Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

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THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT121the basis that either the evaluation team, or the respective programme teams,regarded them as being likely to demonstrate evidence of impact. Within eachschool, the researcher conducted individual or focus group interviews with arange of participants and stakeholders, and analysed relevant school documents.In addition, telephone interviews were held with NCSL facilitators.The main findings from the WTfS schools were:• Staff at all schools perceived a significant impact on the Senior LeadershipTeam (SLT), including greater clarity of individual SLT roles and enhancedteam work.• Most schools also developed teamworking beyond the SLT, including middleleaders, classroom teachers and governors.• WTfS techniques were used extensively within all five schools.• WTfS appears to have influenced the strategic planning process at some ofthe schools, notably in the use of WTfS techniques.• The sustainability of the WTfS impact depends heavily on SLT stability.Senior staff departures are likely to weaken its impact.The main findings from the DCSI schools were:• Most schools seem to have enhanced SLT effectiveness but there are mixedviews about the impact of DCSI. Some say that the programme acted as a catalystwhile others suggest that progress was independent of DCSI.• There was little evidence of any impact from DCSI techniques.• Development planning appears to be more consultative in most schools andthis was attributed to DCSI at two of them.• The overall impact of DCSI is beneficial but limited.The authors conclude that the five WTfS case study schools all show evidenceof a significant impact from the programme. The techniques have becomewidely embedded in school practice and are used with staff, pupils and governorsas well as within the leadership team. Changes in SLT practice are lesswidespread but WTfS has had an impact in some of the schools. The evidencefrom the DCSI schools was less compelling. While the participants enjoyed thesessions, none of them completed the intended programme and the lack of inschoolactivity means that it scarcely penetrated beyond the initial participants.This programme’s impact has been modest (Bush et al. 2005).Bush et al. (2007a) are conducting an evaluation of South Africa’s pilot ACE:School Leadership programme, funded by the Zenex Foundation. The researchwill provide a comprehensive evaluation of the national field test programmein order to inform the development of the course and to provide advice to theMinister of Education. The evaluation is longitudinal with four phases:
122LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION1. Preliminary work, including a desk study of approaches to leadership developmentin other countries, and documentary analysis of course materials.2. A baseline study of students to establish their motivation for taking part in theACE, their previous qualifications and experience, and their attitudes to theirleadership and management roles.3. A mid-term evaluation to establish the experience of students during the programme.4. An impact study to assess the nature and extent of effects from the ACE programme,including individual and school-level impact.The research is unusual in planning an impact study from the outset, and linkingit to earlier phases of the evaluation. The findings of the impact study willbe compared with the baseline data to assess changes in leadership practice,classroom practice, and school and student outcomes, and interpreted usingthe Leithwood and Levin (2004) model. The findings will lead to informedadvice to the Minister of Education about the viability and validity of the ACEprogramme as preparation for aspiring school principals.Quantitative researchLeithwood et al. (2006) report on the evidence of leadership effects emergingfrom quantitative studies. They cite Hallinger and Heck’s (1998) finding thatleadership accounts for up to 7 per cent of the difference in pupil learning andachievement in schools. This figure rises to an astonishing 27 per cent when thecombined impact of all sources of leadership is included, giving powerful supportto the notion of distributed leadership (Leithwood et al. 2006: 12). Thesefindings are not connected directly to leadership development but the clearimplication is that systematic and effective preparation for leaders has thepotential to impact in a significant way on school and learner outcomes.OverviewThe global interest in leadership development is predicated on the widespreadassumption that it will lead to school improvement, and enhanced learningoutcomes. The empirical evidence for this perspective is limited but the issue isincreasingly being given attention, notably by the British government and theEnglish NCSL. Assessing impact is difficult because of several conceptual andmethodological problems. First, as we have seen, the purposes of education,and of educational leadership, are wide and varied. The efficacy of leadershipactivities needs to be tested against all these criteria if a comprehensive assess-
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PrefaceThe significance of effectiv
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