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Videoconferencia con UTAH Valley University3 de Marzo de 2011

LIDERSHIP

AND

ITS

EXERCISE

AT THE

CL

ASSROOM

Samuel Gento, UNED,University Professor,UNED, España

1.- Justification: need of leadership in education

The existence of leadership is essential in any organization of human beings: ³Leadership

is important: whoever is the leader and how he acts makes the difference´ (id, id: 376)

The need to improve school leadership as a priority in nowdays education is shown

by Pont, B., Nusch, D. & Moorman, H., in a report prepared for the OECD and that has

been published in its original version as ³Improving School Leadership, Volume 1:Practice and Policy. ³ In the preface to this publication it is stated: ³The schoolleadership is now a priority in worldwide education policy. A greater school autonomy

and a greater focus on education and school performance have made it essential toreconsider the role of school leaders ³(Pont, B., Nusche, D. & Moorman, H. (2008: 9).

2.- Lidership Conceptualisation

We understand that a leader is that person (or group of persons) ³able to lead a

release, from the inside, of the inner energy of other human beings, so that theywillingly strive to reach, in the most efficient and comfortable possible way, the goals

that these human beings have proposed to achieve to get their own dignity and that of

those with whom they live in a particular environment and context to which theyprovide the necessary care ³(Gento, S., 2002: 183).

The liberating potential of the true leader converts him in the true servant of his

followers. In this sense De Pree, M. (1989: XX) pronounced, stating that: ³he takes the

core mission of helping their followers to overcome the obstacles that prevent them

from putting into action their total capacity to achieve their goals and objectives shared

within the group.

Different ways to exercise leadership: Branson, Ch. M. (2010: 63) afirms that ³a

particular leader does not have to be like other leaders to be considered a true leader by his

followers, but he should be consistent, have a predictable behavior, and in any case,

trustworthy´.

Although theoretical and empirical studies offer features that allows to identify the

real leadership, the actual exercise of leadership can be exercised in a particular way for each person or group of persons. Thus, Rudolf Giuliani (Giuliani, R., 2002: XII)

pronounced as follows: ³There are many ways of practising leadership. Some people likeFranklin Roosevelt, inspired others with moving speeches. Others, like Joe DiMaggio,

exercised it with his owm example. Winston Churchill and Douglas MacArthur were



Gento, S. y Cortés, J.³Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo´

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exceptionally brave and excellent speakers. Ronald Reagan did it with the strength and

consistency of his character, people followed him because they believed in him. ³

Leaders own characteristics

Some of the traits attributed to the real leader are:

Commitment to serving others;

Control of emotions;

Atention to details;

Aceptance of responsability;

Sincerity;

H onesty and loyalty to the institution or entity;

Learning from mistakes

Aceptance of risk.

3.- Lidership in education

In every step shared by humans, the existence of true leaders and the exercise of atrue leadership is a fundamental component of the effectiveness and quality of such an

initiative. Although leadership must be seen within different fields of intervention andexercised by individuals or groups of persons suitable for those areas of intervention, its

potential liberation of energy becomes increasingly evident.

Diversity of leadership in education

The exercise of leadership in education can be considered at different levels: the

nuances of its exercise will be unique, with differences between the role thatcorresponds to the highest responsible for education in a country, that which involves

the teacher responsible for a group students, to the parents of the latter and even the

students themselves in relation to their peers. In any case, since our primary concern

focuses on the quality of education and necessary change for its improvement, here it

refers to the exercise of leadership and the profile of the leader within this context.

Of course, such leadership should apply also to the heads of educational institutions,

deputy directors, directors of study (or heads of studies), secretaries of the center,

managing or participating bodies (such as faculty, departments, school board , etc.), and

teachers.

In some cases, adhoc teams can be established based on the experience of its

members and the needs of the moment or the situation (Pont, B., Nusche, D. &Moorman, H: 2008: 11).

Profile of the instructional leader

The exercise of leadership within an institution or educational initiative should be

eminently pedagogical: that is, its profile and action must be accommodated to what is

peculiar to education, to the results it implies and the processes involved. Consequently,




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although the characteristics generally attributable to any kind of leadership can be

applicable to this instructional leadership, the prime concern of the leadership hereaddressed has to be to promote the potential of all members of an entity or educational

initiative aimed at achieving the effectiveness and quality of education, preferablywithin a total quality approach.

Thus understood, the profile of instructional leader is characterized by the constancyof the dimensions described below (insert graphic)

Charismatic Dimension;

Emotional Dimension; Anticipatory Dimension;

P rofessional Dimension; P articipative Dimension;

Cultural Dimension;

F ormative Dimension;

M anagerial or administrative Dimension.

4.- Educative needed change

The leader of change must ³understand the forces or pressures that promote the need for

change´ (Branson, Ch. M., 2010: 11). But, depending on the situation of departure or the

motives behind the change and the objectives pursued, there may exist different types of

changes, namely:

Reactive (when things go wrong);

Of continuous improvement (when things go well); Of re-engineering (where the focus, the organization and the processes are

changed structurally).

Nowdays, in our social, economic and cultural environment, educational changes

should pursue the excellence and the consequent cultural change of the educational

organizations. Among the educational changes needed to improve the quality of our

education systems can be considered as priority the following:

Support from the authorities to the educational system; Reduction of bureaucratic and administrative pressure;

Elimination of authoritarian approach; Reduction of ongoing reforms in education;

Granting autonomy to schools; Increasment of levels of investment in teachers¶ wages;

I nclusive t reatment of education; Rethinking of curricula;

Redefinition of leadership in education. (H., 2008b: 9-10).

5.- Teacher s Leadership

Applied to the field of educational action in the classroom, the exercise of leadership

primarily corresponds to the teacher, and it will aim basically to promote self-learning




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formative processes of students, but in its development, the teacher contrasts with the

practice and improve his/her own professional status, through reflection on his/her action and from the operational effect of itself (Medina, A., 1988). The main purpose is

not, therefore, to ensure that students acquire specific knowledge, it is, rather, that theyacquire the necessary consistency of progressive autonomous and efficient

development, to the extent it is necessary.

Consistent with what has just been said, the leadership performance of the teacher in theclassroom could be summed up in what is understood as constituting the collective vision

of the school; managing the instruction and promoting a positive learning climate.

Considering the teacher as a leader in the classroom set up, therefore, a new ³role´ or core

mission, namely: the facilitation of self-forming capacity of individuals and groups that

have been entrusted. According to this fundamental mission, it can be defined as belonging

to this professional the functions described below:

Design formative projects

P romote an appropiate climate; F acilitate information sources;

Suggest didactical materials;

P rovide educational technology;

Select formative experiences;

Guide the formation processes;

Evaluate the formation levels;

P ropose accreditations.

6.- Assessment of the dimensions of instructional leadership

Empirical evidence gathered in an investigation into the dimensions of educational

leadership (with a special award to the director of an educational institution) provideinformation on the importance given to each of these dimensions. In the table following

are inserted: the arithmetic mean of the ratings given to each dimension (on a minimumscore of 1 and maximum of 9), the standard deviation of each arithmetic mean, standard

error of mean and the number of questionnaires that evaluates the respective dimension




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DIMENSION OF LIDERSHIP

IMPORTANCE

Arithmetic

Mean

Standard

Devia_

cion

Stand

ard

Error

Nº

Quest

ionna

Participative 7,4957 1,7665 .0306 3339

Professional 7,4853 1,8371 .0318 3338

Cultural 6,9886 1,8368 .318 3342Formative 6,8652 1,9215 .0332 3346

Afective 6,7827 1,9441 .0345 3337

Managerial 6,6996 1,9696 .0346 3332

Anticipatory 6,69964 1,9216 .0334 3331

Charismátic 6.4529 2,1192 .0486 1901

I mportance that should be given to the dimensions of instructional leadership

(attributed to the director of an educational institution)

7.- References

COVEY, S. (1991). Principle Centered Leadership. New York: Free Press. DÍAZ LEONARDO, S. & GARCÍA RIGÜEL, M. (2008). Escuela de Desarrollo de Hábitos.

Madrid: Díaz de Santos. GENTO, S. (1994). Participación en la Gestión Educativa. Madrid: Santillana. GENTO, S. (Coord) (2001ª). La Institución Educativa. I Iddentificadores de Calidad.

Buenos Aires: Docencia. GENTO, S. (Coord) (2001ª). La Institución Educativa. II Predictores de Calidad. Buenos

Aires: Docencia. GENTO, S. (2002). Instituciones Educativas para la Calidad Total. Madrid: La Muralla

(3d. edición).GOLEMAN, D (1999). W orking with Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury

GIULIANI, R.W. (2002). Leadership. New York: Hyperion. HARGREAVES, A.& FINK, D. (2006). Sustainable Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. HENTIG, H. von (1993). Die Schule New Denken. München: Carl Hanser. MEDINA, A. (1988). Didáctica e Interacción en el Aula. Madrid: Cincel. OECD (2003). Education at a Glance. Paris: Author. OCDE (2004). Regards sur l ´Éducation. Les Indicateurs de l´OCDE 2004. Paris: Auteur.OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: W hat Makes a School Sucessful? Paris: Author PONT, B., NUSCHE, D. & MOORMAN, H. (2008b). Improving School Leadership,

Volume 2: Case Studies on System Leadership. Paris: OECD. SCHEIN, E.H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership (3rd

. ed.). San Francisco:Jossey-Bass.

SCHMELKES, S. (1995). Hacia una Mejor Calidad de Nuestras Escuelas. México, D.F.:OEA/SEP).

SENGE, P M. (1990). The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York:Double Day.

SENGE, P.M. (1994). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday. TOFFLER, A. (1999). F uture Shock. New York: Bantam Books.

SERGIOVANNI, T.J. (2004). Leadership. W hats in it for Schools? Abongdon, Oxon:Routlege Falmer.




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UNESCO (2004). Global M onitoring Report 2005: Education for All. The Quality

I mperative (Summary). Paris: Author.WHEATLEY, M. (2006). Leadership and the New Science. San Francisco: Berrett-

Koehler.WINTERHOFF, M. (2009). Tyrannen Müssen nicht Sein. Random House: München

YUKL, G.A. (2002). Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall.

8.- Fuentes de Internethttp://europa.eu/legislation-summaries/education: European Union legislation on

education, youth and sports.http:/www.neo-humanista.org/DPCC2/index.htlm: organización neohumanista.

http:// www.pisa.oecd.org: PISA reports.http:// www.unesco.org: UNESCO information.

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