Developing a Theoretical Framework: Professional Practice Competencies for School
Leaders in Alberta
In 2009 the Alberta Minister of Education authorized The Principal Quality Practice Guideline:
Promoting Successful School Leadership in Alberta (Alberta Education, 2009)1. The Guideline
was developed through the active participation of key education stakeholders, including
researchers from Alberta’s universities, associations representing superintendents, principals, and
teachers, and organizations that could provide perspective and value to the process of
establishing standards of practice for Alberta’s principals. With the promulgation of the
Guideline, the stakeholder committee continued to meet and work on formulating a plan of
action for the full integration of what has come to be known as the Principal Competencies into
all schools in the Province (Alberta Education, 2012). The Competencies include:
 Fostering effective relationships,
 Embodying visionary leadership,
 Leading a learning community,
 Providing instructional leadership,
 Developing and facilitating leadership,
 Managing school operations and finances, and
 Understanding and responding to the larger societal context.
The document that illuminates the Competencies is extensive and comprehensive, however, not
included is what could best be described as a theoretical framework.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the research relevant to the Competencies and to
develop a theoretical framework for items selected while paying particular attention to the debate
surrounding the intellectual controversy surrounding the standards of practice movement
(English, 2006).
Perspective: Similar to the work of Hattie and Marsh (1996) when they connected teaching
practices to improved student learning, and Waters and Kingston (2005) and Waters, Marzano,
and McNulty (2003) used when they employed meta-analyzes to examine the connection
between school leadership and student achievement, we will use the meta-analysis technique to
establish a theoretical framework for the Alberta Competencies. In addition, we will pay
particular attention to the recommendations made by Hayes (2005) in relationship to metaanalysis research.
Key Questions: In the paper, and in the discussion, we will explore: What evidence in the
literature supports the Competencies? What evidence in the literature draws into the question the
Competencies selected by the Alberta stakeholders? What evidence in the literature supports the
principal standards movement? What evidence in the literature draws into question the principal
standards movement?
Data Sources: Attention will be paid to research conducted since 2000. However, with each
Competency and historical review of literature dating back to the early 1970s will also be
explored.
Results: Beginning in 2012 we began the process of interviewing Alberta principals so as to
gather evidence of how they were meeting the mandate inherent in each of the Competencies. It
is out intent to produce a book on how principals are meeting the Competencies while at the
1
See http://www.education.alberta.ca/admin/resources.aspx for access to the Guideline.
same time connecting their practices to the theoretical framework developed by this metaanalysis.
Relevance: Jurisdictions throughout the Commonwealth are establishing standards of practice
for their principals and others involved in school leadership: Ontario established its framework in
2012 (Leithwood, 2012), the British Columbia Principal and Vice-Principal Association updated
their guidelines in 2103 (BCPVPA, 2013), New South Wales adopted its standard in 2005 (New
South Wales, 2005), the Australian Principal Associations Professional Development Council’s
five leadership propositions were established in 2003 (Autralian Principals Association, 2003),
while England adopted its first version of leadership standards in 1997, updated in 2004, and to
some degree revised them again in 2010 (Doughty, 2013). Therefore, the development and
discussion of a theoretical framework for leadership standards is highly relevant to members of
CCEAM and CASEA and blends very nicely with the conference theme of “Educational
Leadership at a time of Demographic Change.”
References
Alberta Education. (2009). Principal quality practice guideline: Promoting successful school
leadership in Alberta. (LB2831.926.C2 A333 2009). Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta
Education Retrieved from http://education.alberta.ca/admin/resources.aspx.
Alberta Education. (2012). The Alberta School Leadership Framework: Building Leadership
Capacity in Alberta’s Education System. Edmonton, AB: Government of Alberta.
Autralian Principals Association. (2003). Leaders Lead: Strengthening the Australian School.
Hindmarsh, South Australia: Australian Principals Assoication Professional Development
Council.
BCPVPA. (2013). Leadership Standards for Principals and Vice-Principals in British Columbia.
Victoria, BC: British Columbia Principals and Vice-Principals Association.
Doughty, J. (2013). Leadership Standards. Paper presented at the International Conference,
London, England.
English, F. W. (2006). The Unintended Consequences of a Standardized Knowledge Base in
Advancing Educational Leadership Preparation. Educational Administration Quarterly,
42(3), 461-472. doi: 10.1177/0013161x06289675
Hattie, J., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching: A metaanalysis. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 507-542.
Hayes, T. (2005). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings/Metaanalysis: A comparison of approaches. Personnel Psychology, 58(4), 1104-1108.
Leithwood, K. (2012). The Ontario Leadership Framework 2012 (pp. 1-65). Toronto, ON: The
Institute for Education Leadership.
New South Wales. (2005). School Leadership Capability Framework. Sydney: Department of
Education and Training.
Waters, T., & Kingston, S. (2005). The standards we need: A comparative analysis of
performance standards shows us what is essential for principals to know and be able to do
to improve achievement. Leadership, 35(1), 14-17.
Waters, T., Marzano, R., & McNulty, B. (2003). Balanced Leadership: What 30 Years of
Research Tells Us about the Effect of Leadership on Student Achievement. A Working
Paper: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, Web site:
http://www.mcrel.org.