A Must: Turning leadership ‘inside out’ on Indigenous children’s literacy Neil Dempster, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Susan Lovett, University

A Must: Turning leadership ‘inside out’ on Indigenous children’s literacy

Neil Dempster, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Susan Lovett, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

AARE 2014, S350: Leadership Symposium: GIER SIG Leadership for Learning

Purpose of the Presentation

In general: we report on a ‘closing the gap’ initiative called Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) which adopted a model of leadership ‘both ways’ (Priest et al., 2008; Frawley & Fasoli, 2012), in schools located in remote Indigenous communities


Specifically:

We report on the views principals and their Indigenous Leadership Partners held about leadership actions the project brought into prominence.

In the body of the presentation, we explain the research purposes on which the study was centred, the survey methods, items used and results obtained.


Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC)

The project was stimulated by a professional learning program designed around five modules combining two areas of knowledge and understanding:

(i) what it takes to connect leadership with learning; and

(ii) what it takes to learn to read in Indigenous communities.


The Five Professional Learning Modules

1. Leadership for Literacy Learning

2. Learning to Read

3. Analysing Data

4. Planning for Reading Improvement

5. Evaluating Reading Action Plans


PALLIC Position on Leadership

Many of the sources of learning should be derived from schools and their communities (Priest et al. 2008).

Therefore, leadership requires a rethinking of how to blend two cultures for the purpose of helping children with their learning.

Principals in Indigenous communities need to accept and respect difference and learn how to create and interact in open ‘intercultural space’ where the cultural knowledge and experiences of Indigenous people are given equal value and voice (Taylor, 2003)


Culturally Responsive Leadership

Priest et al (2008) and Panayiotis (2012) advocate that ‘both ways’ leadership is a way of formally recognising Indigenous people as active and necessary contributors to children’s learning.


The PALLIC Position on Partnerships

Improvements in learning require partnerships between parents, teachers and members of the community

While this is self-evident, it is easier in the saying than the doing

This multi-lateral form of leadership needs to be given high priority by principals

Emerson et al (2012); Andrews (2008); Muller & Associates (2009); and Auerbach (2009)


Partnerships are built on relationships

The creation and continuation of partnerships requires outreach from the school, a deep commitment to shared leadership by the principal and trusting relationships with Indigenous parents and community members.

All this takes time and respectful acceptance of the cultural reciprocity necessary to sustain good working relationships in open intercultural space.

Bishop (2011); Ishimaru (2013); Lester (2011)


Video Clip:

Indulkana Anangu School, South Australia

‘Creating the Need to Read’


The Research Process

School surveys (Principals, Teachers and Indigenous Leadership Partners)

Site visits for 8 case study schools with focus group interviews

Interviews with Leadership Mentors

Analysis of reading action plan evaluations


Principals’ responses to the frequency of particular leadership actions

1. Keeping the focus on the school’s commitment to improving reading for Indigenous children*

2. Modelling leadership ‘both ways’ – from the school to the community and from the community to the school

3. Including Indigenous Leadership Partners in the school leadership team4. Building a good working relationship with Indigenous Leadership Partners5. Providing the Big Six framework for the teaching of reading6. Using data on the Big Six to inform planning7. Participating in professional development on reading with teachers*8. Linking assessment practices to the Big Six9. Promoting teaching strategies on the Big Six at school, classroom and individual

levels10. Aligning the school’s resources to support the Big Six framework 11. Ensuring that all children have personal targets in reading12. Expecting accountability for reading achievement from my teachers*13. Talking with parents about student reading development14. Sharing responsibility for reading with Indigenous Leadership Partners15. Engaging others from the community as active leaders of reading*16. Participating in PD on reading with Indigenous partners and community*

members17. Leading the celebration of children’s achievements in reading with parents

The Survey Items

Ten of the items in Figure 1 (in Blue) refer to leadership actions principals undertake mainly inside the school. These are items: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 17.

The three actions* considered to have greatest

frequency are found in this group (i.e. items 1, 7 and 12).

Results

The remaining seven items in Figure 1 (2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 15 and 16) refer to leadership actions, which require principals to make connections with Indigenous people both inside and outside the school.

The two items with the lowest means* are in this group (i.e. items 15 and 16)

Results (cont’d)

Of these seven items, the first three refer to actions which require interactions between principals and Indigenous Leadership Partners.

Three others (items 13, 15 and 16) refer to actions with parents and/or members of the community.

Item 14 recognizes a formal sharing of leadership responsibility with Indigenous Leadership Partners.

Results (cont’d)

Overall the principals’ survey data accord the highest frequency to activities that directly link key responsibilities for the outputs of the school with their responsibilities for leading and managing the performance of teachers.

The items with the lowest frequency all refer to activities principals seem to regard as outside their core school responsibilities, that is, to actions with parents and other community members.

Summary

The 48 PALLIC principals were asked for their views related to two research questions:

During 2013, what has happened inside and outside your school in leading and supporting the teaching of reading?

What have been the enablers and constraints?

The Research Process a Year Later…

One half-hour telephone interview which included a survey instrument comprising 16 closed items and four open-ended questions was conducted.

Method

BUILDING IN-SCHOOL SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP PARTNERS – REMOTE, REGIONAL/URBAN

Regional/urban

Remote

Regional/urban

Remote

Regional/urban

Remote

Q 1

Q 6

Q 1

3

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

AlwaysFrequentlySometimesRarely

Items 1, 6 and 13

Q1 Involve Indigenous leadership partners in school leadership decisions regarding reading

Q6 Develop a sustained working relationship with my Indigenous leadership partners

Q13 Provide professional learning for Indigenous leadership partners and teacher assistants to take leadership roles in classroom learning of reading

1. Involvement of ILPs in decision making• higher for remote 56% vs 21% (frequently) • main focus was on relationship building• challenges of high ILP turnover

6. Sustaining the relationship• higher commitment for remote 41.7% vs 36.8% (always)• challenges of time, power relations, reliability on both sides

13. Professional learning for ILPS and TAs• more provision in regional/urban 42%/28% (frequently)• teaching seen as school’s role, reluctant to interfere• need for training in strategies to teach reading

In school sharing, building supporting relationships with ILPs

REACHING OUT TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS – REMOTE, REGIONAL/URBAN

Regional/urban

Remote

Regional/urban

Remote

Regional/urban

Remote

Regional/urban

Remote

Q 2

Q 7

Q 1

5Q

16

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

AlwaysFrequentlySometimesRarely

Q2 Involve others (members of the community who are not designated Indigenous leadership partners) as Indigenous leaders of reading in classroom activities

Q7 Build ongoing relationships with Indigenous leaders of reading to work with teachers

Q15 Establish opportunities to involve community participation in reading focused activities

Q16 Being open to learn from others

Items 2, 7, 15 and 16

2. Similar 22-23% involving others

7. Remote schools more successful building on-going relationships with ILPs working with teachers inside classrooms (32% vs 22%, frequently)

15. Establishing opportunities to involve Indigenous people in reading activities

High ratings for both 50% regional/urban vs 32% remote, frequently)

16. Openness to learning from others

67% regional/urban vs 52% remote, always)

Reaching out to build relationships and learning from others

While there is a positive view of in-school partnership between Principals and Indigenous Leadership Partners, there is a lack of traction in enrolling family and community members as Leaders of Reading or in gaining their interest in the school’s actions on reading.

While there is some promise in the results produced a year after the completion of the project, the findings confirm the very real challenges to be faced in developing school and community literacy leadership partnerships.

Conclusion

We suggest that far greater attention needs to be placed on a repertoire of ‘reaching out’ and ‘reaching in’ strategies to lift the concept of leadership in open intercultural space from the confines of the school into the community and from the community into the school.

With this added knowledge and much hard relationship work, engaging in the leadership of reading ‘both ways’ will enable new leadership partnerships to form, be valued and become self-sustaining.

Implications

Documents

A Must: Turning leadership ‘inside out’ on Indigenous children’s literacy Neil Dempster, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Susan Lovett, University