Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Moving from Deputy Headship to Headship
Jill Berry
University of Nottingham
October 2011
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Contents
Page
Abstract
3
Introduction
3
1.
What are the significant challenges faced by beginning heads and
principals?
5
Transformation, socialization and identity
5
Coping with change
6
Coping with pressure
7
Dealing with people
8
Survival
9
2.
What are the ways in which beginning heads and principals are
prepared for such challenges, and supported as they tackle them?
9
Preparation programmes
9
Prior experience
11
Mentors and key influences
11
Learning from feedback
12
Conclusion
14
References
16
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Moving from Deputy Headship to Headship: A critical review of 15 academic
articles
Abstract
The first years of headship are a particular challenge, as the new
leader lets go of their former identity as a teacher or a deputy and
adopts a new professional persona. The 15 articles on which this
review focuses address the key challenges faced by beginning heads
and principals, and reflect on the ways in which such new leaders are
prepared for the task and supported through it.
The challenges fall into five broad categories:
i) transition, socialization and identity, ii) coping with change,
iii) coping with pressure, iv) dealing with people, and v) survival.
The ways in which new principals are prepared and supported include:
i) preparation programmes, ii) prior experience, iii) key mentors and
influence, and iv) learning from feedback.
The future supply of high calibre leaders in our schools relies on
increasingly successful strategies for preparation and support, and it is
important that current leaders act as positive role models if we are to
inspire the next generation of heads.
Introduction
The 15 papers on which I am basing this assignment deal with the “lived reality
and experience” (Cowie and Crawford, 2009: 8) of beginning principals and
headteachers in schools around the world. The articles focus on the experiences
of fledgling leaders in schools of different types (including primary and secondary
schools, state and independent schools) in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and
Hong Kong. Most of the articles are based on empirical studies, although a small
number confine their discussion to the literature dealing with the experience of
the new principal. The research ranges from a study focussing on one subject over
the first 100 days in post to a longitudinal study over 20 years which included a
sample of 250 new heads. I have selected articles which focus on the particular
challenges new heads and principals face, and the ways in which they are prepared
and supported as they address these challenges.
Headship is a demanding, fulfilling, stimulating job which, as several of the
articles (eg Crow 2006) attest, has become more complex in the light of societal
changes and significant educational development in recent years. Schools are
expected to address challenging social issues and prepare young people to take
their place in an increasingly uncertain world. The leaders of these schools have a
weighty responsibility to drive forward institutions with a clear moral purpose and
a culture which enables them to fulfil this aim:
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Headship is a unique occupation in terms of the demands it makes of its
incumbents and the potential personal exposure to legal, systemic, political
and societal demands.
Kelly and Saunders, 2010: 140
Preparing such leaders successfully and giving them positive support as they carry
out their role is clearly vital if we are to ensure they are as effective as society
needs them to be. Many countries have invested a good deal in educational
reform, but such reform is unlikely to achieve success without the right leaders in
our schools. It is also crucial that we ensure a future supply of aspirant leaders
who are attracted to the position and who believe in their capacity to undertake
it. Ten of the 15 articles (eg Quong 2006) refer to the potential shortage of
applicants in the future as increasing numbers of teachers see headship as an
undesirable culmination of their career ambitions.
Several of the articles suggest that, despite the wide-ranging nature of studies into
the experience of new heads and principals, there is a significant amount of
consistency in the picture which is painted of their pressures and support
mechanisms. Hobson et al (2003) suggest that the type of school or location may
not be a significant factor in the experience of new heads:
The fact that new heads in different contexts have experienced similar
problems may reflect the fact that, in many ways, the process of becoming
the head of a school is broadly similar regardless of the type of school or
its geographical location.
Hobson et al, 2003: 24
and this is supported by Stevenson (2006) and Weindling and Dimmock (2006):
Although it may be experienced differently in different international
contexts, and pressures and tensions will certainly manifest themselves
differently, it is clear that a number of common issues are combining to
make the principal’s role an increasingly challenging one. Stevenson, 2006:
409
It is important to note that the problems were largely similar in different
countries and to some extent consistent over time. Weindling and
Dimmock, 2006: 330
This similarity of viewpoint might suggest that an examination of the findings of
the 15 articles would enable me to draw some general conclusions about the
experiences of new heads and principals in different contexts.
The research questions which I have chosen are as follows:
1. What are the significant challenges faced by beginning heads and
principals?
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
2. What are the ways in which beginning heads and principals are prepared
for such challenges, and supported as they tackle them?
My discussion will be based on a critical analysis of the articles but it will also be
informed by my broader knowledge, understanding and experience of the issues
under consideration.
1.
What are the significant challenges faced by beginning heads and
principals?
Transformation, socialization and identity
Becoming a head is clearly a transformative process, and new heads and principals
go through various stages in their socialization as they move from being a teacher,
perhaps a deputy/assistant principal, to being a head/principal in their own right
and assume a new professional identity. The development of this new identity is a
central challenge for beginning heads, as they let go of their former persona and
embrace a new one. Using Merton’s socialization theory (1963, cited in Weindling
and Dimmock, 2006), several researchers chart the socialization process from
initial anticipatory socialization (experienced in advance of taking up the
appointment), through a period of professional socialization (learning the skills and
behaviours required of the role) and organizational socialization (learning what is
required in this particular context/this particular school) to the position where a
new occupational identity is adopted. Weindling and Dimmock (2006) point out
that socialization is a two-way process, as the new leader changes the school and
the school changes the leader.
Cheung and Walker (2006) and Sackney and Walker (2006) warn against seeing the
transitional stages new leaders pass through as linear; progress is an iterative
process and new leaders can stagnate or even go backwards, depending on the
response within their schools to their actions and planned changes. Sackney and
Walker (2006) see socialization as a “constantly evolving phenomenon; a
continuous learning of oneself, of others, and of the organization” (344). This
appears to be a more realistic and satisfying description of the transformative
process through which the new leader passes than the suggestion that the
transitions are neat, linear and predictable.
Releasing their former persona can be an uncomfortable and disconcerting
experience for new heads, as they lose the “cocoon of the familiar” (Draper and
McMichael, 1998: 204) and step into the unknown. Draper and McMichael describe
this process using their ‘GLAD’ model, which analyses the Gains and Losses,
Attachment and Detachment involved in releasing one role and taking on another.
However, this is a natural part of the process by which an individual takes on the
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
new identity of head, fighting for credibility (both their own, and the credibility of
others) as a leader. Weindling and Dimmock (2006) support this view:
Moulding a new professional identity as a head requires the formation of a
new sense of status, image and self-worth in the role and in the career; it
means establishing values, priorities and what one stands for. (338)
Perception is crucial, as two of Browne-Ferrigno’s (2003) research subjects state:
Leadership is a state of mind as well as a state of being. (487)
and:
When people see you as a leader or ask for your guidance, you start to feel
like [one]. I think the change in my perspective came as a result of the way
other people saw me. (489)
As beginning leaders adopt their new identity they need to learn as much as they
can, as quickly as they can, about the school they have inherited and its culture.
They need to assess what needs to be done, where the priorities lie and how they
will pace any change which should be introduced. They may find that they are
expected, and required, to make changes from the outset without the benefit of a
‘honeymoon period’. They will develop their own management style (which suits
both them and their context) and move towards establishing (ideally in concert
with others) a culture which is shared and in which the whole school community
feels invested. New leaders need the capacity to influence as they develop and
sustain a sense of common purpose and shared understanding across this
community. Crow (2007) refers to a new leader “developing the awareness that
one has the courage, sense of connectedness and perspective to motivate others to
join in the leadership endeavor” (68). As they accomplish this, such leaders and
those around them will begin to believe in the leader’s new professional identity.
Coping with change
Another significant area of challenge for beginning heads and principals is dealing
with change, particularly within a reform context which is characterised by
increased accountability and a focus on school improvement. The head’s role is
changing in the light of wider societal changes and a heightened expectation of
what should be achieved in schools, such as the impetus to promote social
cohesion.
Expectations of both enhanced and differently shaped sets of leadership
capacities confront the principals at different stages of their careers.
These constantly changing expectations oblige principals to adopt a myriad
of roles, many of which take them into previously uncharted and, often,
uncomfortable territory.
Cheung and Walker, 2006: 389
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
A number of the studies, including Daresh and Male (2000), discuss the
repercussions of the current change agenda and the impact this has on the role of
the new principal as s/he addresses societal pressures, changing demographics,
technological advancement, curriculum reform, scarcity of resources within the
challenging economic landscape and multiple government initiatives. The new
principal has to wrestle with the task of how best to establish a successful learning
community and effectively to build learning capacity within the knowledge society,
embracing “a culture that sustains and develops trust, collaboration, risk taking,
innovation, reflection, shared leadership and that is data sensitive.” (Sackney and
Walker 2006: 342). This can lead to considerable stress for the beginning
principal.
It may be necessary for the new principal to find a way of resolving conflict
between their inner principles/personal values and the external pressures to which
they are subjected. There can be tension between their sense of moral purpose
and the focus on performativity in the current educational landscape. Cowie and
Crawford (2009) also comment on the need for the beginning head to be “open to
change and encouraged to question accepted notions and assumptions” (18) if they
are to lead the schools of the future successfully.
Coping with pressure
All the aspects of change management detailed above clearly add to the pressure
on the beginning principal, but this is only part of the picture in terms of the
stresses of the role. All the articles raise the issue of the scale and scope of the
job and how it is potentially overwhelming, particularly to the incumbent who
does not have a bank of expertise on which to rely. Several researchers recognise
that a number of years in headship allow an individual to build up what Quong
(2006) calls a “bank of leadership credits” (386) and Stevenson (2006) refers to as
“reservoirs of loyalty” (417). Experienced heads faced with unpalatable decisions
can ‘trade’ on relationships they have established over the years (with governors,
staff, parents and students). The new head does not have this luxury.
We know that beginning principals lack the skills of knowing how they are
supposed to act, what they are supposed to know, and even what they are
supposed to do in a given situation.
Sackney and Walker, 2006: 349
Many of the new heads whose stories are told in the articles are initially taken
aback by the size of the job – the administrative load, the multiplicity of tasks, the
time pressures. They need quickly to build their technical skills, for example in
financial management, dealing with buildings/the school site, and a huge range of
personnel issues.
Task overload and time constraints (combined with a sudden realisation of the
weight of responsibility) can cause the new principal significant stress. It is vital
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
to find a balance which preserves the sanity and health of the individual leader,
which includes strategies for personal renewal and the building of resilience.
Quong (2006) identifies his central dilemma as a beginning principal in Australia as
“when to act and when not to act” (384), and how to achieve the balance between
doing too much and doing too little, whilst Sarros and Sarros (2007) concur that a
new principal has to decide, importantly, what not to do.
The sheer volume of demands is often daunting and exhausting, leaving
many new CEOs struggling to balance these demands and also to live a
normal life outside work hours. New CEOs will need to learn how to deal
with these demands.
Sarros and Sarros, 2007: 368
There are clearly no hard and fast rules; this is a balance every new head has to
establish for him/herself, the balance of numerous competing and perhaps
conflicting demands on the new principal’s time. It is vital that s/he finds this
balance (and is supported to do so) for their own survival. New leaders cannot let
the consuming intensity of the job defeat them.
Dealing with people
Headship is a job in which the ability to form positive, constructive relationships
and alliances with a very wide range of people, within and beyond the school, is
key. This may begin with dealing with the figure of the head or principal you
replace – even in their absence they can exert a powerful force with which their
successor has to contend, and this is true whether the predecessor was an
effective leader or not. The influence of the predecessor is recognised by
Stevenson (2006) who refers to “the long shadow of the previous incumbent”
(416), by Walker and Qian (2006) who speak of “the ghost/s of principals past”
(301), and Weindling and Dimmock (2006) acknowledge “the shadow of
‘headteachers past’” (328). Many of the new heads and principals who were
interviewed in the articles commented on the pressure exerted by the elusive
figure of the one who went before, and establishing yourself in the wake of this
figure can be a significant challenge.
A number of research subjects (eg in Kelly and Saunders, 2010) also had to contend
with tension within the Senior Leadership Team, which often contained a
disappointed deputy who had applied for the post of head. This potential ally
could prove a barrier to the successful establishment of positive relationships with
others. Winning the confidence of the staff (and governors, parents, students and
members of the wider community) is a challenging but essential task for the newly
appointed head. Dealing with ineffective staff or other sensitive personnel issues
is often an early hurdle to clear, and can leave a bitter legacy. Whatever else the
new head has to deal with, it is people issues which are most likely to keep them
awake at night.
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Survival
So as the new head adapts to their role, deals with whatever crises erupt in their
first year and learns from the experience, they also learn to survive. As Cowie and
Crawford (2009) outline, they will find they have made certain assumptions, and
they deal with surprise (emphasised by Draper and McMichael, 1998) as their
expectations may not be met by their early experiences. They are crossing a
border (Daresh and Male, 2000) and adjusting to the new reality they find on the
other side.
In the process, their confidence is building. They need what Sackney and Walker
(2006) call ‘adaptive confidence’:
They begin to demonstrate adaptive confidence when they are humble
enough to learn from their mistakes and failures and when they let others
in the learning community learn as well. As Quinn (2004) stated, ‘Adaptive
confidence is the capacity to walk naked into the land of uncertainty and
build the bridge as we walk on it’
Sackney and Walker, 2006: 354/5
The beginning principal needs to develop confidence both in themselves and in the
school. They need to recognise in themselves, even though it may still be in the
process of developing, the capacity to do what has to be done. As Cowie and
Crawford (2009) attest: “New heads need a sense of self-belief and self-efficacy if
they are to negotiate a successful transition to the role of the headteacher” (17).
2.
What are the ways in which beginning heads and principals are
prepared for such challenges, and supported as they tackle them?
It is clear from an examination of the articles, and from my own experience, that
new heads and principals learn to cope with the role through multiple pathways,
the main ones of which are discussed below.
Preparation programmes
Several countries, including Scotland, England and the USA, have formal
preparation programmes which aspirant heads and principals can elect to complete
before applying for a leadership position. Other countries, such as Australia,
although currently lacking national programmes, do provide some training
opportunities for the heads of the future. Preparation programmes may be
underpinned by clearly articulated and comprehensive national standards for
heads/principals which set out the required skills and behaviours demanded by the
role. The programmes usually contain a practical component, for example in the
USA experiential learning is required through a monitored period of internship.
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Several writers, such as Kelly and Saunders (2010), comment on the need for such
programmes to be updated/improved, in the light of the current demands on
school leaders and the recent changes to their role. The current efficacy of such
programmes received a mixed response from the research subjects across the full
range of articles, with some beginning heads attesting to their usefulness and
others being more dismissive of their value. The issue is complicated by
inconsistencies in the provision, for example in Browne-Ferrigno’s study (2003) of
eighteen potential principals in the USA, the subjects varied from those in the very
early years of their teaching career to those with current or imminent experience
of the principal’s role. In England, however, those who currently apply to
complete the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) are now
expected to be within 18 months of successfully securing a headship post. The
NPQH has also been through several significant revisions since it was introduced in
the late 1990s. New heads’ estimation of the success of such programmes in terms
of their own induction to headship may vary according to when they completed the
programme, both in terms of their own experience and also with respect to which
‘version’ of the programme was in operation at the time.
However, it is clear that the completion of formal training prior to appointment,
with the opportunity it offers for skills development in areas such as financial
management or legal issues, is a significant way in which new leaders can be
prepared for what lies ahead. Required reading for such courses initiates new
heads into new forms of language and new learning which will be of use to them as
they adopt their new identity. Cowie and Crawford (2009) describe the “privileged
managerial discourse” (14) which new heads may need to adopt. The networks
developed across a cohort of aspirant heads completing training is an important
element of the support framework on which they can draw in the future; this can
lead to what Cowie and Crawford (2009) call small ‘communities of practice’. The
part that reflection on practice plays within such programmes is also a key way in
which aspirant leaders are encouraged to analyse their experience and to learn
from it.
Local Authorities and Heads’ Associations may be among the organisations which
offer formal induction and training opportunities for both the aspirant and newly
appointed head. Interestingly, research subjects’ views of the value of formal
training offered by Local Authorities varies considerably, with some new heads
highly critical of their support from this source, for example Hobson et al (2003),
contest that “LEA opportunities for needs analysis were limited” (18).
There is recognition among the authors of the articles that formal preparation
programmes are only one way in which new heads and principals are prepared for
the role, however:
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
The provision of such training, while necessary, is unlikely to be sufficient
to meet all the induction needs of aspiring and new headteachers. Draper
and McMichael, 1998: 210
Other ways in which new heads can be prepared for the challenges they will face
are discussed below.
Prior experience
New heads do not come to the role ‘cold’, in that they have throughout their
professional careers had the opportunity to hone their skills, including in early
leadership roles and the taking on of responsibility. As Crow (2007) says, “Rather
than arriving as blank tablets, these individuals bring this learning with them to
the headship.” (53)
Some new heads may also have experience beyond education which has given them
useful transferable skills. All that the aspirant head has learnt in their teaching
career to this point has a potential part to play in their ongoing development as
they assume their new professional identity. The preparation process can
therefore be seen as career long, or longer, rather than confined to specific formal
induction programmes immediately prior to taking up the post, and my own
experience would certainly lead me to concur with this view. A continuum of
learning exists from the new head’s prior experience, through any initial formal
training, into the period of application and appointment and then into the early
days and years of headship, and beyond.
Mentors and key influences
One element of each new head’s prior experience which was frequently discussed
in the articles under consideration (eg Cowie and Crawford, 2006) was the
importance of mentors and individuals who had supported and encouraged the new
head at an early stage of their career. This included heads of schools in which the
new leader had worked in the past, perhaps as a deputy/assistant principal
working closely alongside this head, sharing significant responsibility and learning
from them. Such former heads were cited by several research subjects as key
influences whose faith in them had been crucial in the development of their selfbelief and their commitment to aiming for headship themselves. They were strong
role-models and important sources of support and advice once their protégée had
assumed a headship post.
This is not to suggest, however, that new heads simply copy the style of the
leaders with whom they have worked and whom they have respected.
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
In their search for identity, new heads appear to mimic behaviour they
have seen, but modify it to align it more closely with their new situation
and beliefs.
Kelly and Saunders, 2010: 140
Crow (2007) points out that new heads learn from the failings and limitations of
the heads they have worked with in the past, too, even if their relationship with
those heads was generally positive and their admiration of their skills and
strengths considerable. Crow suggests that there are dangers in learning from such
mentors, however. He believes that what is required in a reform context is a new
vision, a boldness and a willingness to innovate. Learning from veteran role
models can emphasise ‘investiture’ and ‘custodial’ outcomes rather than
‘divestiture’ and innovation.
Learning from feedback
All new heads should have the opportunity to receive feedback on their early
performance from a wide range of sources and, providing that they are receptive
to this and sufficiently reflective, this can be an important source of learning and
development. It does take confidence actively to seek criticism, and this may be
difficult at a time when a new leader is likely to be lacking in confidence.
However, encouraging a culture where the Senior Leadership Team and governors
are open and honest, communicating clearly their view about what is going well
and what is perhaps not going well is vital, in my view. The school itself is a
crucial learning resource and a source of support. Apart from governors and senior
staff, other staff, parents, students, fellow heads and friends of the school – even
family members and personal friends, as Crow (2006) attests - will all provide
feedback from which the new head can benefit.
Being reflective is key. Quong (2006) describes how his own action research
project and critical evaluation of his performance, aided by extensive discussion
with other new principals, colleagues within the school and friends beyond it,
enabled him to develop a framework of three “hard questions” which helped him
to address what he saw as the principal dilemma of the new leader, ‘when to act
and when not to act’. Sarros and Sarros examined the first 100 days of the first
named author’s principalship in a large girls’ independent school in Australia and
set the experience of the challenges addressed within the framework of the
transformational-transactional model of leadership in order to draw conclusions
about what was learnt and what learning could be passed on to others.
Learning also inevitably comes from familiarisation visits and reading of pertinent
documentation before taking up the appointment, but also, crucially, from
listening to others:
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Most beginning principals learned about the school culture through
observations, by asking questions and by talking less and listening more.
Sackney and Walker, 2006: 346
A programme of regular meetings within the school and beyond it (for example
with fellow new heads) offers the valuable opportunity to extend learning and to
provide a framework for reflection within which continuing professional and
personal development can occur.
So preparation and support for facing the new challenges of beginning headship
come from a number of sources, including professional pre-appointment
programmes and ongoing formal training, prior experiences, mentors and key
influences and from being receptive to feedback within and beyond the school. It
is clear that the support needs to be ongoing, stretching from the years leading up
to the appointment, through the process of applying for and ultimately getting the
job, taking up the post and the learning the craft, as Hobson et al, 2003, attest. In
my tenth year of headship I was still learning to be an effective head; the learning
process is never definitively concluded.
The articles analysed are consistent in their insistence that support should be
continuous, flexible and individualized (suited to context and to the individual’s
stage of development), focussed on practical problem-solving and negotiated if it
is to be truly valued. A balance of training, previous experience and learning with
and from others is a recommended model. There needs also to be an acceptance
that no amount of preparation can ever fully fit the individual for the size and
scale of the leadership task ahead, as Draper and McMichael (1998) conclude:
Preparation can never entirely eliminate surprise, let alone
consternation....Systematic and individualized support is needed not only
at the moment of change but thereafter. (209/10)
I wholeheartedly agree with Walker and Qian (2006) that “The majority of a
beginning principal’s learning is ‘by doing’.” (303/4)
However, I do not accept that this should be a lonely, isolated experience.
Ongoing support, advice and guidance are crucial in the early years of headship,
and beyond, as several of the articles, eg Weindling and Dimmock (2006), suggest.
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
Conclusion
The role of the head is pivotal to raising standards in schools, a drive to which all
in education today must inevitably be committed, as Cheung and Walker (2006)
claim:
The success of an educational reform is dependent on whether school
principals can exercise effective and persistent leadership in accordance
with the tenets of the reform.
(389)
Supporting heads and principals to be successful must therefore be a key part of
our drive in education if such aims are to be realised.
The role of headteacher is a complex and challenging one, arguably becoming even
more complex and challenging over time. The process of socialization which new
heads go through as they assume this mantle and develop their new professional
identity as school leaders is similarly complex; it is a process which may be careerlong, as this identity forms and continues to evolve over time.
Rather than supposing that identity is a fixed element of the adult self it is
more appropriate to see it as evolving and dynamic, incorporating new
elements from the roles and relationships encountered in family and
occupational life. Identities are constructed out of directly experienced
successes and failures, but also out of role expectations and learning by
observation and imitation. Not only does identity evolve, but the elements
which contribute to it do not themselves stay static, for example
expectations of what makes for effective headship have changed. Draper
and McMichael, 1998: 200
The head I needed to be in 2010 was not necessarily the same as the head the
school required when I was appointed in 2000. It also needs to be borne in mind
that “Professional identities may be dialogic and multiple, that more than one
identity may exist for different roles and situations.” (Stevenson, 2006: 415). The
leader I was, even when well-established, was a complex, multi-faceted persona.
There is no manual for success, no ‘blue-print’ which a new leader can adopt in
order to be successful. Context is crucial, and this involves not simply being the
right kind of leader for the particular school, but being the right kind of leader for
the particular time and the particular situation. Preparation, support and
guidance are possible, but they can never anticipate every eventuality the new
leader will face, and so heads have to be flexible, adaptable, resilient and able to
learn and evolve as the role requires. Heads and principals also have to be aware
of the image they project to others and to take their responsibility as role-models
very seriously, because on them depends, to a large extent, the future supply of
leaders. Heads have to recognise and nurture talent, support and encourage the
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
aspiring leaders they meet, and ensure that these leaders see more than the
challenges, difficulties, pressures and stresses of the position, but also its joys and
its tremendous opportunities.
If ambitions for system-wide reform and improvement are to be met,
principalship must be seen as an appealing and sustainable career capable
of attracting, retaining and motivating the highest calibre leaders.
Stevenson, 2006: 409
All headteachers have the responsibility to inspire aspirant heads, by
demonstrating how stimulating and rewarding the role can be. It is a position
which enables an individual to promote and to live the values they espouse for the
benefit of the staff and the students within the schools for which they are
responsible. This is a privilege, and hugely satisfying.
We need to deepen our understanding of the role of head/principal, the pressures
involved and how to prepare and support new leaders to meet them if we are to
ensure realistic, manageable career pathways for the heads of the future and to
guarantee that we have the best possible leaders of schools around the world. The
articles analysed within this assignment provide an important beginning, but we
have much more still to learn.
I do accept that, whatever the preparation and support, new leaders need to
recognise that taking up a headship is a major transition and that ultimately living
the role is the only way to complete the learning necessary. In the words of one of
Daresh and Male’s (2000) research subjects, “I really am learning the job of being
a principal by now being a principal.” (95)
And this is supported by Weindling and Dimmock (2006):
No amount of experience or preparation – whether through formal training
or through experience as a deputy – can provide a sufficient induction to
what is a demanding and complex job. A major and essential part of
learning to be a headteacher is acquired through living the
experience...and the most valuable learning is bound to take place through
socialization while in the role. (338)
We have to live the experience, and to some extent recreate the wheel, as it is
our own wheel, and we do ‘build the bridge as we walk on it’. As one of BrowneFerrigno’s (2003) research subjects succinctly states: “To be a leader, you have to
lead.” (493)
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
References:
Browne-Ferrigno T (2003) Becoming a principal: role conceptions, initial socialization,
role-identity transformation, purposeful engagement,
Educational Administration Quarterly 39 (4) 468-503
Cheung R M, Walker A (2006) Inner worlds and outer limits: the formation of beginning
school principals in Hong Kong, Journal of Educational
Administration 44 (4) 389-407
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Jill Berry Module 2 assignment
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