Over 2000 delegates from 37 countries attended the 7th World Principals Conference in Capetown, South Africa. Because of the location, about 1200 delegates were African. The next conference will be held in Auckland in 2007. The theme was about the notion of expanded leadership particularly for social change. Principalship is about transformation, the kind that changes individuals and that changes attitudes of sexism, racism and materialism. Through collectivism on a local, regional, national and international scale, principals can effect social and political change through their advocacy and leadership.

The notion of expanded leadership was quite reaffirming to me. I have long advocated that principals need to lead educational debate and direction. Principals need to develop a school culture that is positive and inclusive of all. The conference promoted the school and school leadership in a wider context as an agent of social change – that we can make a difference in our communities. Obviously, this difference will be greater in the eye-opening shanty towns of South Africa and the remote and destitute regions of the African continent. But I reflect and am proud of our innovative and proactive efforts in our community with our support groups, targeted parent education themes, our links with community groups and our advocacy on behalf of our community.

Our school can learn from the successes of education systems in various parts of the world.

Finland

  • Top OECD educational results 2000, 2003
  • High expectations
  • Strong student engagement
  • Positive disciplinary climate
  • Home / school share similar values

England

  • Improved educational outcomes by targeted focus

Singapore, Japan, Korea

  • Top maths nations
  • Homogeneity of society
  • Very high parental expectations
  • Status of principals

United States

  • Underpinning of new Bush Policy is the research that it is not class size, but school size that matters.

Principals and teachers should not defer to the alleged “expertise” of others. We need to be inclusive and holistic (major components of our school culture). Our engagement and relationships with pupils are what makes the difference. No child remembers their Year 6 P.A.T. result – they should remember their teacher’s positive reaction to that result. Actions such as a promise kept, an interest shown, praise given, a kindness shown, compassion and encouragement, these make a difference, touch the lives of others and may change them. In summary, the conference theme is that the school and principal has a wider role of humanity, community and responsibility.

Some specific sessions considered the school’s role in values and ethics in terms of moral leadership in social and political areas particularly in combating sexism, racism and materialism. The inclusive agenda extends also to special education (wonderful session by Loretta Giorcelli from Australia).

A major session of note was “Leading Connected Learning Communities” by Prof. Louise Stoll of the University of London. She defines a learning community and its purpose “in a fast changing world, if you can’t learn, unlearn and re-learn, you’re lost.” Characteristics of an effective learning community include:

  • Shared vision and values
  • Collective responsibility for pupils learning
  • Collaborative focus on learning
  • On-going professional growth by teachers
  • Reflective professional thinking
  • Inclusive practice
  • Mutual trust, respect and support
  • Engagement with parents
  • Reflective inquiry learning

Characteristics that help you learn in school are:

  • Clear learning objectives and explanations
  • Group work
  • Making learning active and enjoyable

Other keynote sessions of value were from:
David Hopkins, Specialist Schools Trust, United Kingdom on “Transformational Leadership”
Pam Christie, University of Queensland on “Leadership in Education”
Andy Hargreaves, Boston College on “Sustainable Leadership”
And Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

An excellent session by Andy Hargreaves who talked about growing leadership in schools – “distributed leadership”. I gained several ideas from this to expand our present practices. It is also evident that inquiry based learning is at the forefront of a new learning revolution. Another strong trend is the importance of strong engagement by teachers with pupils. Finally, a synthesis of several speakers has given me the concept of the “new professionalism” – a new collective of expectations and standards for teachers.

What are the ACTION STEPS that will result from my attendance at this conference?

  1. Reinforcement of our New Learning Paradigm initiative, the importance of engagement with children, of staff self driven professional development and our engagement with our community.
  2. Some specific papers to share with specific staff members.
  3. School wide development in the Louise Stoll material.
  4. The development of Best Practice Modules in literacy, numeracy, Inquiry Learning, Formative assessment, Benchmark standards, school vision and a new area, New Professionalism, to be used to induct new staff and for periodic reminders to existing staff.
  5. Some smaller but specific management practices eg: more rigorous appraisal goals, IT audit, collective professional development initiatives.
  6. Develop a School Improvement Team.