Improving School Leadership

Mr. Paddy Flood, LDS

The Profession Key Stakeholders Policy

 Professional

associations

 Professional

development

 Leadership

in inspection reports

 Salary

improvements

 Strong

management bodies

 Provide

inspiration to aspirants, clarifying their expectations about the profession

 Offer

guidance to those seeking to improve practice

 Articulate

the complexity of school leadership to the outside world

 Contribute

to policy development

 Affirming

professional status

 Articulate

the knowledge, skills and attributes required of practitioners

 Focus

for professional learning

 Enhance

professional self esteem

 Accountability

to self and the profession

Matters in terms of the quality of outcomes for pupils Requires a focus on learning centred activity – requires change Requires a clarity of purpose among all stakeholders Level of autonomy requires consideration

 Tasks  Job

v attitude

description v moral purpose

 Office

v site of learning

 Not

a job for one person

 Lack

of evidence on distributed leadership

 Roles

of all stakeholders

 Patterns

of distribution matter

 Work-life

balance is a key factor

 Dependence  Other

on support and direction

career pathways are attractive

 Is

dependent on impact on student achievement

 Recruitment

requires professionalisation

Succession Planning • Notice of Succession • Continuity v Discontinuity

Succession Management • Promoting leadership capacity among staff • National initiatives to promote future leaders

Issues to be addressed • Length of tenure and retaining capacity • Professional associations as support

 Needs

for focus on the continuum

 Has

significant contribution to make to professionalisation: Toraíocht

 Variety

and creativity in delivery methods

 Is

a crucial policy lever in the system



Clarity and Professionalism

 Linking

the four strands of the report

 Consideration

of leadership in the change process

 Leaders

as a system resource

 Leadership

as an attractive career option