WHAT THE KIDS THINK:
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP
FROM THE STUDENTS’
PERSPECTIVE
Glen Stelzer, Principal, Auburn Public School
NSW Department of Education and Training
Leadership Fellowship – 2003
WHAT THE KIDS THINK: EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
FROM THE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE
Glen Stelzer, Principal, Auburn Public School
ABSTRACT
This paper reports on the effective leadership characteristics of school leaders which have been
espoused by primary school students, parents and teachers. The study was undertaken as a
result of the awarding of Leadership Fellowship by the NSW Department of Education and
Training. Seventy two students were interviewed from eight schools representing a range of
socio-economic and city/rural communities. Seventy three students, fifty three parents and forty
seven teachers completed a written survey. Participants were asked to respond to a number of
questions. Some asked for specific responses about good leadership, particularly leadership
characteristics and qualities. These responses were matched with the domains of the NSW
Department of Education and Training’s (DET) Leadership Capabilities Framework. This matching
process highlighted the differences of importance between each target group placed on the
domains of the Capabilities Framework. This paper investigates these differences and explores
possible explanations for them.
INTRODUCTION
This study was inspired by the work of Perry and Docket, University of Western Sydney,
Macarthur, who have extensively researched the issues related to the transition of children from
prior-to-school settings to school. A major aspect of their studies has been to listen to the “voices”
of children to gauge their perceptions and experiences as they have undertaken the important
journey to “big school”. This study seeks to replicate the method used in the Perry and Docket
research where students are given a voice in an aspect of school life which directly affects them.
The original emphasis of the study was to ask only students to reflect upon their views about
effective leadership. Upon reflection, it seemed that as the surveys and discussions were to take
place in schools with parent and staff support, and as they are also key stakeholders, their
inclusion in the study would add interesting perspective to the students’ views. Thus, the original
student surveys were adjusted to provide the opportunity for parents and teachers to have their
say.
To provide further diversity and depth to the target groups, it was envisaged that the study would
be undertaken in a selection of schools in the Australian Capitol Territory, but unfortunately, due
to time constraints this did not eventuate. The study attempted to seek the views of school
communities representing a range of socio-economic and multicultural backgrounds. Of the eight
schools which participated in the study, three were located in rural areas and two were supported
by PSFP (Priority Schools Funding Program - low socio-economic) funding. Five of the schools
supported significant multicultural communities.
The study did not seek to focus upon any particular groups of leaders, of which there are many
(e.g. school council, principal, teaching executives, student leaders – SRC, captains, prefects and
the parent bodies such as Parents and Citizens Associations), which function within a school.
The study sought the views of people in terms of the generic leadership characteristics which they
believe all effective leaders need to demonstrate.
A review of the literature involving student views about school leadership shows that much
research has occurred in the United States, particularly amongst high school students. There
appears to be very little literature which reports on the views of primary school students. One such
study by Roach, et alia. (1999) looked at the ways that young people perceived and activated
leadership. The participants of this study were young Americans aged between 8 and 28 years
from youth organisations (not schools). The adult participants regarded knowledge and maturity
as important traits, while the young people looked to the ability to assess situations quickly and to
step forward or backward in taking direction for the group’s benefit.
Why is leadership important to an organisation? The leadership of any organisation is critical for
its success. Onsman (2003) states that “…leadership is considered to be a vital precondition for
an organisation’s success…”. A range of definitions of leadership exist. “Leadership is a process
of creating a vision for others and having the power to translate the vision into reality and sustain
it”, say Hellriegel, et alia, (1989). Riddle (1990) suggests that, “Leadership is the ability to
influence others towards the achievement of goals that contribute to a worthwhile purpose”.
When pressed to distill leadership traits into manageable criteria, researchers have presented
short lists which generally encompass the indicators found primarily in the Personal, Interpersonal
and Strategic domains of the DET Leadership Capabilities Framework. Robbins, et alia (1998)
believe that the traits of intelligence, high energy, honesty, integrity, self confidence, ambition,
task-relevant knowledge, a desire to lead and an ability to highly self monitor (ability to adjust
behaviour to different situations) are key leadership qualities. Onsman (2003), simply states that
leaders do these things: set directions, make it easy for others to follow and encourage others to
contribute.
The review of literature has revealed a tension between the notions of leadership and
management which may have implications for the emphasis taken in the Department of Education
and Training’s Leadership Capabilities Framework. Riddle (1990), says that great managers
believe in themselves, are well organised, respect others, know their business and are great
leaders. The work of Henri Fayol, the early 1900’s French researcher, as presented by Robbins,
et alia, (1998), suggests that management is to do with planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. These actions have been further refined to become planning,
organising, leading and controlling. Thus, the skill of leadership is an integral part of being a good
manager, which in the context of school leadership, is an accurate description. A school leader
without strong organisational and planning skills would be ineffective, as a school leader is not
only responsible for creating a shared vision, but ensuring that it is achieved through effective
management. Covey, in Onsman (2003), is clear about the two notions. For him, management is
about coping with complexity (i.e. planning, organising, realising the vision) and leadership is
about improvement or change and helping people cope with change (i.e. interpersonal skills,
influence, motivation). Bennis and Nanus in Owens (1995) have famously stated that “managers
are people who do things right and leaders are people who do right things”. This, once again,
reinforces the notion that in the daily professional lives of school leaders the skills of management
and leadership are inextricably entwined.
Much of the research relating to the study of the characteristics required for effective school
leadership has focused upon the expectations of adults, particularly the professional teaching
employees of the schools. There appears to be little study of the views of the other key members
of schools, such as students, parents and non-teaching school-based employees. This report
creates an opportunity for two of these important “customer” groups to begin to have a say.
METHOD
Data were collected for this study using two approaches – a questionnaire for students, parents
and teachers and a series of focus group interviews for students.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was developed for two purposes. Firstly, it sought to provide schools with data
which reflected the participants’ views about the school, in general, such as the things they like
and things they would like to improve. Responses to these questions tended to be of a physical
improvement nature ranging from cleaner toilets to better playgrounds. Secondly, specific
questions about the meaning of the word “leader” and the qualities for successful leadership were
asked. This data was used to develop this report. It was designed so that both sets of data could
be used as part of the school’s self evaluation process to be reported in the 2004 Annual School
Report.
In 2004, the questionnaire was distributed to eight NSW public primary schools, of which three
were in rural areas. A cross-section of areas based upon the variables of geography, socioeconomic status and cultural diversity were selected. After obtaining the necessary permissions,
school principals were asked to distribute the confidential questionnaires to interested students,
parents and teachers. Principals tended to provide questionnaires to members of the student
leadership team (Captains, Vice Captains, Prefects and SRC) and their parents. Generally, these
students were working at Stage Three (Years 5 and 6), while two schools included student
leaders from Stage Two (Years 3 and 4). Teachers were randomly selected and represented a
broad cross-section of experience.
A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed to schools, with 160 to students and 80 each to both
parents and teachers. The analysis for this paper is based on a return of 73 (45%) student
questionnaires, 53 (66%) parent questionnaires and 47 (59%) teacher questionnaires and
specifically considers the responses to the question “When you think about school leaders what
are the qualities which they must have to be successful?”
Focus Group Interviews
Data were collected from 70 students aged between eight and twelve years of age. The students
were interviewed in small focus groups ranging in size from six to twelve students. Each interview
followed a standard format, using open-ended questions and some prompts, if required. The
students were asked to define leadership and describe what they considered to be the important
qualities which make a good leader. The students were also asked what they liked and disliked
about their school and to describe the opportunities they were given to demonstrate leadership.
Most of the interview time focused upon the characteristics of good leadership.
Coding of Reponses
The coding, for both the survey questions and the focus group interviews, is a significant
component of the method used in this study. All responses were recorded on spreadsheets using
the language of the participants. Many of these responses were individual words or phrases and,
although expressed in a variety of ways, could be categorised into broad headings. For example,
many respondents stated a wide range of responses to leadership characteristics in the area of
personal and ethical behaviour. Respondents used many terms such as, fair, honest, friendly,
trustworthy and well mannered. These were then loosely categorised to enable a closer alignment
with the Leadership Capabilities Framework. From this loose categorisation, responses were
collated and matched directly with the framework for closer analysis.
NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES FRAMEWORK
DOMAIN
ELEMENTS
DESCRIPTION/EXAMPLE
PERSONAL
- Professional values and ethics
- Personal strengths and commitment
to ongoing personal and professional
development
- Decision making and judgement
- friendly, good role model, fair, honest
- calm under pressure, confident,
sense of humour
INTERPERSONAL
- Effective communication
- Productive relationships
- Inspiring others
- well spoken, good listener
- involves people, supports people
- motivates, inspires and influences
EDUCATIONAL
- Pedagogical knowledge
- expert in all aspects of teaching and
learning
- outstanding teacher
- creates a safe and stimulating learning
environment
- facilitates sharing of best professional
practice
- articulates a shared view for the school’s
future
- develops processes to achieve vision
- provides opportunities for development
students’ and teachers’
leadership skills
- promotes school achievements
- Pedagogical application
- Building an environment that
maximises student learning
- Building learning communities
STRATEGIC
- Building school vision and culture
- Strategic planning
- Building leadership
- Advocacy
ORGANISATIONAL
- Operating effectively within a
regulatory and organisational
framework
- Personnel
- Management of resources to
achieve goals
- Managing systems and processes
- makes right decisions, take responsibility
- implements system policies
- facilitates staff professional development
- ensures that resources support school’s
priorities
- implements systems to ensure vision is
achieved
RESULTS
Students – Focus group interviews
70 students were interviewed in small focus group discussions. They were asked to express their
views about the most important leadership qualities. Over 350 codable responses were obtained.
These responses were categorised into 69 responses in terms of the Leadership Capabilities
statements. Responses are as follows:
Personal
- Professional values and ethics
- Personal strengths
- Decision making and judgement
28 (41%) responses
3 (4%) responses
11 (16%) responses
Interpersonal
- Effective communication
- Productive relationships
- Inspiring others
4 (5%) responses
15 (23%) responses
8 (11%) responses
Responses were not received in any other domains of the framework.
Students – Questionnaire
73 students responded to the written questionnaire. Over 400 codable responses were obtained.
These were categorised into 107 responses in terms of the Leadership Capabilities statements.
Responses are as follows:
Personal
- Professional values and ethics
- Personal strengths
- Decision making and judgement
35 (33%) responses
12 (11%) responses
2 (2%) responses
Interpersonal
- Effective communication
- Productive relationships
- Inspiring others
21 (20%) responses
19 (18%) responses
11 (10%) responses
Strategic
- Building school vision and culture
2 (2%) responses
Organisational
- Management of resources to achieve goals
5 (4%) responses
Parents – Questionnaire
53 parents responded to the written questionnaire. Over 300 codable responses were obtained.
These were categorised into 124 responses in terms of the Leadership Capabilities framework.
Responses are as follows:
Personal
- Professional values and ethics
- Personal strengths
- Decision making and judgement
Interpersonal
- Effective communication
- Productive relationships
- Inspiring others
49 (40%) responses
9 (7%) responses
15 (12%) responses
20 (17%) responses
14 (11%) responses
7 (5%) responses
Educational
- Pedagogical knowledge
2 (2%) responses
Strategic
- Building school vision and culture
5 (4%) responses
Organisational
- Management of resources to achieve goals
3 (2%) responses
Teachers – Questionnaire
47 teachers responded to the written questionnaire. Over 400 codable responses were obtained.
These were categorised into 188 responses in terms of the Leadership Capabilities framework.
Responses are as follows:
Personal
- Professional values and ethics
- Personal strengths
- Decision making and judgement
50 (28%) responses
18 (9%) responses
10 (5%) responses
Interpersonal
- Effective communication
- Productive relationships
- Inspiring others
19 (10%) responses
45 (25%) responses
15 (7%) responses
Educational
- Pedagogical knowledge
- Pedagogical application
6 (4%) responses
3 (2%) responses
Strategic
- Building school vision and culture
- Advocacy
14 (7%) responses
2 (1%) responses
Organisational
- Management of resources to achieve goals
3 (2%) responses
PARTICIPANT QUOTABLE QUOTES ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Students
“ A school leader is a very good spot – just make sure you don’t bully.”
“It is fun being a leader.”
“School leadership is a large responsibility and you have to think over the decisions that you are
willing to make.”
“Honesty plays a big part.”
“I think some leaders are too bossy.”
“Be nice to the children and smile.”
“A leader should never leave out a kid.”
“Take care of a broken leg until the teacher or help arrives.”
“Everyone can be a leader if they want.”
Parents
“Everyone needs to work well together for the school to run smoothly.”
“A very rewarding role to be taken seriously and remain human.”
“Make positive decisions for the good of all.”
“Leaders should inspire and motivate others to strive to do their best, whilst not being dictators.”
“A leader is someone with purpose and direction who brings change in a positive and productive
way.”
Teachers
“Leaders need to be in touch and have empathy.”
“Leaders should always show great understanding of individuals and the way they work.”
“School leadership is not the same as business leadership.”
“Sometimes leaders have been out of the classroom too long and can lose touch.”
“Leaders are respected activists.”
“Perfect school: everyone feels that they have equal ownership.”
“Leaders are never too young to learn.”
“Good leadership creates good schools.”
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The results given above are generally in congruence with the general view of the characteristics
required by a person to be an effective leader, although the strategic nature of leadership such as
building school vision and culture has only been highlighted by teachers. There were
overwhelming responses in the Personal and Interpersonal domains. For focus group students,
80% of responses fell into the Personal domain, which is an extremely strong response compared
to the other aspects of the study and can be explained by the less prescriptive and qualitative
nature of informal discussion groups. The students who responded to the questionnaire gave 46%
of responses to the Personal domain although only 2% were in the decision making sub-element.
They gave 48% of responses to the Interpersonal domain with greater emphasis upon productive
relationships (18%) and effective communication (20%).
The parents who responded to the questionnaire gave 59% of responses to the Personal domain,
but rated personal strengths such as remaining calm and having a sense of humour at only 7%.
33% of parents gave responses to the Interpersonal domain with an emphasis on productive
relationships and effective communication.
42% of teachers gave responses in the Personal domain with 28% of responses highlighting
professional ethics and values. They also replicated the responses of the other participant groups
by emphasising communication and relationships, but stressed the importance of productive
relationships (25%) more highly than the other participant groups.
In general, what these groups of key stakeholders confirm is that there is a perceived difference
between the notions of leadership and management and this reinforces the research literature.
Without exception, each group overwhelmingly rated the Personal and Interpersonal domains as
the most important characteristics for effective leaders. Within these domains, there were some
differences in the emphasis placed by the participant groups. For example, students and parents
rated professional values and ethics very highly and well above all others, while teachers placed
equal emphasis on this sub-element and the sub-element of productive relationships. This could
be explained by the importance of the close collaborative and working relationship between
teachers and school leaders. The reality for schools is that it is the teachers who are the primary
“realisers” of the vision. They are the ones responsible for the implementation of school plans and
policies. Teachers also ranked a wider range of domains, particularly in the strategic and
organisational domains. They recognise the importance of strategic planning to achieve outcomes
and the vision as they have experienced greater amounts of professional development in the
areas of programming and planning through their daily involvement in such things as the design of
teaching and learning plans and the development of school management plans. They are more
attuned to the many different aspects of school organisation.
Students were very clear about what constituted positive Personal characteristics: good
behaviour, fairness, kindness, friendliness, good role model, help people, sense of humour,
reliable, trustworthy, confident and takes responsibility. Parents had similar ideas as students.
Leaders need to be: good role models, approachable, fair, friendly, someone to respect, honest,
take responsibility and remain calm under pressure. Teachers held similar views but included a
wider range of traits: good values and morals, genuine, show empathy, trustworthy, take
responsibility and perseverance. Parents and teachers rated making difficult or hard decisions
very highly. This was not an important trait for students. The most common traits for all groups in
order of frequency of response were: good role model, kind, friendly, approachable and taking
responsibility.
In the Interpersonal domain, communication skills and an ability to relate to people rated very
highly across the participant groups. Students and teachers rated an ability to support people
more highly than parents, which may reflect the day-to-day work that students and teachers
undertake with each other. Teacher responses were extremely high in the productive relationships
element. They emphasised the importance of leaders to: include people in decisions, support
people and understand people’s needs. As mentioned earlier, this represents the critical collegial
relationship that teachers have with the school leadership in realising the school’s vision. All
groups placed equally high importance upon the ability of a leader to motivate and inspire others.
Little emphasis was given to the Educational domain with few responses received from the
parents and teacher participants. This domain represents the technical and professional
knowledge which is required to ensure that students achieve relevant learning outcomes. This is
the pedagogy or business of the school. This reinforces the literature about leadership which
focuses more upon the ability to lead or influence people’s behaviour as stated by Owens (1995),
than the actual discipline explicit knowledge of the organisation. A current example of this
difference can be seen in the appointment in 2004 of the current Director General of NSW DET,
who does not hold any formal experience or qualifications in the business of education, but
possesses very strong leadership capabilities, particularly in the management of change.
The remaining domains, Organisational and Strategic, received scant response, except by
teachers in the element of building a school vision and culture. This can be explained in two ways.
The first could be that people are not as acutely aware of the processes which occur in a school
to achieve its vision. Only those people directly involved in the planning processes of schools,
such as management or reference groups, experience the work which is required for the
production of resources and action plans. For the vast majority of school community members
who do not actively participate in the decision making groups the processes for action can remain
a mystery. Lack of participation generally translates to a lack of understanding of the management
processes.
The second reason for little response to these domains is that survey respondents clearly
understand the differences between the notions of leadership and management, and when asked
to discuss leadership traits, they have kept to the parameters which they believe are appropriate.
If they had been asked to discuss management, a different set of characteristics might have been
presented. This reaction reflects the academic view of what makes an effective leader.
A particular comment needs to be made about the responses made by schools according to their
socio-economic and multicultural status. There was not any discernible difference in the
responses by all participants from all schools. Their message was common and clear. Every
person surveyed or interviewed placed great importance upon the quality of leadership for a
school to be highly effective.
CONCLUSION
Each of the participant groups of students, parents and teachers mentioned a range of desirable
characteristics which effective leaders must demonstrate. In most instances, the same
characteristics were raised by the three groups. Of prime concern for all groups were the Personal
and Interpersonal characteristics required for effective leadership. All groups were clear in their
view that an effective leader is a person who demonstrates strong professional values and ethics,
such as honesty, reliability, fairness, friendliness and good behaviour. They stated that personal
strengths were important, particularly in remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating a
sense of humour. The ability to make difficult decisions was perceived as an important
characteristic which recognises the notion that people realise that some decisions may not be
comfortable for everyone, but must be made for the greater good.
The skill of effective communication was, not surprisingly, highly ranked by participants. Equal
emphasis was placed upon being a good listener and a confident speaker. Effective
communication is necessary in any organisation, but it is a primary characteristic for school
leaders as their daily work is based upon ensuring that teaching and learning is achieved through
the various modes of communication with a wide range of people.
Of prime concern for all participants, particularly teachers, is the creation and maintenance of
productive relationships. This characteristic is at the core of any successful organisation, but it is
most critical for an effective school. Schools are complex organisations with a wide variety of
stakeholders representing different positions in the school’s organisation. Although policies are
set by the NSW DET bureaucracy, there can be a range of interpretations which reflect the
special needs of each school community. It requires considerable consultation and collaboration
to assess these needs and respond in meaningful ways that fit within the bureaucratic
parameters. Schools are people-focused organisations. Of all the different types of organisations,
they are the most community focused as they not only exist as physical places amongst the
homes of their families; they support, in varying ways, the vast majority of people who live in the
community. The quality of the relationships created at and through schools significantly
contributes to the overall school effectiveness.
A leader’s ability to inspire or motivate was rated highly by participants, particularly students and
teachers. This characteristic is a key ingredient for leadership as it fits within the ability to
influence others which researchers highlight as being important. Only teachers gave credence to
the characteristic of building school vision and culture. This result demonstrates that teachers use
the metalanguage of this characteristic as part of their daily professional lives, and are therefore
familiar and comfortable with discussing the concept. It could also point to a lack of engagement
by the school leadership with its community in an open discussion which specifically describes
what is meant by vision and culture.
This study further reinforces the views about leadership and management which are held by the
key partners in schools. The survey responses clearly indicate that leadership is about how
people behave at a personal level, interact with others and are influenced to behave in certain
ways. Few participants made responses which could be coded in the management domains of the
framework, although the day-to-day work of a school leader is dominated by management tasks.
This general response deserves closer scrutiny in terms of the relevance of the thrust of the
Leadership Capabilities framework. While the domains of the framework very comprehensively
cover the work of a school leader, the addition of the term “Management” to the title of the
framework would help to give greater credence and relevance to the framework.
REFERENCES
“Managing for the Future” by Peter Drucker. Published by Heinemann, Oxford, 1996.
“Leadership in Australia” by J. Evans. Published by Cultural Imprint, Melbourne, 2000.
“Organisational Behaviour” by Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman. Published by West
Publishing Company, St. Paul, Maine, 1989.
“The Uncertain Art of Management” by H. Onsman. Published by the Australian Institute of
Management, McGraw Hill, Sydney, 2003.
“Organisational Behaviour in Education” by Robert Owens. Published by Allyn and Bacon,
Needham Heights, Minnesota, 1995.
“Business Management” by John Riddle. Published by Adams Media, Avon, Montana, 1990.
“Leadership giftedness: models revisited” by A. Roach, L. Wyman and H. Brookes. Published
in “Gifted Child Quarterly Vol. 3, No. 1”, 1999.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was made possible through a NSW Department of Education and Training Leadership
Fellowship. The author would like to sincerely thank the Banksia Road, Belmore North,
Bradfordville, Crookwell, Goulburn North, Hinchinbrook, Kingsgrove and Ramsgate Public School
communities for their participation and hospitality.