D
Leading teaching and learning
D1
1 Equity, fairness, vulnerable students and closing the gap
Question
What can leaders do to create a fair school which all pupils have the potential to benefit from?
Why is this important?
Key quotes for the section
“My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.
(Attributed to Maya Angelou)”
Section discussion (also available at crownhouse.co.uk/featured/Leadership_Dialogues_D)
1 Share the values
What are you doing, and why? Ensure ethos is not simply a catchy phrase that is trotted out for prospective parents, but is like the writing in a stick of rock – running through everything you do. How explicit is your commitment to securing fairness and equity? Do you discriminate in favour of the most vulnerable children? To what extent is the quality of teaching and learning consistent across the whole school? How confident are you that your school’s values are embedded in the daily life of every member of the school community? (See section A2 if you feel your ethos still needs work!)
2 Develop trust
In their research into elementary schools in Chicago, Bryk and Schneider (2002) found a high correlation between the levels of trust in a school and its capacity to improve. Schools with a high level of trust had a one in two chance of improving in maths and literacy, while schools with low levels of trust had only a one in seven chance. How could you develop trust within your school? Do you have a handle on the levels of trust at each level of your organisation? Use D1(i) to investigate.
3 Develop quality professional learning
Brandell Robinson (2011) identified the factors that affect the quality of professional learning (see D1(ii)). It is a stark lesson for leaders. By a considerable margin, the biggest influence a leader can have is to promote the learning and to join in the learning themselves. So, the next time you excuse yourself from some training to do something more important – don’t! (See also D1(iii) and section F4.)
4 Learning centred leadership
Southworth (2004) defined three elements of learning centred leadership.
- Modelling: Do as you say you expect others to do.
- Monitoring: Analysing what everyone does and what needs to be done.
- Dialogue: Creating opportunities for professional dialogues at all levels.
The goal is to find the overlap between these three elements – what we refer to as coaching and mentoring. Use D1(iv) to analyse your own behaviours, and consider what you can do to be a more effective coach or mentor.
5 Move from find and fix to predict and prevent
Predict and prevent is essentially the same as prevention is better than cure. It involves moving the culture of a team or department from reaction to anticipation and intervention – crucially, the willingness to intervene. There are numerous instances of this approach in everyday life. For example, the best way to avoid a heart attack is to stop smoking, not to invest in more cardiac surgeons. And the most effective way to maintain your car’s efficiency is to have it regularly serviced.
Do you service your school? Use resource D1(v) to find out.
Key questions
Is everyone in your school treated with equal respect?
How consistent is the ethos in the school (ask pupils, staff, governors and parents)?
Is there a climate of trust in your school?
Is your training continuing professional development (CPD) or joint practice development (JPD)?
How do you classify your leadership?
Are you predicting or reacting?
Resources (also available at crownhouse.c...
