The Mediation of Acculturation: Orchestrating School Leadership Development in England
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| Title: | The Mediation of Acculturation: Orchestrating School Leadership Development in England |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Wallace, Mike, Tomlinson, Michael, O'Reilly, Dermot |
| Source: | Educational Management Administration & Leadership. May 2011 39(3):261-282. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2011 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Instructional Leadership, Principals, Government School Relationship, National Programs, Leadership Training, Public Policy, Acculturation, Educational Change, Educational Improvement, Accountability, Qualitative Research, Educational Innovation, Sanctions |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1741143210393996 |
| ISSN: | 1741-1432 |
| Abstract: | Among western governments large-scale leadership development initiatives represent an increasingly deployed means of promoting the acculturation of school leaders to support educational reforms and ongoing improvement. England's sophisticated initiative centres on the National College for Leadership in Schools and Children's Services, a politically driven intervention to acculturate headteachers and other senior school staff into transformational and distributed leadership. It is linked in significant measure to government-driven reform, alongside continuous improvement efforts. Qualitative research whose focus included tracking the evolution of this initiative showed how moderate mediation, within broad structural and ideological limits, is integral to its implementation. The fostered leadership culture appeared to interact with recipients' existing organizational and wider professional cultures valuing a substantial degree of local autonomy, stimulating reinterpretation and adaptation. Yet mediation appeared ultimately to have supported the government's agenda through local adaptation of reforms and some independent innovation consistent with the reform thrust. Contemporary government policy is to promote innovation, but the continued retention of nationally set expectations, strong accountability measures, and heavy sanctions seem likely to limit its potential for promoting locally inspired educational improvement. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 69 |
| Entry Date: | 2011 |
| Accession Number: | EJ922476 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Among western governments large-scale leadership development initiatives represent an increasingly deployed means of promoting the acculturation of school leaders to support educational reforms and ongoing improvement. England's sophisticated initiative centres on the National College for Leadership in Schools and Children's Services, a politically driven intervention to acculturate headteachers and other senior school staff into transformational and distributed leadership. It is linked in significant measure to government-driven reform, alongside continuous improvement efforts. Qualitative research whose focus included tracking the evolution of this initiative showed how moderate mediation, within broad structural and ideological limits, is integral to its implementation. The fostered leadership culture appeared to interact with recipients' existing organizational and wider professional cultures valuing a substantial degree of local autonomy, stimulating reinterpretation and adaptation. Yet mediation appeared ultimately to have supported the government's agenda through local adaptation of reforms and some independent innovation consistent with the reform thrust. Contemporary government policy is to promote innovation, but the continued retention of nationally set expectations, strong accountability measures, and heavy sanctions seem likely to limit its potential for promoting locally inspired educational improvement. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1741-1432 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1741143210393996 |
