eJournal

BC Educational Leadership research. Issue 7.
October 30, 2006

DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP

From the editor’s desk: Guest Editor Dr. John C. Moss

This October issue of the BC Educational Leadership Research ejournal examines various notions of distributed leadership. There is a growing recognition in the literature and in schools and school districts that leadership is not limited to the positional roles assigned to principals, vice-principals and superintendents. Teacher leadership, whether that be as a moral leader, a curriculum leader, an organizational leader, or other forms of leadership is increasingly seen as being very significant in schools and education in general. Indeed, some school districts are recognizing the importance of all individuals (staff, students, parents, community) within and around the organization being able to take on leadership roles. In this issue we have contributions to the discussion from some of the leading writers in the field and from local educators who speak to their own experiences in developing distributed leadership programs. Space and time did not allow for a wider range of articles in this issue but there are some references to books and articles included which may be of interest to those who wish to do further reading in the area of distributed leadership.

ARTICLE SNAPSHOTS

James P. Spillane is the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Chair in Learning and Organizational Change at Northwestern University, professor of human development and social policy, professor of learning sciences, and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. He was formerly a primary school teacher in Ireland. Spillane’s research focuses on local implementation of government education policy and on school leadership. His recently published book “Distributed Leadership” (2006, Josse-Bass) is a must read for those seeking to understand the shifting educational leadership landscape. In his article reproduced here, James Spillane writes that “a distributed perspective on leadership argues that school leadership practice is distributed in the interactions of school leaders, followers, and their situation.
j-spillane@northwestern.edu [download article]

Alma Harris was appointed to a Chair in Leadership at the University of Warwick in 2000 and has been Director of the Institute of Education since 2003. Alma first trained as a secondary school teacher and taught in a number of challenging schools in South Wales. She has published a number of articles including:  Distributed Leadership in The Essentials of School Leadership (2005 Paul Chapman); Leading or Misleading: Distributed Leadership and School Improvement, in Journal of Curriculum Studies, (2005); and Teacher Leadership and Distributed Leadership: Sharing Common Ground? in Journal of the Australian Council for Education Leaders (2005). In her article Alma uses the term “distributing leadership” and argues that this implies the breaking down of organizational barriers and the crossing of organizational boundaries. Furthermore, it is suggested that this form of leadership is a critical to the formation and sustainability of learning communities both within and across schools. Alma.Harris@warwick.ac.uk [download article]

Charlie Naylor is a researcher with the BCTF. He is currently on leave while conducting PhD studies at UBC, with a focus on collaborative teacher inquiry as professional development. In his article Charlie argues that the evidence from the literature, and the divisive and fractious BC educational environment, BC education desperately needs more collaborative approaches and more distributed leadership to better meet the needs of all learners in BC’s public schools. cnaylor@bctf.ca [download article]

Jillian Lewis is presently an elementary school principal in the Burnaby School District. She completed her M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of British Columbia in 2004. Her current areas of interest and professional growth are staff development, creating professional learning communities, action research and social responsibility. Jillian’s article relates her first hand experience as a participant in Burnaby School District’s two year “Building Your Leadership Capacity” program. She praises the efforts of her district in encouraging shared and distributed leadership. Jillian.Lewis@sd41.bc.ca
[download article]

P. Taylor Webb is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies and Co-director of the School Leadership Centre at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. His research focuses on post structural analyses of educational policy. He is interested in understanding macro-policy influences and micro-realities of implementation, framing interactions as contests of power, leadership, and resistance. His current research examines education accountability in relation to the subtle ways knowledge is generated and performed according to different economic, racial, and gendered conditions. Dr. Webb is a current member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the American Educational Studies Association (AESA). He was the recipient of the Worthington Scholar Award at the University of Washington for his project entitled Teacher Leadership: Implications for an Evolving Profession. Taylor’s article describes a comparative framework for identifying, analyzing, and practicing acts of leadership which reveals teachers as pivotal leaders in school reform efforts. Taylor.webb@ubc.ca [download article]

Lynn Green is currently Administrator for Learning & Development, providing leadership and management of a Learning Inquiry throughout the system, and coordinating the Vancouver School Board’s Leadership Development Program. In her recent role as Secondary School Principal, she  facilitated effective school improvement processes that fostered shared leadership and encouraged the development of a collaborative learning community. In various roles within the education system she has supported and promoted the development of a caring, inclusive, orderly and safe learning environment for all students. She has extensive experience in staff and professional development in the District and schools. Her educational background, includes a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology from the University of British Columbia.
lgreen@vsb.bc.ca [download article]

Peter Gronn is a member of the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia. He has researched, taught and published extensively on aspects of school, educational and organizational leadership, administration and management generally, and leadership and management in a variety of educational settings (especially schools), school reform and restructuring; history of schooling and education, organizational theory, organizational behaviour, and biographical and naturalistic research methods. peter.gronn@education.monash.edu.au [download article]

FURTHER READING:

Books

Davies, B. (2005). The Essentials of School Leadership. London: Paul Chapman and Corwin press.

Gronn, P. (2003). The New Work of Educational Leadership. London: Paul Chapman.

Spillane, J. P. (2006). Distributed Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Articles

Harris, A. (2005). Distributed Leadership. Essentials of School Leadership. 160-172.

Gronn, P. (2002). Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis. Leadership Quarterly, 13, 423-451.

Gronn, P. Leadership: Who Needs It? School Leadership and Management, 23 (3), 267-290.

Gronn, P., & Hamilton, A. (2004). A Bit More Life in the Leadership: Co-Principalship as Distributed Leadership Practice. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 3 (1), 3-35.

FEEDBACK

Let us know what you think about the articles, the ejournal and any other topics for future issues that would serve the interests of the university and the field by emailing to slc.edu@ubc.ca

Dr. John C. Moss
Director, The School Leadership Centre

Articles

James P. Spillane
Distributed Leadership: What’s All the Hoopla?
[download article]

Alma Harris
Distributing Leadership in Schools: Challenge or Possibility?
[download article]

Charlie Naylor
New educational leadership for changing times: Will it catch on in BC?
[download article]

Jillian Lewis
Building Your Leadership Capacity: A First-hand Experience in Leadership Development
[download article]

P. Taylor Webb
Politics, School Improvement, and Social Justice: A Triadic Model of Teacher Leadership
[download article]

Lynn Green
Fostering Distributed Leadership in the Vancouver School District: A Leadership Development Program for All Employees
[download article]

Peter Gronn
The Significance of Distributed Leadership
[download article]