Educational Leadership and Policy

Overview

This unit focuses on developing what it means to be a leader in a contemporary educational setting. It explores key challenges in developing leadership capabilities. Contemporary theories about educational leadership are examined in a national context, and pre-service teachers will be encouraged to reflect on current and likely future issues facing schools and school leaders. The content around these topics will add to pre-service teachers' understanding of the dynamics between leadership, culture and change, and the challenges for leaders. Pre-service teachers will develop skills to make sense of, and constructively respond to, policies within organisational contexts.

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

• Identify theoretical knowledge and professional practice in leadership studies
• Evaluate, analyse and theorise about developments in leadership that contribute to greater understandings and improvements in professional practice
• Integrate knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in supervising and/or appraising staff
• Critically analyse how policies and programs shape education
• Critically analyse contemporary education reform agendas both within Australia and globally, including an understanding of key national and international stakeholders.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Assessment

Content

• Educational leadership in a changing world.
• Policy agendas, policy drivers, twenty first century learning.
• Challenges in developing educational leadership.
• Leadership styles, purpose of educational leadership, roles, governance of schools.
• Leadership concepts and theories.
• Sustainable and effective leadership.
• Women in educational leadership, multiculturalism, diversity, Indigenous leadership.
• Democratic leadership, teachers, students, communities.
• Complexity theories and organisations.