EDUCATION

IN CONVERSATION
AnindepthlookintoLeadershipDevelopment
AcrossOntario
InformationsourcedfromMinistryofEducation|
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/leadership/InConversation.html

'InConversation',isaseriesof
thirteenacademicpapersbasedon
thedevelopmentofleadersin
schoolsacrossOntario.Thepapers
arebasedaroundOntario
Education'sthreemaingoals
"improvingstudentachievement,
closingachievementgaps,and
buildingpublicconfidence".The
paperexaminesdifferentissues

concerningleadershipincluding
centuryleadership,authentic
leadership,creatingpositiveschools
andmore.Theseriesmaingoalwas
tofosterinquiryinorderto,
"..examineprofessionalpractices,
embracenewideas,andsharetheir
insightswithstaff,colleaguesandthe
broaderleadershipcommunity".

CREATING EFFECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
EXAMINE
PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE

IMPROVE
STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT

EMBRACE NEW
IDEAS AND SHARE
INSIGHTS

BUILD
CONFIDENCE

CLOSING
ACHIEVEMENT
GAPS

MEMORABLE QUOTE
Leadership
Anykindofadaptivechallengerequiresthatpeople
adoptnewattitudesandlearnnewwaysofbehaving.
Andso,onethingweknowforcertainisthatthetime
andeffortneededisgoingtovaryfromorganization
toorganization.Inhumanrightswork,wealways
wanttowintheheartsandmindsofpeoplewhoare
engagingindiscriminatorybehavior.Wewantthem
tounderstandwhytheirbehaviorisbiased,howit
putsupbarriersforpeople,howitisdisrespectful,and
howitmakestheindividualbeingdiscriminated
againstfeel.(pg.12)

Didyouknow?
Covinghasdemonstratedan
averagereductionofpublic
streetlengthby25%

LEADERSHIP

IN CONVERSATION
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS: THE
FOUNDATION
OF A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE
ThefollowingarticlefocusesonDr.
TschannenMoranslookatleadershipand
trust.Trustshearguesisakeyfactorin
leadershipandwithoutitleadershipdoesnot
exist.Intermsofleadershipthearticle
describeslookingattrustandtask.Aleader
whoisunabletobalancebothwillnotbe
successful.Shewarnsleadersnottobecome
totaskorientedortheoppositenottobecome
torelationshipfocused.Dr.Tschannen
explainsthatleadersneeddemonstrate
empathyandintegrityinordertocreatethat
trust.

Reliablility Benevolence

Competency

Openness

Honesty

LEADING CHANGE
LeadinginChange,examinesMichaelFulinsbookontheSixsecretsof
Change.Thearticlestartsoffdescribingchangeandleadershipassomething
thatiscomplexandhardandrequiresacomplexunderstandingofthe
techniquesneededforchange.LeadershipMichaelsuggestsiscomplexand
constantlychanging,andheimploresthereadertochallengethesesteps.1)
LoveyourEmployees:inotherwords,showrespectbyshowingloveand
support.2)ConnectPeerswithPurpose:Togetfollowersinvolvedin
interactionaboutinstructionanddata.3)CapacityBuilding:Tobuildon
followersknowledgeandskills,ratherthenbenegativeaboutmistakes.4)
LearningistheWork:Developingprofessionallearningasadaytoday
activity.5)Transparencyrules:Revolvesaroundstudentdataandinstructional
practices.6)SystemsLearn:Focusoncontinuouslylearningandthelearning
continueseveniftheleaderleaves.

21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP:

LOOKING FORWARD

JOHN HATTIE'S EIGHT MIND FRAME

MINDFRAME1:Teachers/leadersbelievethattheirfundamentaltaskistoevaluatetheeffectoftheir
teachingonstudentslearningandachievement.
MINDFRAME2:Teachers/leadersbelievethatsuccessandfailureinstudentlearningareaboutwhat
they,asteachersorleaders,didordidnotdo...Wearechangeagents!
MINDFRAME3:Teachers/leaderswanttotalkmoreaboutthelearningthantheteaching.
MINDFRAME4:Teachers/leadersseeassessmentasfeedbackabouttheirimpact.
MINDFRAME5:Teachers/leadersengageindialoguenotmonologue.
MINDFRAME6:Teachers/leadersenjoythechallengeandneverretreattodoingtheirbest.
MINDFRAME7:Teachersbelievethatitistheirroletodeveloppositiverelationshipsinclassroom.
MINDFRAME8:Teachers/leadersinformallaboutthelanguageoflearning.

QUOTES AND GRAPHICS

TheoriesonLeadership
"Leadershipiscomplexandconstantlychanging.I
recommendtravellingwithagoodtheorybecausetheories
neverassumeabsolutecertainty."

Trust

"Ittakesrealleadershiptobringpeople
outofanatural,selfprotectivemodeandintoastance
thatsupportsworkinginatrulycollaborative,supportive
andacceptingenvironment.Therefore,Ithinkwewould
dowelltothinkaboutthebusinessoftrust,notonlyin
theclassroom,butalsoateverylevelofourschoolsystems."

Listen
"Hearguesthatweasteachersandleaderstendtohavea
conceptofourselvestiedtothebeliefthatwehaveknowledge
weneedandwanttoimpart.But,heargues,itisonlywhenwe
stoptalkingwhenweengagecloselyandlistenactivelythat
deeplearningcantakeplace."

Leadership
revolves
the relationships
we are able
to build with others

LEADERSHIP

IN CONVERSATION
QUOTES AND GRAPHICS

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:
A LEADERSHIP PRIORITY
ThefollowingconversationiswithDouglasWillsaProfessor/
DirectroftheCanadianResearchInstituteforSocialPolicyat
theUniversityofNewBrunswick.Thearticlefocusedonthe
leadersroletohelppromotestudentengagement.Struggling
studentsmakeup25percentofpopulationinOntario.Douglas
Wills,suggestedthatschoolsneedtomovebeyondacademic
thinkingonlyandlookatnoncognitiveskillsofimportant.
Goodselfesteem,selfimage,socialskillsareimportant
precursorstostudentsuccess.Aleaderhesaysneedstowork
ondevelopingrelationship,buildinghighexpectationsanda
positivedisciplinaryclimate.Leaderscansupportstudent
engagementbybuildinginclusion,pickingstrongteachers,
takingtimetoletothersvoicetheiropinions.

LEADING THE INSTRUCTIONAL

CORE
OutofalltheReadingsthiswasmyfavouritearticle,Ithoughtitreally
didagreatjobofcombiningtheoryandpractice.Theconversation
revolvedaroundRichardFElmore,aneducationalleaderatHarvard
University.Irecommendthatallteachersandadministrationshouldtake
thetimetoreadit.Thearticlestartsoffwithdiscussingtwomainelement
soofleadership,truthandlearningasforemostimportance.Mostofarticle
focusedontheconceptofaccountability.Themajorconceptswere
internalandexternalaccountabilityandcapacitybuilding.Capacitywas
definedasfindingouttheskillandknowledgethatwasavailable,internal
capacitywasthecoherenceandalignmentamongindividualsconceptsof
whattheyareresponsibleforandhow,andinternalaccountability
concernedhowschoolrespondtotheexternalenvironment.Richardtalks
abouttheimportanceofaccountabilityandthehistoryofresistancetoit.
Aswell,hefocusesalotoftimetalkingabouthowinstructionalpractice
needstobeimproved.Ireallycannotdothearticlejusticeinsuchashort
paragraph,toreiterateIrecommendreadingthisarticleifthistopic
interestsyou.Attheendofthearticlehesuggeststhreemainadvicesfor
principals:Firstblockyourcalendaranddevotetimetotheclassrooms,
secondfocusondevelopmentanetworkandlastly,neverputpeopleintoa
groupwithparticipatinginthatgroupsomehow.

STUDENT

TEACHER

CONTENT

LEADERSHIP

IN CONVERSATION
FOSTERING A POSITIVE SCHOOL
CLIMATE:
IMPLEMENTING A BIAS-FREE APPROACH
ThefollowingarticlelooksatFosteringaPositiveschool
climatebyimplementingbiasfreeapproachtodisciple.The
overallpremiseofthearticleisfocusingonadaptivechangein
schoolsandfindingwaystouseleadershiptoeliminate
discrimination.Inverypowerfulstatisticithasbeenshown
thatstudentsofcertainminoritiesdoworseonoveralltesting.
Somewaystheysuggestaleaderinaschoolcandealwiththis
istryingtocreateawholeschoolapproachandunderstanding
thecontextofmisbehaviour.Goodleadersinschools,areopen
toconversation,makediscriminationaclearpriority,give
opportunityforlearningandfocusonthequalityof
relationshipsbynotshamingbutacknowledgingandthen
takingaction.

UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE CHILD

AND YOUT:
A KEY TO LEARNING
Understandingthewholechild,focusedonleadershipindeveloping
aspectsofchildrensdevelopmentthatarenotusuallylookedat.Inthisarticle
theyexaminedissuesinchildrensuchas,mentalhealth,physical
development,aswellemotionalandsocial.Evidencehasshownthatsocial
andemotionallearningcanbeabetterpredictorofsuccessthenIQ.Interms
ofleadershiptheauthorsfoundthatleadershipiskey.Aleaderwhois
positive,open,effectivecommunicatorandisabletobringpeopletogether
hastheeffectiveabilitytomakechange.Aleaderissomeonewhoneedsto
haveaconsistentvisonandgenuinecommitmenttotheschool.Theyhaveto
havebuildrelationshipfoundedinrespectandgettoknowindividualsand
understandthethepulseoftheschool:Leadersinaschoolneedtoreach
respondtostudentsselfbygoingbeyondjustsayinggoodworkandinstead
encouragethewaytheydidthatwork.

LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRATIVE

THINKING
Thisarticlefocusesonintegrativethinkingaconceptusedinbusinesscreatedby
RogerMartin.Hisarticlefocusedonshiftingourthinkingaboutleadershipfrom,what
onecando,towhatonecanthink.Inthisarticle,hedescribesleadershipassomething
thatcanbetaught,rathertheninheritincertainpeople.Hestressesthesignificanceof
contextinsolvinganissueandmakingsuretoquestiondifferentviewpointsinorder
togainahigherunderstandingofaproblem.Integrativethingsexistincomplexityand
messiness.Itinvolvestakingtwoproblemsandtryingtointegratethemtocomeup
withanewsolution.Heexplainsattheendofthearticlethatintegratedleadership
involvesreinventingratherthenjustfollowpremadestructures.

QUOTES AND GRAPHICS

RoleoftheLeader
""Leaderswhomake{change/goals}clearprovideopportunity
forconversation,opportunitiesforfeedbackandprofessional
learning"

ALeaderListens
"Itsveryclearwhatchildrenandyouthwant.Theywanttobe
heard.Theywanttoknowthattheirvoiceisimportant.Theywant
toknowthattheyarerespected.Theywanttoknowtheyare
accepted.Theyalsowanttoknowthattheirinputisreactedinthe
schoolandifnottheywanttoknowwhythisisthecase.This
mightbeabigchangeformanyofusasleaders,buttheoverall
messageisclear:talklessandlistenmore."

ALeaderBuildsTrust
"Trustisanimportantpartofthisdiscussion.Coveymakesthe
pointthatwhenyouhavetrust,everythingmovesfaster.Without
trust,everythingmovesmuchmoreslowly.Andsoitseemstome
thatwereallyneedtohaveauthenticdialoguewitheveryoneinthe
organization."

Harris'sModelofDecision
Makingbasedonhis
theoryof
LeadershipandIntegrative
Thinking

LEADERSHIP

IN CONVERSATION
THE AUTHENTIC LEADER
SteveMunbylooksatwhatitmeanstobeTheAuthenticLeader.AtfirstSteveMunby
discussesarangeoftopicsrelatedtoauthenticity,includingdistributedaccountability,the
abilitytodistributeleadership,insteadofdelegatingtasks,delegateaccountability.Hewrites
thataleadertakesondifferentroles,supporting,monitoringprogressandmentoringand
leadingandgettingideasandadvicefromtheteam.Laterhedivesinwhathecanauthentic
leadership,peoplehesaysaremorelikelytofollowyouifyouaretruetoyourself.Imperfect
leadershipalwaysexistsbecausepeopleareimperfect.Tobeanauthenticleaderonemustgo
outoftherewastolookatthingsindifferentwaysandchallengeanddebatethoseonyour
team.Hearguesthatauthenticleadershipcanbelearnedthroughtheculturethatisshapedin
theworkplace.Onewaytodevelopleadersisbyexposingthemtoopportunitiestovisitother
placesandseeotherpractices.Inorderforauthenticleaderstoexistthereneedstobe
coachingandmonitoring.Towardstheendoftheconversationhebrieflydiscussesthe
importanceofreflectioninordertofullfilllearning.

VALUES DRIVEN LEADERSHIP

Anothergreatarticletoread,thisfocuses
onStevenMarshalltheDeputyMinister
ofOntariosfivevaluesofgood
leadership.Firsthedescribesoptimism,
thebeliefthataleadermuststrivetobe
optimisticaboutthefuture,ratherthen
givingintohabitualcynicism.Secondly,
hedescribesdiscipline,intermsof
havingcouragetokeepthevaluesyou
wantandnotreverttotraditionalcultural
paradigmswhenunderpressure.Third
hedescribessynergyastheabilityto
maximisethebenefitsofworking
collaborativelyinordertoobtainresults.
Fourthissynergy,behavingethically,in
otherwordstostricttopersonalvalues
andbuildtrustbasedoncompetence.
Lastwashediscussedthevalueof
personal/professionalaccountabilityin
thetargetsweset.Thearticledivesdeep
intotheeffectivetoolstobeingaleader.

CORE LEADERSHIP
CAPACITIES

SETTING
GOALS

ALIGNING
RESOURCES
WITH
PRIORITIES

ENGAGING IN
COURAGEOUS
CONVERSATIONS

USING DATA

PROMPTING
COLLABORTIVE
LEARNING

OTHER ARTICLES NOT

INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW:

21st Century Leadership: Looking

&
Evolving perspectives: leaders and leadership

&
Strong Roots, Bright Futures: The promise of
education and early human development.

Thewholefocusoftheentireseriesofconversationsisfocused
aroundleadership,althoughsometimesitsapparenttheidea
conversationsthemselvesspeakstothegreaterideathatleadershipis
somethingthatoccursinconversationorcommunicationwithothers.
Leadershipitappearsismuchmorecomplexthenitappearsand
involvesmanydifferentfascists.Forexample,aleaderofchangeleads
changethroughcapacitybuilding,connectingpeerswithpurposeetc.
Adaptivechangeisthiscaseisonefascistofaleader.Anotherfascist
ofleadershipisthequalitiesoftherelationshiptheleadercreateswith
theirpeers.Thethemeofrelationshipcameupconsistently,something
seemstobeparamount,howdoeseffectiveleadershipexistwithouta
strongrelationship.Beingabletolistentofeedbackandrespond
appropriatetotheneedsofthefollowers.Thisleadstothethirdfascist
ofleadershipwhichisthequalitiesthataleaderpossessincluding,
honesty,trust,reliability,openness,honesty,competencyand
accountability.Last,anotherfascistiswhatIseeasthesystemic
leadershipofbeingresponsibilityfortheendgoalsandensuring,goals
aremet.
Theconceptofleadershipasacomplexseriesofjobsis
importantI\becausenthecoursewelearnabouttypesofleadership
anddifferenttheoriesonhowtobeaneffectiveleader.Tome,however
agoodleaderdoesnotaimtofallunderonespecificcategoryof
leadership.Insteadtheyusetheirownpersonalstrengths,combined
withprofessionallearning,feedbackfrompeersandthatknowledgeof
bestleadershippracticestobethebestleaderstheycanbe.Thisidea
isreiteratedbyMichaelFullenwhenhesaystheoriesneverassume
absolutecertainty.InotherwordsIthinkleadershipiscontextualand
atheoryonleadershipneedstobeflexibletothecontextinwhichthe
leaderhastolead.
Overall,onecanseefromreadingthisarticlesthatleadershipisa
complexbutaslongastheleaderisdedicatedtolearning,beingopen
andreceptivetoothersandauthenticandtruetothemselvestheywill
haveahugeimpactonthepeopletheyareleading.

Critical Evaluation
THE LOW-DOWN

Thearticleswereverywelldoneand
informativeonleadership,Iwishasa
teacherIwouldhaveanopportunityto
theseinTeachersCollege.Overall,
thearticlesdidagoodjobofdefining
leadershipandlookingatthespecific
qualitiesofaleader.IthinkifIcould
recommendtheauthorstodo
somethingdifferentwiththeseries,is
toincludetheroleofthefolloweranda
leadershouldexpectfromsomeone
whoiswillingtoacceptthechanges.
Thearticlestalksaboutaccountability
ofaleader,butinmyopiniondoesnot
diveenoughintotheimportanceof
accountabilitytothefollowersand
teachingthefollowerstobe
accountablefortheiractions.Aswell,I
believetheyunderminetheinfluence
androleofateacherinleading
change.Ithinkaseriesofteacher
leadershipandhowateacherscan
helpshapeinfluencetheschool
environmentwasnotdiscussed
enough.Overall,theseseriesof
articleswereveryinformativeand
recommendanyonewillingtoread
them.

Ongoing
Questions!
Whatisleadershipfoundedin?
Howdoesonecreatea
postiveschoolenvironment?
Whyisleadershipdescribeas
emotionaldraining?

Howdoesonebeauthentic?
Whatarethekeyprinciplesof
leadership?

Whatistheimportanceof
professionalgrowth?