OISE/UT
Masters of Education Course
# 1048
Educational Leadership Development
Winter 2002
Dr. Lyn Sharratt
§ Superintendent, Curriculum and Instructional Services
York Region District School Board
§ Associate, OISE/UT
1. Introduction
Different types of change call for different types of leadership. Most often, leadership is the key to productively managing turbulence created by change; however, learning and change cannot be imposed on people. All leaders face the challenge of overcoming resistance to change.
Leaders must constantly ask, “What does the organization currently do to prevent learning?” To find the answer, they must identify the limiting factor(s), such as an implicit goal, norm, or a constraining resource, which involves prioritizing and making choices (Senge, 1990, p. 103).
Leaders of learning organizations foster a climate of risk-taking and inquiry as well as support relationships that encourage a community of learners. Building the learning organization is the new work of leaders of the future according to some. Handy (1990, in Louis, 1994, p.13) argues that leaders in future organizations, including schools, will have to exhibit stronger conceptual skills than in the past. They will have to internalize the fact that they have neither sufficient information to lead by themselves, nor the types of people (those who choose to work in learning organizations) who will function well under authoritative superiors.
This course explores the history of change and leadership theories in providing participants with the necessary background to examine current educational leadership approaches and draw on experience to substantiate implications.
2. Outcomes
Successful course participants will demonstrate:
· knowledge of effective educational change processes and reflection on their implications for organizational leadership;
· perception and insight into the new educational realities and the implications for school leadership;
· collaboration as an unending process of continuous learning towards improvement;
· reliance on intuition and values as problem-coping/solving strategies for yet-to-be encountered dilemmas;
· skills in analyzing and changing cultural assumptions in order to promote the development of a learning organization; and,
· commitment to the full use of Technology in empowering capacity-building and information-retrieving as leaders of the future.
3. Course Content
Course participants will be evaluated on the basis of their contribution to weekly seminar activity, two projects and one individual project.
Contribution To Weekly Seminar Activity
One or more readings have been specifically identified for each class seminar. Participants will be expected to have a thorough grasp of the overall theme of each reading and the contribution it makes to the theme of the seminar for which they are assigned.
Ten percent of the course grade will be based on these two types of contributions to weekly seminar activity. The basis for the evaluation will include:
• evidence that references have been read and understood;
• contribution to the understanding, by other seminar participants, of the readings (this is difficult to do unless you are in attendance).
3.1 Course Text Material
In order to fully understand that “leadership is the whole cloth” (Leithwood, 1999) this course is comprised of four sections of study: change, organizational learning, leadership approaches and school improvement. Throughout the course, discussion will focus not only on the results of research papers, read for each course session, but also on methodology relevant to studies in the four areas.
· Text: Changing Leadership for Changing Times, Open University Press: 1999
§ Orbit Magazine * School Leadership in Transition, OISE/UT: Volume 30 – No. 1 – 1999
* Is Greater Accountability for Schools a Good Thing for Kids?, OISE/UT, volume 32, No. 1 - 2001
· Readings:
a) in course outline (Foundational Literature on Leadership) or from Orbit magazines
b) course handouts
3.2 Sessions
Change
Session 1, January 7, 2002: Course Overview; Format of each session; Expectations; The Reflective Leader
Session 2, January 14, 2002: An Historical Overview of Leadership; Textbook: Chapter 1 – “The Concept of Leadership and the Menu of Possibilities”; change theories
Session 3, January 21, 2002: Leadership Approaches: 9 Dimensions; Textbook: Chapter 2 - “Contexts for Leadership”; The influence of culture
Leadership
Session 4, January 28, 2002: Textbook: Chapter 3 and 4: “Transformational Practices: Direction Setting” (Literature Review Assignment due: send as an attachment to Dr. Sharratt)
Session 5, February 4, 2002: Textbook: Chapter 5 & 6 - Transformational Practices: Developing People and Transformational Practices: Redesigning the Organization”
Session 6, February 11, 2002: Textbook: Chapter 7 - “The Problem-Solving Processes of Transformational Leaders”; Leadership and the Influence of Culture with the Principal of COSS
Organizational Learning
Session 7, February 18, 2002: Papers returned; Recap of session with COSS Principal; Mid-Course Reflections; in-class time to complete Assignment #2
Session 8, February 25, 2002: Textbook: Chapter 11 “Leadership for Organizational
Learning”. What Conditions Foster Organizational Learning in Schools? (Group Assignment due: presentation of Leadership Rubric in class)
School Improvement
Session 9, March 4, 2002: Technology Leadership; - Textbook: Chapter 8 – “Fostering Teacher Leadership”; Orbit Magazine on Leadership, 1999.
Session 10, March 18, 2002: Teacher-Leadership: Value-added! “How One Failing School Improved Student Achievement”: Orbit Magazine on Accountability, Fall 2001. (Concept Map Assignment Due)
Reflections
Session 11, March 25, 2002: Recap: Final Assignment: Sharing our Concept Maps!!
Session 12, April 1, 2002: Looking Back!
3.3 Format of Most Sessions
· On-line learning: pairs
· Readings: small group to share weekly reading
· Lecture
· Presentation (if applicable)
· Community of Learners
· Reflector
A Note on Seminar Presentations
People in leadership roles must be able to make effective presentations of their ideas. This is a “basic skill” for such people; therefore, the quality of the presentations that groups make in class is more than incidental to the substance of the presentations.
4. Evaluation
4.1 Literature Review - 20%
This is an assignment to be completed in pairs and posted to our “on-line” web site. Participants are asked to choose two scholarly articles focusing on a Leadership approach and critique them. Participants are asked to summarize their ideas, thoughts and insights, including links to informative leadership websites and send it to the Course Director. A two-page, single-sided copy (maximum) will be submitted as an attachment by Session 4. This project will account for 20% of the course grade.
4.2 Leadership Rubric - 30%
This is a group assignment to be presented in an interactive class session, during Session 8. It consists of:
· researching one leadership approach;
· presenting a rubric and explaining it; and
· guiding a dialogue session;
using an informative format. A handout of the rubric will be submitted as well as shared with course participants. This project will account for 30% of the course grade.
4.3 Concept Map - 40%
This individual project is an opportunity for each course participant and to reflect on and create an innovative and productive approach to Transformational Leadership in schools for the 21st century. It should incorporate course content and reflect original thought, as well as define new perspectives gleaned from outside readings referenced in the course outline and during the course sessions in order to clarify your approach. Presented during Session 10. This project will account for 40% of the course grade.
4.4 Participation - 10%
Active, enthusiastic participation is the key to being a collaborative leader! Text readings and journal articles will be identified for each class seminar. Participants are expected to attend and have a thorough grasp of the overall theme of the readings and the contribution they make to the themes of the seminars. Therefore, two types of contributions are expected:
· evidence that references have been read and understood; and
· contribution to the understanding, by other participants, to the readings.
Note:
· Criteria for grades are found in the OISE/UT Academic Calendar.
· 10%of the marks will be deducted for each late assignment except in cases of documented emergency.
· Students are expected to review the University’s policies on determination of grades, incomplete grades and the University’s policy on academic dishonesty.
· All written work will adhere to APA style: American Psychological Association (1994). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.
5. General Information
1. There will be 12 sessions on Monday evenings, 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
2. A Technology Lab is available for participants’ use.
3. The professor will be available on course evenings from 4:30 – 5:00 p.m., and by phone in the case of emergencies: (bus.) 416-969-8131, (home) 416-203-3375.
4. In case of inclement weather, the instructor will phone one person in each table group, who will phone others in that group.
Foundational Literature on Leadership
Argyris, C. (1993). Knowledge for action: a guide to overcoming barriers to organizational change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Barth, R. (1990). Improving schools from within. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bass, B. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Macmillian.
Begley, P. and Leithwood, K. (1990). The influences of values on school administrator practice. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, Vol. 4 (2).
Bennis, W. and Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: the strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper and Row.
Cousins, J.B. and Earl, L.M. (1992). The case for participatory evaluation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 14 (4), 397-418.
David, J. (1994, May). School-based decision making. Phi Delta Kappan.
Duckworth, E. (1987). The having of wonderful ideas and other essays on teaching and learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fiol, M. and Lyles, M.A. (1985). Organizational learning. Modern Management Review, Vol. 10, 803-813.
Forum (September, 1995). Invitational education. Journal of the International Alliance for Invitational Education, Vol. 16 (2), 5-11.
Fullan, M. and Stiegelbauer, S. (1991). The new meaning of educational change. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M. (1993). Change forces. London: The Falmer Press.
Fullan, M. (1995a). Broadening the concept of teacher leadership. The National Staff Development Council, New Directions.
Fullan, M. (1995b). The school as a learning organization: distant dreams. Theory Into Practice, Vol. 34 (4).
Fullan, M. and Hargreaves, A. (1992). What's worth fighting for? Working together for your school. Toronto: Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation.
Getty Centre for Education in the Arts. (1995). Student achievement through the arts. Educational Leadership, Vol. 53 (2), Special Report.
Greenfield, T. (1985). The moral socialization of school administrators: informal role learning outcomes. Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 21 (4).
Darling-Hammond, L. and McLaughlin, M.W. (1995). Policies that support professional development in an era of reform. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 76 (8), 592-604.
Hannay, L.M. (1995). Curriculum change in secondary schools. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association: San Francisco, California.
Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M., What’s worth fighting for out there? OPSTF: 1998
Hargreaves, A. and Macmillan, R. (1992). “Balkinization of teaching” in Little, J.W. and Sisken L.S. (eds.) Subjects in question. New York: Teachers' College Press.
Hargreaves, A. (1994). "Beyond collaboration: critical teacher development in the postmodern age" in Smyth, J. (ed.) Critical teacher development. London: Cassell; Buffalo: Suny Press.
Hargreaves, A. et al. (1996). Schooling for change: educating young adolescents for tomorrow's world. Toronto: Falmer Press.
Hedberg, B. (1981). How organizations learn and unlearn. In P.C. Nystrom, & W. H. Starbuck (eds.). Handbook of organizational design, vol. 1: adapting organizations to their environments. New York: Oxford University Press.
Howell, J. and Avolio, B. (1989). Locus of control, leadership and unit culture: key predictors of unit performance. University of Western Ontario: The School of Business Administrations, Research and Publications.
Lambert, L. (1998), Building leadership capacity in schools. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Liberman, A. (1988). Building a professional culture in schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Leithwood, K. (1996). Team learning process. New York: Paper delivered at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Leithwood, K. (1995). Effective school district leadership: Transforming politics into education. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D. and Steinback, R. (1999). Changing leadership for changing times. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Leithwood, K., Jantzi, D. and Mascall, B. (1999). Large-scale reform: what works? Toronto: submitted as part of the first annual report: External Evaluation of the UK National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategy . OISE/UT
Leithwood, K. and Aitken, R. (1995). Making schools smarter. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Inc.
Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restructuring. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 498-518.
Leithwood, K. and Aitken, R. (1994). The Aristotelian organization succumbs to fuzzy logic: basic assumptions about school districts. Vancouver: Prepared for British Columbia Ministry of Education.
Leithwood, K., et al. (1993). Building commitment for change and fostering organizational learning. Final report to the British Columbia Ministry of Education.
Leithwood, K. and Duke, D. (1993). Defining effective leadership for Connecticuts’' future schools. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, Vol. 6.
Levitt, B. and March, J.G. (1988). Organizational learning. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 14, 319-340.
London, M. (1992). Human resources development leadership and the creation of a learning organization. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 56, Winter 1992.
Louis, K. (1994a). Beyond managed change: rethinking how schools improve. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2-24.
Louis, K. (1994b). Improving urban and disadvantaged schools. The International Journal of Knowledge Transfer and Utilization. Winter 1994-95, Vol. 7 (4).
Louis, K. and Kruse, S. (1994). Organizational learning in schools: a framework for analysis. New Orleans: Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Louis, K. and Raywid, M. (1994). A tale of two schools: knowledge, skill, collaboration and organizational learning. New Orleans: Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Louis, K. and Miles, M. (1991). Managing reform: lessons from urban high schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Vol. 2, No. 2, 75-96.
Mehlinger, H. (1996). School reform in the information age. Phi Delta Kappan, February 1996, Vol. 77 (6), 400-407.
Miles, M. (1993). 40 years of change in schools: some personal reflections. Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 29 (2).
Morgan, G. (1996). Finding your 15%. Focus on Educational Change, Vol. 1.
Orbit Magazine. Shaw, P. and Beattie, M. (guest eds.). (1994). The changing role of the teacher. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Vol. 25 (4).
Prestine, N. (1994). Sorting it out: a tentative analysis of essential school change efforts in Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.