Leadership for Exceptional Educational Outcomes

The subject of countless definitions, leadership has increasingly been seen as a group function that occurs only when two or more people interact. Leaders thus "intentionally seek to influence the behaviour of other people" rather than command them. "Strong" and decisive, effective leadership is intensely interpersonal, involving working with individuals and teams to transform teaching and learning. Leadership, therefore, is not the monopoly of a school's Principal; it may emerge at all levels and all parts of a school. This is most evident from the author's insightful analysis of 38 ÆSOP school reports. Leadership is displayed by Principals, Head Teachers, other executive members and, significantly, by teachers themselves. There are remarkable similarities in the components of leadership displayed by these personnel. From his synthesis of these attributes and actions the author constructs a valuable model of leadership in schools. The "essence" of leadership is, first and foremost, an intense focus on students and their learning. Associated with this are several "contributing categories": personal qualities and relationships; vision, expectations and a culture of success; school planning and organisation; teacher learning, responsibility and trust; external awareness and engagement; student support, common purpose and collaboration; and professional capacity and strategy. These findings call into question the unhelpful dichotomy of "welfare" and "academic" schools. In the AESOP school reports, student welfare is central and underpins academic achievement, with high expectations for staff and students alike. Leaders strongly support student welfare measures to "get students into learning".