Symposium LEADERSHIP, LEARNING AND INCLUSION: exploring innovative approaches to school improvement

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SymposiumLEADERSHIP, LEARNING AND
INCLUSIONexploring innovative approaches to
school improvement

• Judy Durrant, Alison Ekins, Peter Grimes, Robin
  Precey
• Department for Professional Development

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Our work
research
teaching
schools Local Authorities (districts)
consultancy
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Exploring links between
LEADERSHIP
LEARNING
INCLUSION
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Structure of the symposium

• Welcome and introductions
• Exploring key themes and perspectives
• Papers
• Discussion and summary

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What knowledge and understanding do we bring?
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Leadership for inclusion a whole school
approach Peter Grimes and Alison Ekins

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Inclusion in Action

• A dynamic model of whole school development.
• See p8 of paper.

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Inclusion in Action

• The model draws together 3 broad educational
  fields
• Inclusion
• Self Evaluation
• School Development
• These then link in with systems and processes at
  a whole school level- aimed at analysing and
  understanding the particular learning needs of
  individuals and cohorts.

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The Three Stages of Inclusive School Development

• Our work with hundreds of schools has
  demonstrated that schools can be at a different
  stage of inclusive school development.
• Our paper provides case studies of schools at
  each of the stages.

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Stage 1

• p13
• Self Evaluation Target setting
• Headteacher SENCO
• September Sept/ Jan/ April

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Stage 2

• P16
• A whole school improvement cycle.
• Moving whole school development forward in a more
  engaging and proactive way.
• Engaging staff
• Considering monitoring and evaluation

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Stage 3

• P18 INCLUSION IN ACTION
• Interlinking the fields of Inclusion, School
  Development and Self Evaluation simultaneously in
  a dynamic way.
• Formulation of shared values and vision, through
  meaningful self evaluation.
• Reflection and sharing translated into concrete
  action which supports all pupils.
• Ensuring that whole school systems are embedded
  and meaningful.

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• Leadership for Inclusion Developing Inclusive
  Leaders
• Dr Robin Precey

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A VIEW ON THE EDUCATION LEADERSHIP CONTEXT IN
ENGLAND

• Limitations of current approach
• Need to broaden our approach
• Our structures and systems promote exclusivity
• Leaders can have impact
• Need for transformational leaders

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Transactional learning
Transformational
learning
Adapted from John West-Burnham (2005)
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Transformation Leadership Development (adapted
from Greenan Dieckmann (2004)
Unique course structure that meets the needs of
learners (community, meaning, criticality,
democratic informality, flexible)
Praxis Application of theory/concepts/models to
practice and vice versa
Awakenings Challenge light bulb moments,
sense-making
Identity As a person and as a professional
Agency Ideas into action
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Erasmus Intensive Programme

• Aims
• To widen and deepen participants understanding
  and expertise with respect to the opportunities
  and challenges relating to leadership of
  inclusive education within an increasingly
  diverse European community
• To encourage international links that foster
  innovative approaches to the professional
  development of school leaders

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Erasmus IP

• Aims (contd)
• To encourage the formation of strong
  collaborative teams that will focus on conducting
  research on key areas of inclusive education
• For participants to disseminate and refine
  insights gained on the Programme through the
  practice they lead in schools and elsewhere

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Erasmus IP

• Aims (contd)
• To produce a range of collaborative publications
  based on research and the shared debate on the
  key issues identified
• To do so within a programme that is itself
  inclusive (planning, teaching, learning,
  evaluation)
• To enable participants to gain Masters level
  accreditation focussed on the 2 week IP

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......and so we want to

• To create an intensive, enjoyable, challenging
  programme that increases and deepens your
  knowledge, understanding and skills as a critical
  reflective practioner and researcher with regard
  to leading and managing inclusive education
• To enable the you to return to your country with
  confidence and moral courage to be an agent of
  change to improve the quality of learning,
  teaching and inclusion within your own settings

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ModellingContent what issues/ideas we pay
attention toProcess- what behaviours we choose
to display and value
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Developing inclusive schools - a complex,
cumulative process
professional development programme
Leaders behaviours
community behaviours
inclusion
teachers behaviours
student behaviours
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Programme themes

• Leading Inclusive Learning
• National Perspectives on Inclusion (Special
  Education Needs)
• Leading and Managing Change for Inclusion
• Sharing Leadership for Inclusion
• Democratic Schools and Citizenship
• Impact Accountability for Inclusion

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Transformation Leadership Development (adapted
from Greenan Dieckmann (2004)
A) Unique course structure that meets the needs
of learners (1 community, 2 meaning, 3
criticality, 4 democratic informality, 5 flexible)
C) Praxis Application of theory/concepts/models
to practice and vice versa
B) Awakenings 1 Challenge 2 Confirmation light
bulb moments, sense-making
D) Identity Changed/Confirmed As a person and as
a professional
E) Agency Ideas into action
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EXAMPLE FROM EVALUATION  WHILST BEING ENGAGED
WITH THIS ERASMUS IP (SO FAR!)
A) UNIQUE COURSE STRUCTURE 1 DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU
HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF A COMMUNITY OF
LEARNERS? YES/NO?_____ WHY (NOT)?
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CONCLUSIONS

• The transformational learning model is rooted in
  inclusion.
• Its application in the design, facilitation and
  evaluation of leadership development programmes
  can deepen participants understanding of
  inclusion
• International dialogue adds depth
• It is hoped that this will impact on practice but
  this needs further longitudinal research

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• Teacher Leadership agency, enquiry and inclusion
  in school improvement
• Judy Durrant

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What are the links between leadership, learning
and inclusion?
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My own background

• Teachers Leading Change
• Teacher-led enquiry and development
• The impact of teacher-led development
• Teacher professionalism and identity
• Teacher agency and voice
• and this increasingly includes a much wider
  workforce.
• What does the inclusion discourse offer?

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Inclusion a developmental process
towards improvement
inclusive policy
inclusive practice
inclusive culture
(Booth and Ainscow, 2002)
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Injecting attitude into school improvement
(Ainscow et al., 2006)

• Inclusive approaches
• collaboration
• enquiry
• active engagement
• participation in decision making
• recognising and accepting diversity
• valuing education in community

challenges to curriculum, pedagogy, relationships
Inclusive values and principles
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Good teachers are educationally subversive,
have asense of agency and can both envisage
and leadradical change within their own
classrooms and schools.Schools learn and change
from the bottom up.

• (Galton and MacBeath, 2008, see also Durrant and
  Holden, 2006)

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Tensions between three worlds of inclusion
(Galton and MacBeath, 2008)

• Teachers usually agree in principle.
• In practice inclusion relies on
• supportive culture
• adequate resources
• adequate experti se
• reduced resistance
• effective approaches
• appreciation for teachers efforts

aspirational practice
policy
existing practice
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Research in the field of inclusion has found
that more inclusive leadership practices and
structures lead to inclusion and improvement
(Ainscow et al, 2006, Corbett, 2001 Hart, 2003).

• Concepts of leadership capacity, sharing and
  distribution of leadership, conjoint agency and
  leadership density are prevalent in the
  leadership discourse
• (Durrant Holden, 2006 Frost Harris, 2003
  Gronn, 2003 Sergiovanni, 2000 Spillane, 2003)
• The fields are often considered separately
• is it useful to link them?

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Evidence from projects supporting teacher
leadership and enquiry

• A school-based MA programme supporting
  teacher-led development and enquiry
  (Canterbury Christ Church University)
• Teachers as Readers Building Communities of
  Readers research and development programme in
  primary schools
  (United Kingdom Literacy Association)
• Creative Partnership Hastings / East Sussex
  (DCSF / Arts Council)

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Common approaches emerge where projects are
effective

• collaboration and collegiality
• enquiry to support change
• active engagement in learning and leadership
• agency and voice
• participation of all school community
• recognising and valuing diversity
• working with families and communities

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From leadership of inclusion to leadership as
inclusion
Challenge and disturbance that leads to real
change
Integrity and coherence of development
Culture change for sustainable improvement
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How do we remove barriers to both learning and
participationand leadership and participation?