ETBI Journal of Education - Vol 2:2 November 2020 (Irish-medium Education)

ETBI Journal of Education November 2020
Leadership in Post-Primary Immersion
Education in unprecedented times
Dr T.J. Ó Ceallaigh - Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
ABSTRACT
School leadership practices have changed
considerably and maybe, irreversibly because
of COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, school
leadership has shifted on its axis and there seems
to be little chance that things will go back to
the way they used to be anytime soon, if ever.
Research has explicitly shown that the principles
of good leadership are a constant, i.e. having a
clear vision, developing others, managing people,
building capacity etc. (Leithwood et al., 2020). The
evidence also points towards the importance of
context responsive leadership implying a shift in
school leadership practices because of COVID-19
(Harris, 2020). Now more than ever, there is a
need for immersion-specific research-validated
tools which support leaders in navigating the
school self-evaluation process in their quest for
educational excellence in immersion. This paper
firstly discusses the importance of leadership in
immersion education. It then provides an overview
of an immersion-specific self-evaluation tool for
school leaders as a means of enhancing school
development through the extensive school selfevaluation
process in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht
immersion education.
INTRODUCTION
Research that points to the benefits of immersion
education is typically based on outcomes
STUDIES OF EFFECTIVE
IMMERSION EDUCATION SCHOOLS
CONSISTENTLY SHOW THAT HIGH
LEVEL PROGRAMMES HAVE A
SHARED, COHESIVE VISION, GUIDED
BY VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
associated with effective leadership and
management processes (Genesee et al., 2006;
Hunt, 2011; Thomas & Collier, 2017). Effective
leadership in immersion plays a core role in
school development by vigorously engaging in the
school self-evaluation process, raising standards,
identifying areas for continuous improvement,
sharing knowledge and advocating continuous
professional development (Rocque et al.,
2016). However, sustained improvement in the
educational outcomes for language immersion
students depends on the quality of leadership
at a number of levels in the immersion context.
Although there is much literature on educational
leadership in general that identifies characteristics
of a ‘successful’ school leader (Leithwood &
Day 2007; Waldron et al., 2011), meeting the
demands placed upon school leaders working in
the immersion context is far less researched or
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