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Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership
Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership
is part of the leadership development strategy of the Catholic Schools Office, Waitara developed on behalf of staff working within schools in the Broken Bay diocese.
The importance of partnership
The programme itself is an active partnership involving practising teachers from Catholic primary and secondary schools, academics from the tertiary sector and personnel from the Catholic Schools Office,
Waitara.
Leadership development focus
The programme combines the training, planning and evaluation aspects of a centrally coordinated and managed programme with the accepted value of building on local school based expertise and research interests.
Participants have the opportunity to develop their leadership potential within meaningful contexts which are embedded within their core work and practice.
Leadership is multifaceted and the approach taken in this programme accommodates this diversity through the adoption of a negotiated project approach. Each project will take place over a short period of time, will be
research based and will allow for the development and demonstration of leadership skills.
Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership seeks to encourage leadership development within a research framework which involves:
- negotiated leadership goal setting
- participation in a coordinated leadership development programme
- demonstrated skill enhancement and development in leadership
- the active engagement of participants in a research project
- the application of appropriate technologies
Expected outcomes
The approach values the expertise of each of the partners and recognises that leadership is multidimensional and non linear. As a result of participating on the programme it is expected
that participants will achieve the following broad outcomes:
Leadership development:
Each course participant will demonstrate clearly enhanced leadership skills, knowledge and understanding.
Research project:
Each course participant will research an issue of contemporary educational interest consistent with the diocesan strategic plan: Shaping our Future.
Technology:
Each course participant will develop their technological expertise and apply that increased knowledge in practical ways for the duration of the programme.
Snapshot of research project
The programme encourages the ownership of one’s own leadership development through active participation in a learning team which uses a project approach and addresses an educational issue of professional interest
and value. Teams will be supported through an extensive seminar and workshop series as well as through the Project Officer who will be able to work with groups collaboratively.
In brief, the project will be as follows:
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Getting started
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Developing ideas
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Refining context
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Negotiating area of action
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Accessing expertise
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Negotiating the content
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Identifying leadership outcomes
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Defining research methods
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Data collection and ethics
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Developing communication strategy
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Sharing the outcomes
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Learning log
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Documenting outcomes
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Presentation of findings
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Demonstrated leadership
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Successful school based research
- The five essential principles which support successful school based research can be summarised as:
- The area to be researched should be focussed on a significant educational issue or problem.
- The research problem should be transposable into a number of manageable research questions.
- The research problem should be grounded in significant theory and research relating to school and / or student improvement.
- The proposed area of research should incorporate an appropriate design ie.
- Clearly conceptualised intervention
- Sample population
- Timeline
- Data collection
- Analysis procedures
- Procedures to ensure integrity of outcomes
- The research should be managed by a research team, using mutually supportive processes.
Selecting the research area
The areas selected for research must be consistent with and sympathetic to the diocesan priorities as identified within the diocesan strategic plan: Shaping our Future. Within this
though, the scope is extensive and able to be negotiated with the Project Officer or members of the consultancy team.
Research team
The model of Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership promotes leaders as learners. It provides a model in which participants shape the direction of their learning based on their
professional interests and needs.
Ideally the research teams should be 5 to 6 people. It is expected that research teams will
contribute equally, communicate electronically, will meet to discuss their project research and be ready to share their research findings with the wider educational community
Support for research teams
Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership recognises that external support of the
research project needs to be balanced by support for each participant in terms of:
- commitment from participants’ schools and Principals
- provision of release time to plan with colleagues
- access to appropriate expertise and support materials
- guidance and support in the area of research
To support the overall programme model and the project focus in particular, a Project Officer has been appointed who will liaise with groups and provide support electronically as appropriate.
Communication strategy
A designated web site has been established for the overall programme to encourage the communication of participants with each other. This will also enhance their networking skills
and the practical use of the internet.
NB Support will be provided to those course participants who are still developing their skills in the use of the internet. What is essential is the desire to learn more about the internet and its
possible applications.
Refer to document entitled: Communication strategy.
Defining the Research Project
The model assumes that the area being researched is one which is of professional relevance to
each of the participants within the group and relates to their personal leadership aspirations. It must also be in keeping with the diocesan priorities identified within the diocesan strategic plan:
Shaping our Future.
For ideas of possible research contexts please refer to the document: Sample research contexts considered to be consistent with Diocesan priorities as stated within the
strategic plan Shaping our Future
Conceptualising your research project
The research area needs to be clearly thought through and the area to be researched quite tightly defined.
- What is the area to be researched?
- What are the key research questions?
- How much data exists currently?
- What additional data will need to be collected?
- Will we need to research the literature?
- Is it possible to develop a conceptual link?
Negotiating research areas
Initially, participants can identify up to three areas they are interested in researching and provide a brief overview of each. These will be shared with other participants and preliminary
research teams negotiated.
A pro forma has been developed to facilitate this. Please refer to Preliminary Project Planning at the back of this booklet
Undertaking the research
The essential requirement of effective research is that the investigation undertaken is systematic ie not random, nor arbitrary but proceeds in a well thought out, sequential, systematic way.
The model of research being encouraged in the Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership programme is that of the professional practitioner. The research approaches are rigorous and
systematic but the emphasis of the research is on a practical problem or issue and is usually embedded within the workplace
Research teams
Research based professional learning teams have the capacity to provide a structure which contributes significantly to the learning community culture at a grade, year, faculty, school or diocesan level.
The research component of the overall programme has been set up in such a way as to encourage the exploration of leadership issues within the context of a collaborative decision
making process. Establishing the team and the processes by which it operates is part of the overall leadership programme.
The research process provides the opportunity to learn from, and share expertise with, other participants on the programme. The focus is on collegiality, confidentiality and flexibility for the
duration of the programme.
Research design
The team will need to develop a research design which matches the research questions. In educational research there are a number of designs including:
- · Experimental designs
- · Statistical designs
- · Survey based designs
- · Case study designs
- · Action research designs
- · Qualitative empirical research designs
- · Non empirical designs
Research ethics
A number of ethical criteria need to be considered by the research team at the very beginning of the research period. Ethical considerations need to be built into the design process before any
research takes place.
In effect, ethics are the agreed set of criteria or code of ethics which guide the research process, underpin the research methodology and inform the practices of the research team.
All universities have clear guidelines and processes which are intended to inform the research work of their students. These provide a useful reference point for participants on the Partnerships in Catholic Educational Leadership programme.
Data collection
It is expected that each research team will approach its work with a degree of rigour. Data are the facts we have about people, situations, events, things and relationships. The research
findings need to be supported by hard data which may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature or both. The evidence which could be considered may include:
General evidence
Evidence pertaining to the whole cohort or school or schools
Evidence pertaining to global outcomes
Specific evidence
Evidence relating to individual students
Evidence relating to specific outcomes
Associational evidence
Evidence concerning related outcomes
Evidence pertaining to processes known to produce the outcomes of interest
Anecdotal evidence
Eyewitness
Hearsay
Analysis and interpretation
Analysis and interpretation are the things we learn from our data and the conclusions we can draw from that interpretation. The key elements of effective analysis and interpretation include:
- identifying what is in the data
- seeing if there are any patterns in what has been identified
- making interpretations
- if appropriate making recommendations for action or follow up
Reporting your findings
The results of the research will be disseminated within the wider educational community of the Broken Bay diocese. Consequently it is expected that the research findings will be presented in
such a way that they can make a contribution to the overall goals of the diocese, research agenda, the work of teachers and student learning outcomes.
The reporting format is flexible and could be in the form of a report, website or other form of multimedia presentation.
Recommended content
Generally, within the reporting framework selected by the group, it is expected that the following information will be included:
A concise description of the research area and the expected outcomes
This should detail the essential and distinctive features of the research area and what outcomes (benefits) the research was expected to produce.
The logic of why the research ought to produce the outcomes
It is important that the rationale for the research is clearly articulated. In addition, identify the prior evidence that was available to the research team which informed the anticipated outcomes
for the research undertaken.
The conditions under which the research operated
Describe the conditions under which the research was implemented. This should include the enhancing factors as well as the inhibiting factors.
Evidence of outcomes achieved
This could be within the context of student achievement and / or school improvement contexts.
Timeline
Research teams are expected to complete their research project by March, 2001 with opportunities to share their findings within the wider Broken Bay educational community by June 2001
Registering your project
All project research teams have been asked to register the details of their project so that they can be loaded directly onto the site.
It is suggested that a member of the project team takes responsibility for communication and undertakes to communicate with the Project Officer on the details of the information to be uploaded.
A pro forma has been developed to facilitate this is and is attached for your information. The pro forma has been posted on the website below to allow the information to be emailed as a live
document for uploading onto the website. To facilitate this please:
- Complete the information on the pro forma as fully as you can and then submit it by clicking in the submit button.
- Send it as an email attachment to gcjones@optushome.com.au
- Copy the information onto a PC format floppy disc and mail it to: Partnerships, P.O. Box 4107, Castlecrag, NSW 2068
- If it is not possible to send the information as an email or disc, please fax the pro forma marked for the attention of Glynis Jones on (02) 9924 7011
and it can be uploaded for you.
- Any updates or changes to the information on the project can be registered in the same way
Final check
It is intended that all information will be uploaded within 48 hours of being received. To check that the information has been entered, go to the Projects part of the website and click on it to
reach the project descriptions.
Please provide information by electronic means if possible to facilitate uploading onto the website
A WORD OF CAUTION!!!!
When entering data to submit electronically things can go wrong! We suggest that instead of entering large amounts of text directly into the form spaces provided, that you create a word
processing document and then copy and paste the information into the provided fields. This will also provide you with a copy.
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