The discursive performance of leadership in schools

Abstract

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (now the Department for Education) and the National College for School Leadership (now the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services) have been active participants in framing and shaping discourse in relation to leadership in schools in England. This paper is based upon findings from research funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (RES-000-22-3610) as part of the Distributed Leadership and the Social Practices of School Organisation in England (SPSO) project. It examines how educational practitioners have engaged with these discursive framing and shaping activities. This is conducted through a particular focus upon how distributed leadership has been talked into being as part of a wider regime which seeks to manage the performance of educational practitioners and designated educational leaders.

Keywords

Distributed leadership performativity discourse

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ball, S. ( 2003) ‘The teacher’s soul and the terrors of performativity’ . Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215-28.

Bennett, N. , Harvey, J.A. , Wise, C. & Woods, P.A. ( 2003) Desk Study Review of Distributed Leadership. Nottingham: NCSL/ CEPAM.

Dcsf (2008) The National Challenge: Raising Standards, Supporting Schools. London: DCSF Publications.

Gronn, P. ( 2000) ‘Distributed properties: a new architecture for leadership’. Educational Management and Administration , 28(3), 319-38.

Gronn, P. ( 2002) ‘Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis’ . Leadership Quarterly, 13, 423-51.

Gunter, H.M. ( 2005) Leading Teachers. London: Continuum.

Gunter, H.M. (ed.) (2011) The State and Education Policy: The Academies Programme. London: Continuum.

Harris, A. ( 2005) Crossing Boundaries and Breaking Barriers: Distributing Leadership in Schools. London: Specialist Schools Trust.

Harris, A. ( 2008) Distributed School Leadership. London : Routledge.

10.

Hartley, D. ( 2007) ‘The emergence of distributed leadership in education; why now?’ British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(2), 202-14.

11.

Hartley, D. (2010) ‘Paradigms: how far does research in distributed leadership stretch ?’ Education Management Administration and Leadership , 38(3), 271-85.

12.

Hatcher, R. ( 2005) ‘The distribution of leadership and power in schools’ . British Journal of Sociology of Education, 26(2), 253-67.

13.

Hopkins, D. ( 2001) ‘Think Tank’ Report to Governing Council. Nottingham: NCSL.

14.

Leithwood, K. , Day, C. , Sammons, P. , Harris, A. & Hopkins, D. ( 2006) Seven Strong Claims About Successful School Leadership . Nottingham: NCSL.

15.

Macbeath, J. (2009) Distributed leadership: paradigms, policy and paradox’, in K. Leithwood , B. Mascall and T. Strauss (eds), Distributed Leadership According to the Evidence. New York : Routledge, pp. 41-57.

16.

Oecd (2008) Education and Training Policy, Improving School Leadership, Volume 1: Policy and Practice, Summary in English. Paris: OECD.

17.

Penlington, C. & Kington, A. ( 2007) Leadership Practices and Students Outcomes: A Qualitative Perspective. Paper presented on Research into the Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes Symposium, BERA, London, September.

18.

Spillane, J.P. ( 2006) Distributed Leadership. San Francisco : John Wiley & Sons.