The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Jenny Wajsenberg

Campus Principal, Wesley College, Victoria, Australia

But Will the Horse Drink? Inherent Leadership Dilemmas in Empowering Teachers

Abstract

There has been a widespread shift in the role of principals and other senior positions in education from a primarily transactional managerial position to a transformational one. This model loosely derives from the thinking of Peter Senge and a global trend in business management towards a view that the success of a business depends not so much on its management but on its 'leadership'. There is a new emphasis on 'ethical leadership' and of increasing ownership by employees of their workplace in an effort to create what was once automatically recognised as 'loyalty'.

This business model of management is increasingly applied to the management of schools where the principal seeks to empower and engage teachers in the decision-making process of the school. There is an imperative for schools to change their mode of operation because of a complex package of shifts in society: the impact of technology on learning, communication, and work patterns and styles, the increasing fragmentation of families and communities - and the expectation that schools will 'pick up the tab'. The unique nature of schools make the task of leading change in teachers' modus operandi an interesting challenge. The paper explores some of the dilemmas in trying to empower people who consider themselves 'expert' in teaching and learning before the journey has begun.

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

Presentation Equipment and Other Requests
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Country
Australia