2121stst Century Leadership Century Leadership

LDS & RTUNORTH-SOUTH SUMMER SCHOOL

20 & 21 AUGUST 2008FÁILTE

A NOBLE PROFESSION

“There are few professions other than teaching where gaining personal meaning through improving the lives of others for years and even generations to come is so palpable and so profound” (Fullan, 1999:82).

• “We are coming to believe that leaders are those people who ‘walk ahead’, people who are genuinely committed to deep change in themselves and in their organisations. They lead through developing new skills, capabilities and understandings. And they come from many places within the organisation” (Senge, 1996:45)

2121stst Century Leadership Century Leadership

LDSLDS

Moral Purpose

Leading the Learning Centred School

“Walk the Talk”

Sustainability: sharing leadership

Courage to Act

Situational Awareness

1. School leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning.

2. The ways in which leaders apply these basic leadership practices – not the practices themselves – demonstrate responsiveness to, rather than dictation by, the contexts in which they work.

Leithwood et al 2006

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

• Teaching Principals

• Special Schools (COTHÚ)

• DEIS Schools (CUMASÚ)

‘outstanding leadership is exquisitely sensitive to the

context in which it is exercised’

(Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 1999).

Little Zachary was doing very badly in maths.His parents had tried everything... Tutors,Mentors, flash cards, Special learning centres. In short, everything they could think of to help his maths.

Finally, in a last ditch effort, they tookZachary down and enrolled himIn the local Catholic school. After the first day, little Zachary came home with a veryserious look on his face. He didn't even kiss his mother Hello.Instead, he went straight to his room andstarted studying. Books and papers were spreadout all over the room and little Zachary was hard at work.His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner.

To her shock, the minute he was done, he marched backto his room without a word, and in no time, he was backhitting the books as hard as before. This went onfor some time, day after day, while the mothertried to understand what made all the difference.

Finally, little Zachary brought home his report Card. He quietly laid it on the table, went up to hisroom and hit the books. With great trepidation, his mother looked at it and to her absolute surprise, Little Zachary got an 'A' in maths. She could no Longer hold her curiosity.She went to his room and said, 'Son, what was it?Was it the nuns?' Little Zachary looked at her andShook his head, no. 'Well, then,' she replied,Was it the books, the discipline, the structure, theUniforms? 'WHAT WAS IT ?'

Little Zachary looked at her and said, 'Well, onThe first day of school when I saw that guy nailed toThe plus sign, I knew they weren't fooling around.'