the Council Housing
  area).

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Strategies

• The attention given to the school image and
  reputation
•  
• The principal has transmitted a positive school
  image to society. Hes good at public relations
  with the administration, the press (Teacher)
• If we earn recognition from the people and
  reach satisfactory levels of employability for
  our graduates, given that this is what were
  working toward, I believe that people will look
  to our school or consider our school to be the
  reference institution at the secondary level.
  (Teacher)
• This school is successful in the image that it
  transmits to the public, which in the past was
  not one of the best. I would say that it was
  considered the citys worst school, and I think
  this myth has disappeared somewhat. It was called
  the gypsy school, and it was a problematic
  school, and I think this idea gradually
  diminished. (Principal)

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• The attention given to students broadening the
  curriculum offer collaborative work among staff
  extra-curricular activities a concern with the
  organization of a welcome reception for new
  pupils and teachers a strong focus on cultural
  events
• The priority is always the students
  (Principal)
• We try to teach and work in partnership with
  the pupils (Teacher)
• A lot of activities take place in this school,
  from theatre to dance, artistic gymnastics, the
  plastic arts, music, many interesting things
  happen. Theres a strong cultural side to this
  school. (Teacher)
• Varied educative offers, compensation
  programs... The challenge is the integration to
  which the school is committed. Id point out the
  number of extracurricular activities organized
  without them many pupils wouldnt arrive to know
  the range of possibilities they are
  offered.(Teacher)
• To make the school work its necessary to get
  most of the teachers involved in the school
  innovative projects.(Teacher)
• There really is a great capacity for teamwork
  here. Weve brought together, truly, a group of
  people with great talent, generosity, and
  commitment to the profession (Teacher)

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• Strategies concerning social and cultural
  diversity and students integration
• We value class-splitting and support given to
  those pupils with more learning difficulties, who
  cannot solve them by themselves.(Pupil )
• I value teachers effort to welcome and
  integrate foreign pupils, with the added problem
  of our language lack of knowledge. (Parent)
• We try to give confidence to pupils in their
  adaptation process.(Teacher )
• I believe that its important when there is, in
  fact, a varied group of young students, which
  guarantees that the school is showing that
  difference is good and that the school is
  striving to accept the notion of difference.
  (Principal)
• A strong point of the school is that there
  arent any prejudices, there is no division of
  social groups () in this school we are a
  community. (Pupil)
•  

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• Promoting a welcome and confidence school
  atmosphere
• A confidence atmosphere among the school
  professionals and also with families has been
  created. (Principal)
• There is harmony, a friendly atmosphere,
  solidarity and interaction.(Teacher)
• Children feel at ease. Their teacher encourages
  and stimulates them. (Parent)
• You work at ease in this school. Nobody knows
  more than anybody. Every one of us helps each
  other.(Teacher)
• Our school instigates and drives the notion of
  job satisfaction for staff (Principal)
• Human relationships are good. They are
  concerned about you if youve got a problem, and
  teachers are OK. Among pupils relationship is
  also good."(Pupil)
• People feel cared for and thus increasingly
  give their best. (Teacher)

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• Dealing with resources management (space,
  equipments)
• Were a team which, thanks to a good resource
  management, has reached an enviable economical
  situation. In our school totally free services
  and materials is a reality (Principal)
• Our desire is to improve the schools physical
  space in order to have a better environment for
  giving lessons and for developing projects with
  students (Principal)

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• Improving the relationships between school and
  families and community
• Among parents and teachers I try to act as a
  mediator and I also introduce the idea that since
  all of us must work together at school, we should
  avoid useless time. (Principal)
• Contact with families is crucial. The principal
  knows how to open the school to society and hes
  doing it very well. (Teacher)
• Relationship with the environment community is
  good, residents associations know what we do at
  school, and there is a good understanding.(Parent
  )
• Among the school success factors, one is the
  school relationship with authorities and
  community in general.(Teacher)
• There are a lot of different activities that
  take place, and I think the parents realize this.
  Theres the spirit to take on new projects.
  (Pupil)

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Qualities

• Transparency, opening, sharing, vision, listening
  to others/dialogue, confidence, dedication,
  commitment, passion, team work (school board as a
  collegial and collaborative team)
• Leadership is shared () Information is well
  channeled and nothing is hidden (Teacher)
• The principal has a future vision for the
  school to have a new school built, to take it
  out of the singular action school network.
  (Teacher)
• I love what I do (). (Principal)
• Shes an inspiration because she is the
  example, the paradigm of dedication, commitment
  and passion for the school, for education, and
  her level of seriousness, professionalism and
  commitment. (Teacher)
• I believe now that the executive team plays a
  determining role, because there can be one voice
  that sparks things off, that mobilizes and that
  gives hope to everyone. (Principal)
• She has an attitude of team spirit () She
  doesnt possess any corporate position in
  relation to the teachers. (Parent)
• She is excellent, well-informed and is always
  there for you (Pupil)

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• Flexibility but at the same time perseverance and
  firmness of the decisions made
• Im flexible in the first round of talks, and I
  may still be so in the evaluation phase, but when
  it comes to executing the projects, I have no
  problem in assuming full leadership.(Principal)

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• Friendly and supportive relationship with
  students and continuous concern about problems
  which touch students lives competence,
  friendliness, commitment to culture and dialogue
  with students
• We had open hours for making appointments to
  hear students out. () They were called in to
  participate in several initiatives (Principal)
• The principal understands our problems and
  helps us to solve them. He is good, a joker,
  amusing, he likes children, hes very nice.
  (Pupil)
• Children love the principal. He is very kind
  and familiar he worries about our problems and
  those of our children. (Parent)
• She brings us up to her level. She doesnt
  condescend. She assumes were at her level and we
  have political and artistic conversations and
  everythingWe talk about everything. (Pupil)
• With regard to the teachers, its about getting
  them motivated, getting them involved, getting
  them active in projects. (Principal)

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Summing up strategies of the successful school
leaders

• Strong involvement of teachers
• The importance attached to communication and
  information exchange within the school
• The need to enhance transparency in student
  assessment
• The promotion of the collaborative work among
  teachers
• Curricular and extra-curricular activities
• Renovation of various facilities of the school
• The increasing attention to social and cultural
  diversity and students learning needs investing
  in a more differentiated curriculum design and
  organizing in a more flexible way the students
  timetable (for example, reserving the morning
  timetable for the students experiencing more
  difficulties)

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Summing up qualities of the successful school
leaders

• The involvement and the increased level of
  participation of staff members
• The importance to guarantee that all decisions
  impacting the school were made democratically
• Self-evaluation
• The articulation of the curriculum
• The creation of a well-being and happy
  atmosphere at school
• Etc.

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Implications

• Findings come from real school experiences which
  can be used to support training activities for
  school leaders both for primary and secondary
  schools. Some of the topics may include
  leaders self-knowledge, social/cultural
  diversity/inclusion, and sustainability, creating
  conditions for learning in classrooms, staff
  relationships/communication, and challenges of
  engaging pupils in learning, and justice and
  equity. It also presents a useful account for
  understanding and supporting school leaders
  especially in the context of change in regard to
  school management and leadership which is
  currently underway (from collegial towards one
  person-centred leadership)

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Implications

• This situation is even more challenging in
  countries in which educational systems are
  traditionally centralised and bureaucratic.
• The issue of democratic management of schools
  emerged, in Portugal, in the 1970s, after the
  dictatorship. Since then schools have been
  governed by a collegial team elected amongst
  peers.

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Implications

• Over the 1980s and the 1990s Portugal has faced
  several reforms based on the principles of
  decentralization and school autonomy
• However, in practice these reforms led to a
  number of ambiguities These ambiguities and
  dilemmas are related to the tension between
  discourse and practice. The former is marked by
  flexibility, autonomy and outcomes and the latter
  is still very much influenced by centralised and
  bureaucratic structures and cultures. In other
  words, policies and reforms of de-centralisation
  and de-bureaucratisation (and their emphasis on
  assessment and outcomes) do co-exist with
  centralised practices prevailing in the
  structures and culture which value the formal
  procedures.

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Implications

• Whereas recent literature on leadership has been
  critical of hierarchical, centralized and
  bureaucratic perspectives, arguing for more
  distributed and collaborative leadership, in
  Portugal recent legislation points to one
  person-centred management model.
• Findings from the 4 case studies carried out in
  Portugal show that collegial, distributed and
  collaborative leadership is a key element of
  successful leadership in challenging contexts.
• A number of key issues emerged, such as vision,
  passion, knowledge management, teacher
  engagement, student motivation and achievement,
  ethical and moral purposes, distributed
  leadership, capacity building and proactivism.

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Implications

• Changes in the legal framework have been
  disseminated and supported by the ideas of
  strong leadership, good leadership and
  effective leadership taking into consideration
  a logic of accountability in an individual
  perspective rather than in a collective one.
• This scenario confronts the school leaders with
  even more complex challenges of developing
  distributed and collaborative leadership.
• Therefore, in these contexts successful school
  leadership is characterised, to a great extent,
  by the capacity of the headteachers to manage
  dilemmas in order to fight against the trends
  towards centralisation and hierarchy and to
  promote participatory and collaborative cultures
  at school.