FESE HandBook v03c 15112023 MEV- COMPLETO - Flipbook - Página 33
TONY BUSH / SCHOOL LEADERSHIP FOR WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Despite its prominence, however, instructional leadership has been
criticized on two grounds. First, it is perceived to be concerned with
teaching more than learning (Bush, 2013). Second, it is 8focused too
much on the principal as the centre of expertise, power and authority9
(Hallinger, 2003: 330), ignoring or underplaying the role of other leaders, such as deputy principals, middle managers, leadership teams, and
classroom teachers. As Lambert (2002: 37) indicates, 8the days of the lone
instructional leader are over. We no longer believe that one administrator can serve as the instructional leader for the entire school without the
substantial participation of other educators9.
The recent emphasis on instructional leadership is based largely on
practice in decentralised contexts, where principals have substantial
scope to decide how to lead and manage their schools (Bush and Glover, 2014). However, there is emerging evidence (e.g., Bush et al. 2018 in
Malaysia, Gumus and Akcaoglu, 2013 in Turkey, Hallinger and Lee, 2014
in Thailand, and Kaparou and Bush, 2015 in Greece) that governments
of centralised systems, which encourage or prescribe instructional leadership, may be disappointed, as principals are reluctant to move away
from their traditional managerial approaches (Bush, 2020).
CONTINGENT LEADERSHIP
The leadership models discussed above are all partial, providing insights into one approach to leadership. None of these models provide a
complete picture of school leadership. No single approach is sufocient to
address all situations and problems. The contingent model provides an
alternative approach, recognizing the diverse nature of school contexts
and the advantages of adapting leadership styles to the particular situation, rather than adopting a 8one size ots all9 stance. 8What is important
is how leaders respond to the unique organizational circumstances or
problems9 (Leithwood et al., 1999: 15).
Hoyle and Wallace (2005) extend this discussion by saying that the
type of leader likely to be successful will depend on the specioc set of
circumstances facing the school. Notman (2017), drawing on his study of
two urban school principals in New Zealand, stresses the need for contingent or 8adaptive9 leadership, sensitive to the school context, rather
than a single innexible model. Leadership requires effective diagnosis
of problems, followed by adopting the most appropriate response to the
issue or situation. This approach is particularly important in periods of
turbulence, for example during the Covid-19 pandemic, when leaders
need to assess the situation carefully, and react as appropriate, rather
than relying on a standard leadership model.
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