Abstract
Being a Caribbean man and a student of school leadership, I looked forward to a book that would capture the unique yet varied aspects of school leadership across the Caribbean region. Several questions occupied my thoughts before reading Paul Miller’s book. First, I wondered if the leadership constructs that described school leadership in other countries were similar to those found in the Caribbean. Also, I considered the extent to which the unique experiences of school leaders across the different Caribbean islands would be successfully captured in one volume. Finally, I thought of the impact of colonialism on the people of the Anglophone Caribbean and the extent to which this would be successfully captured and represented. My third concern stemmed primarily from my interest in Caribbean history and the fact that some times, ideas, thoughts and expressions about the Caribbean region are misinterpreted. My fears and concerns were quickly allayed when I discovered that the writers actually showed a clear understanding and appreciation of the experiences of those who worked in schools. The book captures aspects of school leadership in the Anglophone Caribbean. The feat is in fact bold because the Commonwealth Caribbean, which is distinguished from the other areas of the Caribbean, is a very complex region. The articles in this book represent a concise analysis of various Caribbean writers sharing their experiences and stories from several islands namely Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Guyana, with a brief reference to Bermuda and Antigua.
Miller ably provides us with glimpses of school leadership and management across the Caribbean. Asserting that there are deep and well-established problems in the education system across the Caribbean, the book discusses some strategies used by school leaders to improve the educational opportunities of students through the application of good management, coupled with effective leadership. The reality that one size does not fit all is clearly demonstrated in the stories shared on how schools are being led and managed across the region. Miller argues that educational leaders in Caribbean schools are embracing a new paradigm or models of leadership. He observes that effective teachers and principals are among those who are drawn from the non- traditional areas of the education system.
In describing what school leadership looks like across the Caribbean, Miller uses 10 chapters divided across three themes. He begins with uncovering the perceptions and approaches to leadership and how the practice of leadership impacts performance, change and improvement. Focusing on Trinidad and Tobago, he discusses the inclusive nature of teachers’ professional development and the impact of strong leadership in reshaping the opportunities of students who would normally be ostracized by an education system shaped by the legacy of colonial imperialism. The ability to embrace change is discussed in Chapter 4, as in the case of Monserrat where the educational landscape posed new and dynamic situations, requiring a kind of leadership that is strong and systematic. Citing the example of Kinsale Primary School, the writer shows how stakeholders, united and willing to embrace new and creative initiatives, successfully transformed their institution. Also, the debilitating effects of elitism in education and attempts to move away from the legacy of an oppressive colonial education system are presented and strategies identified to systematically and successfully elevate the educational level of the Caribbean man.
Several chapters of the book provide insights on various themes in school leadership across Jamaica. The contested view of the master teacher as mentor and middle leader is engaging, especially for those who have always viewed middle leaders as those teachers responsible for building the middle rung of school leadership. The low level of ICT skills among teachers and principals is highlighted as a problem unique to Third World countries including the neighbouring islands of Antigua and Barbuda. Miller also reinforces the fact that leadership in the Caribbean is not the sole preserve of Principals or member of the Senior Leadership Management Team (SLMT), and advocates for transformational leadership for the Commonwealth Caribbean. Having captured the major themes, Miller concludes by engaging us on the issue of gender and ethnicity in education. Using two Caribbean countries, he highlights the disparities in the number of female to male teachers in schools. His finding correlates with what happens elsewhere in the world, where the face of school leadership appears masculine but the majority of school principals between primary and secondary schools are female.
In reading this book the underlying theme is transformational leadership. In fact, one could easily change the title to Transformational Leadership: The Caribbean Experience. Throughout the book, clear and dynamic cases of transformational leadership are paraded. The examples of leadership presented, demonstrate that the leadership and management of schools is pervasive, and the strategies used in one situation to resolve a problem can be used by another in a totally different cultural context, albeit, with the enabling of a transformational leader. Overall, the book provides valuable information for all readers, especially because such information is not available elsewhere. Caribbean school leaders and other stakeholders in education now have empirical evidence to guide them in the leading and management of schools.