1. 2012/03/14
Role of Instructional
Leadership
Purpose of Session
 Explore the term Instructional
leadership and what it means
to our roles
 Examine research of what is
effective instructional leadership
 Link instructional leadership to
the current agenda regarding
improvement, improvement
improvement ……..
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2. 2012/03/14
What is it?
 Educational leadership
 Curriculum leadership
 Leader of learning
 Transformation leadership
 Transactional leadership
 It s what s behind the title that
matters!
Background
 Most popular theme in
leadership over the last two
decades
 Origins in Northern America
 Despite its popularity it is often
not clearly defined
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3. 2012/03/14
Instructional leadership
 Instruction = the process or act
of teaching: education
 Leadership = a person who
rules, guides, or inspires others
Collins Dictionary
Leadership Matters!
 A highly effective school leader
can have a dramatic influence
on the overall academic
achievement of students.
Michael Fullan 2005
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4. 2012/03/14
Leadership Matters even more!
 It is now more than 20 years
since leadership was identified
as one of the key components of
good schools by HMI, who
stated that, without exception,
the most important single factor
in the success of these schools
is the quality of the leadership of
the head.
Dept of Education & Science
Why the importance of this
type of leadership?
 Improved classroom
instruction is the prime factor
to produce student
achievement gains
Odden & Wallace
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5. 2012/03/14
Why the importance of this
type of leadership?
 Another great irony of public schooling is
that the office of curriculum and instruction
traditionally has so little influence on….
curriculum and instruction. Results Now M Schmoker
 Too much of the educational leadership
literature is long on harmony ,
consensus and sentiment, feel good
pressures that float high above the hard
fundamental necessities of school
leadership. Most especially, leaders need
practical ways to monitor and require-
effective instruction and high quality
curriculum. Results Now M Schmoker
Why the importance of this
type of leadership?
 When leadership is focused on
results, on urging a formal,
frequent review of the impact of
instruction, teaching improves.
Results Now M Schmoker
 For school improvement to
occur instructional leadership
needs to be in existence.
A Mission of the Heart, Public Agenda
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6. 2012/03/14
What are the elements of
Instructional Leadership
 Resource provider, instructional
resource, communicator and
visible presence (Smith and Andrews)
 Encourager, facilitator of the
study of teaching and learning,
facilitator of collaborative efforts
amongst teachers, establishing
coaching relationships with
teachers, using research to
make instructional decisions &
using adult learning principles
(Blasé & Blasé)
What are the elements of
Instructional Leadership contd
 Direct assistance to teachers in
their day to day activities,
development of collaborative
groups amongst staff, designing
effective staff development,
curriculum development, & use
of action research
Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon
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7. 2012/03/14
What are the elements of
Instructional Leadership contd
 Defining schools mission, managing
curriculum and instruction, &
promoting a positive school climate
Hallinger, Murphy et al
 Understands effective practices in
curriculum, instruction and
assessment and the ability to work
with teachers on the day to day
problems that relate to these topics.
Elmore
Process
 Define Instructional Leadership
 Share with partner
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8. 2012/03/14
Leadership Matters!
 It puts learning at the
centre of everything
leaders do. Students
learning comes first, then
everyone else s in
support of it.
Stoll, Fink and Earl 2003
Instructional Leadership
Practice :Viviane Robinson 2007
 Establishing goals and expectations
 Strategic resourcing
 Planning, coordinating and
evaluating teaching and the
curriculum
 Promoting and participating in
teacher learning and development
 Ensuring an orderly and supportive
environment
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9. 2012/03/14
Instructional Leadership
characteristics : David Hopkins
 Ability to articulate vision and
values about student learning
and achievement, and to make
connections to behaviour
 Understanding of pedagogy
 Understanding of development
and maintenance
 Strategic orientation and to plan
medium term
Instructional Leadership
characteristics contd: David Hopkins
 Understanding capacity and its role
in sustaining change
 A commitment to promoting enquiry:
the how rather than the what
 Commitment to professional
development and managing a
teachers life cycle
 Ability to engender trust and provide
positive reinforcement
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10. 2012/03/14
What does instructional
leadership look like?
 If you were to go into a school /
preschool where there is
effective instructional leadership
what would you see, feel, hear?
 Make a list of 8-10 concrete
bits of evidence?
 Would it look different in the
different sectors ie preschool,
primary, secondary?
 School improvement is
most surely and thoroughly
achieved when teachers
engage in frequent,
continuous and increasingly
concrete talk about teaching
practices... capable of
distinguishing one practice
and it's virtue from another.
Judith Warren
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