APAPDC School Leadership Frame

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APAPDCSchool Leadership Frame

• An Aboriginal Focus
• Aboriginal Leadership Scenarios

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The Five Leadership Propositions

• Leadership starts from within
• Leadership is about influencing others
• Leadership develops a rich learning environment
• Leadership builds professionalism and management
  capability
• Leadership inspires leadership actions and
  aspirations in others

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Proposition 1

• Leadership starts from within
• Leaders committed to Aboriginal perspectives
• Value and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres
  Strait Islander culture
• Have a strong commitment to improving outcomes
  for Aboriginal students
• Continue to explore their own feelings about
  racism, social justice and equity

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Proposition 2

• Leadership is about influencing others
• Leaders committed to Aboriginal perspectives
• Listen to and act on Aboriginal community input
• Build quality relationships within the school
  community
• Ensure that Aboriginal education is the
  responsibility of all school staff

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Proposition 3

• Leadership develops a rich learning environment
• Leaders committed to Aboriginal perspectives
• Actively promote contact between Aboriginal and
  non-Aboriginal staff and students
• Employ Aboriginal staff in a range of
  responsibilities across the school
• Encourage the development of a whole school
  curriculum that includes Aboriginal perspectives

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Proposition 4

• Leadership builds professionalism and management
  capability
• Leaders committed to Aboriginalperspectives
• Are vigilant in keeping up with current
  Aboriginal education trends, issues and plans
• Encourage all staff to set performance goals and
  targets for personal growth
• Ensure the schools management is underpinned by
  values of social justice, equity and quality
  relationships

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Proposition 5

• Leadership inspires leadership actions and
  aspirations in others
• Leaders committed to Aboriginal perspectives
• Invite Aboriginal community role models into the
  school to motivate and challenge
• Value and celebrate all staff achievement in the
  area of Aboriginal Education
• Provide opportunities for all staff to increase
  their knowledge

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Workshop Discussion Starters

• The following scenarios are based on elements of
  the five leadership propositions of the APAPDC L5
  Frame.
• They make a good starting point for discussion of
  the issues involved.

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Scenario 1

• Relates to Proposition 4 Leadership builds
  professionalism and management capability
• You are the Principal of a school with Aboriginal
  and non-Aboriginal teachers on staff. A parent of
  a newly enrolled child approaches you requesting
  her child be withdrawn from the Aboriginal
  teachers class and moved to a non-Aboriginal
  teachers classroom.
• How do you respond to this request ?
• What are the implications of this request ?
• How do you interact with the staff member over
  this issue ?

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Scenario 2

• Relates to Propositions 1,2 and 4
• An Aboriginal parent rings the school to make a
  complaint about a teachers ability to work with
  her son, she states that everyone in the
  community knows how bad the teacher is for
  Aboriginal kids. You know that the teacher has a
  bad record dealing with issues and has little
  rapport with and support from the community.
  There have been no records kept of the teachers
  issues during past years.
• How would you manage the issue with the parent ?
• How would you manage the issue with the teacher ?

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Scenario 3

• Relates to propositions 1,2,3,4 and 5
• You are a newly appointed Principal to a large
  rural school with a significant Aboriginal
  community. Your executive staff are all
  non-Aboriginal. You are constantly confronted
  with racism from your Executive over decisions
  regarding Aboriginal student behaviour. This
  escalates when you refuse to suspend a child who
  would be in physical danger if sent home ?
• How would you deal with this issue ?
• What are the training implications for your
  executive staff ?
• What are the implications of you decision not to
  suspend ?

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Scenario 4

• Relates to Propositions 1 and 2
• An Aboriginal parent makes a complaint about
  your front office staff and their treatment of
  their children. Upon investigation its appears
  that some extremely racist remarks were made by
  your staff.
• How would you approach your office staff?
• What reporting back to parents would you
  undertake ?
• What are the whole school/community implications
  of this issue ?

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Scenario 5

• Relates to Propositions 1,3 and 4
• During your first Principalship you have an
  altercation with a staff member over a curriculum
  issue. The teacher, in a heated argument, accuses
  you of not having a real teaching qualification
  as you got it easy because of your
  Aboriginality ?
• How do you deal with this very personal attack ?
• Who would you seek support from as you work
  through this issue ?

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Scenario 6

• Relates to Propositions 1,2,4 and 5
• The school you have just been appointed to has
  been rumoured to be closing in the near future.
  Your elders and community are extremely
  distressed by this. A small but significant
  number of families are preparing to send their
  children away to school.
• What processes would you put in place to ensure
  stability within your school and community ?
• Who would you enlist as your allies in this
  process ?

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Scenario 7

• Relates to Propositions 1 and 4
• You are newly appointed to a school as Principal.
  You have noticed that whenever you are working
  with your Bursar/Finance Officer on finance
  matters that decisions seem to have been already
  made. You overhear a discussion in the office
  that indicates a belief that you dont have the
  monetary management skills for the job ?
• What would you do in the first instance on
  hearing this discussion ?
• What are the implications for the Office Staff of
  you addressing this issue ?
• Who would you seek support from as you work
  through this issue ?

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Scenario 8

• Relates to proposition 2,4 and 5
• During your Principalship two experienced
  teachers are appointed to your school. They are a
  husband and wife team from the big smoke. You
  notice how often their joint discussions sway
  other younger staff. This comes to a head when
  you want to implement a Health and Wellbeing
  initiative and the husband/wife team strongly
  object that schools are for academic learning and
  they lead a staff revolt around your decisions.
• What processes would you implement to work toward
  a solution ?
• How would you break this white-anting behaviour ?

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Scenario 9

• Relates to propositions 1 and 4
• Your school is on community land and your
  relationship with the community is vital to the
  successful education of students in your care.
  You are not from the same mob and have never
  taught in a community before.
• How would you build and sustain a strong
  relationship with the community ?

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Scenario 10

• Relates to propositions 1,2,4 and 5.
• The executive staff who supervises the Aboriginal
  Aides in the school constantly complains about
  their absences. When a death in a neighbouring
  community leaves the school with no Aboriginal
  support staff for a week your executive wants you
  to find more reliable people.
• How do you respond to this request?
• What implications are there for the entire staff
  ?
• How would you support you Aboriginal staff who
  are confronted by these issues ?