E-Leadership – More Than ‘Just Good Leadership’
Kathryn Moyle
University of Canberra
Ian Webb
ACT Department of Education and Training
ABSTRACT
In 2005 the Learning and Development Section of the ACT Department of
Education and Training (ACTDET) developed and conducted an eleadership program for school principals. This paper outlines the nature of
that program and illustrates how it was informed by recent research. This
paper argues that the effective integration of information and
communications technologies (ICT) into teaching and learning in schools
requires all the attributes previously expected of a school principal but also
requires they have a working understanding of the curriculum and
organisational issues, and of the professional learning implications that
arise from deploying ICT into teaching and learning.
E-LEADERSHIP IN CONTEXT
There are now widespread expectations that school leaders in the 21st century are able to build the
capacity of their school communities where contemporary learning theories and practices include
information and communication technologies (ICT). These expectations are in part driven by beliefs
that technologies are an essential ingredient of a modern education. Many parents and communities
have indicated they want their children to have access to recent, robust educational technology
infrastructures for their learning (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education
2003). The provision of ‘anywhere anytime’ remote access to the school intranet and to learning
resources via the Internet is an emerging expectation of all schools (Curriculum Corporation 2005).
School level expectations are reflected in school policies and plans, which see teachers increasingly
required to integrate technologies into their pedagogy (Curriculum Corporation 2005). These changes
in expectations by school communities, represents new work for schools and school leaders.
There are overlapping and interwoven themes in national, state and territory ICT school education
policies; and Australia’s policies share similarities with comparable policies in the United States (US)
and United Kingdom (UK). Common themes in these respective policies include supporting
personalised teaching and learning; improving quality and raising standards including improving
students’ learning outcomes; and increasing students’ motivation to learn (cf Ministerial Council for
Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) 2005; The UK Department for
Education and Skills (DfES) 2005; US Federal Department of Education 2004).
The Australian Government and the respective governments of the states and territories have made
considerable investments into information technologies (IT) infrastructures, particularly at the state
and territory levels; into professional learning, including through the Australian Government Quality
Teacher Programme (AGQTP); and on initiatives such as The Le@rning Federation, which has
developed online curriculum content for the school sector.
At the school level however, there is a range of pressures and constraints that impact on the way in
which state and national policies are interpreted. Expectations can be frustrated by external policies,
and by financial and technical constraints (eg submission-based funding for ICT). Constraints within
local learning environments (eg timetable, buildings), and a lack of professional learning opportunities
for some teachers and school leaders can in turn, impact upon how technologies are integrated into
teaching and learning. Together, the hopes of the policies and the constraints and pressures of local
issues, butt up against each other in the work of schools and system leaders. It is in this context of high
expectations combined with hopes and constraints then, that the concept of ‘e-leadership’ is emerging
as a challenge for the school sector.
WHAT IS E–LEADERSHIP?
There is a rich body of literature about educational leadership (cf Leithwood & Hallinger 2002); but
there is considerably less that brings together teaching and learning with ICT and school leadership (cf
Yee 2000). Over the past couple of years however, the attributes of an effective ‘e-leader’ are
beginning to be proposed in the literature (cf Technology Standards for School Administrators (TSSA)
Collaborative 2001; Yee 2000). Indeed, research by Anderson & Dexter (2005) indicates that school
leadership plays a central role in achieving technology-related outcomes as the following statement
illustrates: ‘our results suggest that a school’s technology efforts are seriously threatened unless key
administrators become active technology leaders in a school’ (p 74).
Recent Australian research (Moyle 2005) suggests effective leaders who support teaching and learning
with ICT have a good, personal understanding of pedagogy with technologies (ie how students learn
and how ICT can be embedded into teaching and learning). These school leaders display the following
attributes concerning the relationships between pedagogies and technologies:
credibility and authority among their peers;
an absence of fear of boundaries;
a futures perspective;
a global perspective;
political nous;
a student-centred view of what makes for good learning and good classroom practices; and
a good understanding of the likely impacts across the school of the ICT decisions they make
(Moyle 2005).
In addition, this research suggests these leaders are capable of
driving innovation;
incorporating ICT into their own work;
conceptualising preferred futures and how to get there;
being personally productive with technology;
using ICT to solve problems;
engaging with others outside of teaching;
having a broad understanding of people’s lives outside school;
accepting that they don’t know everything but are willing to have a go anyway; and
enjoying a challenge (Moyle 2005).
While some of these attributes are those school leaders have always required, it can be seen that others
drive to the heart of operational, cultural and pedagogical issues directly related to the incorporation of
ICT into school life. A challenge for school leaders is to develop the ICT-related attributes and have
the confidence to demonstrate these attributes on an ongoing basis. To support school principals
become ‘e-leaders’, in 2005 the ACT DET established a professional learning program for school
principals. It must be noted that the ACT e-leadership program is only one of many leadership
professional learning programs available to principals and other school leaders in the ACT.
E-LEADERSHIP: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR SCHOOL LEADERS
The e-leadership program was designed specifically for government school principals in the ACT to
address their professional learning issues and opportunities concerning the integration of ICT into
teaching and learning. The ACT DET supported the authors of this paper to design and implement the
e-leadership program.
Prior to the commencement of the program, the program designers asked the principals to complete a
survey to enable the designers to develop the program at an appropriate level. The program was
conducted over a period of four weeks comprising four, half-day sessions commencing at 8.30am and
concluding at 12.30pm. The sessions were planned a week apart over a month to enable time for
reflection and further learning. A total of twenty-two principals participated in the program,
representing approximately 20% of all ACT government school principals.
The goals of the e-leadership program were to:
develop principals’ understandings of ICT and its potential for learning;
stimulate principals’ to develop clear strategic visions of ICT in their schools;
address principals’ personal development requirements;
develop principals’ capacities for strategic leadership of ICT;
empower principals in the evaluation of key strategic ICT issues affecting their schools;
enable reflection to enrich and improve student learning; and
build principals’ confidence in their informed professional judgement.
The design of the program aimed to achieve a balance between:
the length of the program so as to maintain it’s integrity, and the school demands of principals;
theory and practice; and
local, interstate and international expertise.
A summary of the program is outlined in Appendix A.
The development of the program drew upon the authors’ theoretical and practical understandings of
ICT leadership, and on current research. A brief summary of key points that influenced the
development of the ACT e-leadership program is outlined here.
THE NATURE OF LEADERSHIP AND E-LEADERSHIP
Leaders in the integration of ICT into teaching and learning tend to operate at any level within
schools, irrespective of their formal status. Undertaking the whole school changes required to integrate
ICT into teaching and learning however, requires the leadership of the school principal. Bringing
together ‘school leadership’ and ‘learning with ICT’ can be conceptualised into three broad
perspectives that exercise a reciprocal relationship upon each other:
the individual attributes and capacities educational leaders require in order to support teaching
and learning with ICT;
the organisational issues arising from the effective integration of ICT into the life of a school; and
systemic support in terms of leadership and policy.
Some views of school leadership emphasise a leader's management style (Hallinger & Snidvongs
2005); educational or instructional leadership (O’Neill, Fry & Hill 2003); and/or charisma and
personal strength (Conger & Kanungo 1998). Other leadership models focus upon interrelationships
among distributed individuals (Neuman & Simmons 2000); on a leader's ability to cope with change
(Fullan & Stiegelbauer 1991); or whether an organisation has a culture of continuous learning (Senge
1998).
‘Leadership’ has also been conceptualised according to the leadership role a person is performing. The
following descriptive labels are used and reflect their US origins: administrative leadership (Reeves
2004); instructional leadership (O’Neill et al 2003); and heroic leadership (Brown & Moffett 1999).
Another way to conceptualise ‘leadership’ has been to focus upon the processes of leadership, with the
following actions often reported as characteristics of leadership: setting directions; developing people
and developing organizations (Leithwood & Riehl 2003). Viewing leadership work as actions rather
than role statements means that leaders work with and through other people to achieve shared or
mutually-agreed outcomes. Within this paradigm, leaders establish the conditions through which
others can undertake their work with as much ease and efficiency as possible. Such a view of
leadership therefore makes it as much a function as it is a role (Leithwood & Riehl 2003).
The ACT DET e-leadership program provided time for both input and discussion concerning the
leadership issues concerning the integration of ICT into teaching and learning. Articles addressing
models of leadership were provided to the participants one week and opportunities for discussion were
framed around these articles, the following week.
ROLE OF E-LEADERSHIP IN BRINGING ABOUT CHANGE
Since the 1980’s school leadership literature has included a focus upon ‘transformational leadership’,
which promotes ways to motivate others by satisfying higher-order requirements and by more fully
engaging them in the processes of their work (Leithwood & Hallinger 2002). The concept of
transformational leadership is premised upon the leader role initiating and coping with change, and
creating something new out of the old (Bennett, Crawford & Cartwright 2001). Studies across
different areas of school reform mention the critical role that leaders play establishing and leading
viable agendas for improvement and change; mobilising resources, financial and otherwise; gaining
the confidence of teachers to take risks in their work; building trust among staff; and monitoring
results (Baker & Vogel 2004).
A recent Canadian review of research concerning how leadership influences student learning, has
asserted that ‘leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that
contribute to what students learn at school’ (Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson & Wahlstrom 2004).
Research sponsored by the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) in the UK shows that over
the past twenty years school-level leadership makes a difference in the school: to the classroom
environment; and in the outcomes of schooling. The research finds that ‘school leaders influence the
capacity of schools to change, and that they also have a positive and measurable, though small and
indirect effect on student achievement outcomes’ (Hallinger & Snidvongs 2005, p 6).
The ACT DET e-leadership program included a section addressing school change. Understanding that
whole school change is messy, and recognising that school leaders value having examples of
successful practices, the program included input from the Victorian primary principal, Mr Michael
Giulieri, who has successfully been leading changes to embed technologies into teaching and learning
across his own school. He outlined the whole school change management model (below) his school
uses to assist in making complex changes more simple to conceptualise and to guide their work.
Components of change
Vision

Professional
development

Professional
development

Ownership

Resources
&
organisation

Ownership


Ownership
Outcome

Action
plan

Review

Change
Resources
&
organisation

Action
plan

Review

Confusion

Resources
&
organisation

Action
plan

Review

Anxiety

Resources
&
organisation

Action
plan

Review

Gradual
change

Action
plan

Review

Frustration

Review

False
starts

Unknown
impact
Vision

Vision

Professional
development

Vision

Professional
development

Ownership

Vision

Professional
development

Ownership

Resources
&
organisation

Vision

Professional
development

Ownership

Resources
&
organisation

Action
plan

Giuleri developed this model from a similar model developed by Enterprise Management Ltd (Knoster
1991). The diagram illustrates the likely outcomes for a school if one of the components of change is
not included in the change process. For example, if all of the components are in place except a vision,
a likely scenario is going to be an outcome of confusion. If all the components are in place except
professional development, it could lead to anxiety.
The ACT DET e-leadership program provided time for the principals to focus upon some of the
challenges they are facing. These challenges included determining the ways and degrees of change
they wish to undertake; the extent to which they can engage with issues pertaining to ICT in teaching
and learning; and the ways in which they can foster ongoing professional learning and distributed
leadership.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE E-LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
At the conclusion of the e-leadership program principals were invited to complete an online evaluation
of the program. The participant feedback was very positive: so much so that two further programs are
being conducted 2006.
The program was recognised by the principals participating in it as an effective e-leadership
professional learning program for them. The following characteristics of the program were identified
as important contributors to the program’s effectiveness:
- the presenters included principals, respected academics and practitioners who gave the program
credibility;
there was a balance of input provided from a combination of local and outside experts;
there were plenty of opportunities structured into the program for networking and small group
discussion;
participants were kept actively engaged throughout the program by utilising a range of adult
learning styles and ensuring the content was practical and relevant;
the program was presented in a non-threatening way, but at the same time was challenging and
stimulating;
the program was structured to be time efficient (ie four mornings in a month) to optimise
attendance (and included providing lunch during the last session of the morning so that the
principals would return to their schools on full stomachs);
the program had the support of senior ACT DET system administrators who promoted and
supported the program;
the presenters modelled what they were saying in terms of integrating ICT into the program (for
example myclasses, the ACT DET online learning management system, was used to
communicate with and deliver resources to the principals throughout the four weeks of the
program); and
the program focussed on leadership in an ICT context and not on ICT skills development.
Future e-leadership programs would be improved if there was follow-up support provided on a one-toone basis once the principal returns to school. The next e-leadership programs will include one
program for school principals and one for the ICT leadership team from each participant school to
attend.
CONCLUSION
This paper has outlined the e-leadership program conducted in 2005 for government school principals
in the ACT. It has briefly illustrated how this program was informed by recent research from Australia
and overseas. It is apparent both from the research and as a result of conducting the e-leadership
program that for school leaders to support the integration of ICT into teaching and learning not only
requires the leadership and management attributes always expected of a school principal but now they
also require a working understanding of the curriculum and, organisational issues of the professional
learning implications that arise from deploying ICT into teaching and learning across schools.
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APPENDIX - E-LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Pre-Program Tasks
Prior to the commencement of the program participants undertook:
pre-reading to tune them in to the program and challenge their thinking
an online attitudes survey (using Zoomerang) to gauge where their thinking was in relation to a
range of relevant issues.
Session 1
Setting the Scene
This session comprised a number of sessions including small and whole group activies focussing on
the following:
presentation and discussion of the pre-program survey results
findings and discussion of current research in relation to school leadership and ICT
input and reflections of successful practice in whole school transformation, leadership and ICT
from an interstate primary school principal
reflection and discussion on the implications for participants’ practice in their own schools.
In between session readings
Session 2
Scoping the Territory
This session focussed on practice within the ACT system and included:
a presentation from a recently retired ACT principal about her thoughts and experiences of her
journey in leading a school through transformation to embed ICT into teaching and learning
a bus tour to a school to see and hear about how ICTs are being used
a reflection and discussion activity on the presentation and bus tour.
In between session readings
Session 3
Planning for Success
This session involved an analysis of ACT DET policies in relation to learning technology and school
review including:
an analysis and discussion of the ACT Learning Technologies Plan
(http://activated.det.act.gov.au/admin/ltplan/pdf/LTPlan.pdf ) with particular reference to
leadership
a panel of current ACT principals discussing strategies implemented in relation to learning
technology planning, professional learning for staff and promoting and supporting good practice.
In between session activity – viewing 2 video clips from the UK on one model for embedding ICT
into teaching and learning.
Session 4
So What
This session provided analysis and discussion of a range of strategies and case studies that participants
may want to adapt/adopt in their schools including:
discussion of the video clip from the UK –how ICT may be embedded in a secondary school
environment and the implications for ACT schools
the use of myclasses (the learning management system adopted for all ACT government schools)
for teaching and learning and for administrative purposes
a presentation and discussion of findings from local research in relation to teacher use of ICT
including barriers and enablers.
where to next? The threads of the previous sessions were drawn together to enable participants to
reflect on how they may put into practice what they had learnt.