ERIC Number: EJ1133270
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-May
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1741-1432
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Contextualizing, Orchestrating and Learning for Leading: The Praxis and Particularity of Educational Leadership Practices
Grootenboer, Peter; Hardy, Ian
Educational Management Administration & Leadership, v45 n3 p402-418 May 2017
The importance of leadership for improving educational outcomes in schools has been widely promoted. However, the nature of leadership practices, in context, has received less attention in the educational leadership literature. In this article, we present a case study of the specific leadership practices that developed in one school site serving the learning needs of students in a complex, diverse, low socio-economic community in south-east Queensland, Australia. Rather than focusing on the person/role of "the leader", or various leadership qualities/traits, we examine the nature and particularity of the leadership practices as praxis, across a variety of roles and dispositions, as developed within the school. To help make sense of the praxis and particularity of educational leadership practices, we draw upon recent neo-Aristotelian practice theory to reveal the specific actions ("doings"), dialogue ("sayings") and relationships ("relatings"), which constituted leadership-in-practice, as praxis. These "doing", "sayings" and "relatings" for praxis were evident in: formal leadership practices responsive to the context and history of the particular school site; formal and informal leadership practices involved in establishing a "leadership group" within the school to address students' needs; and informal leadership practices focused on cultivating teacher learning for student learning. Such an approach does not simply reinforce sedimented notions of what constitutes "educational leadership", but sheds new light upon the nature of "leading practices for praxis".
Descriptors: Instructional Leadership, Educational Practices, Educational Philosophy, Case Studies, Student Needs, Leadership Styles, Low Income, Educational Theories, Outcomes of Education, Foreign Countries, Teacher Education, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Administrator Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Principals, Elementary Secondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A