FESE HandBook v03c 15112023 MEV- COMPLETO - Flipbook - Página 23
TONY BUSH / SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FOR WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
School leadership should be centrally concerned with the values, purpose and aims of education (Bush, 2020). These purposes or goals provide the crucial sense of direction which should underpin the leadership
of educational organization. Unless this link between purpose and leadership is clear and close, there is a danger of 8managerialism9, 8a stress
on procedures at the expense of educational purpose and values9 (Bush,
1999: 240). The risk of performativity of this kind appears to be increasing in many countries, with accountability to the formal hierarchy being
accentuated at the expense of responsiveness to students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders. This raises the question of who 8owns9 the
school, where ownership goes beyond the formal role of government to
recognize stakeholders9 emotional engagement with the school.
While the emphasis on educational purpose is important, this does
not mean that all aims or targets are appropriate, particularly if they are
imposed from outside the school by government or other ofocial bodies. Purposeful leadership is vital but these must be aims agreed by the
school and its community. If leaders simply focus on implementing external initiatives, they become administrators, not professional leaders.
In England, for example, the levers of central monitoring and target-setting have been tightened to allow government to manage schools more
closely (Whitty, 2008). Successful internal leadership requires a clear link
between values, vision, aims, strategy and day-to-day activities.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Professor of Educational
Leadership at the University of
Nottingham, UK, and Visiting
Professor at Mid-Sweden
University, Sundsvall. He was
previously a full professor at
four UK universities, Leicester,
Reading, Lincoln and
Warwick. He is the President
of the British Educational
Leadership, Management
and Administration Society
(BELMAS) and was
presented with the Society9s
Distinguished Service Award
in 2008. He has been the
editor-in-chief of the ISI-listed,
leading international journal,
Educational Management,
Administration and Leadership
(EMAL) since 2002. His
best-selling book, Theories
of Educational Leadership
and Management, is now
in its ofth edition and has
been translated into several
languages. He has published
extensively on many aspects
of educational leadership and
management.
