Baker 9139

Witnessing to a true humanity in a global world ®

Australia
Frances Baker rsm, ACU National Melbourne Campus (St Patrick's)

This paper will explore contemporary theological insights into Christian anthropology and their significance for Catholic Educational Leadership. The paper identifies understandings and awarenesses of the human person that emerge in the light of both faith and reason and considers some contemporary challenges to these understandings. Drawing on ideas articulated in the work of Joseph Selling, the paper will present a range of criteria by which to consider the values and practices embedded in a Catholic educational community and perspectives from which to engage in analysis and critique of policies, programs and structures. The paper is not concerned with quantitative research in this area but rather with the articulation of the implications in practice of a vision of the human person that bears witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the tradition of the Christian community. It argues that the understanding of what it is to be human is at the heart not just of Gospel proclamation but at the very centre of all education. A critical challenge for Catholic Educational Leadership in the 21st century is the development of an educational experience that bears witness to our shared humanity in a global world.

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Benjamin 2847A

Directions: A Personal Retrospective ®

Australia
Anne Benjamin, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

This paper explores Catholic educational leadership from the author's personal perspective of many years' involvement in senior Catholic educational leadership positions. In addition to leadership experiences in diocesan adult education and higher education, the author has enjoyed the privilege of working within the Parramatta Catholic school system between 1990 and 2005. From 1997, she was Executive Director of Schools in the Diocese, with overall responsibility for a system of around 75 schools for 42,000 children served by nearly 4000 staff. The central focus of the paper is an attempt to answer the question: What lessons of substance has the author learnt about Catholic educational leadership through her immediate experience? What elements of that learning might be of value to others - either those who presently hold Catholic educational leadership positions and those who might aspire to them; or those who educate people for such responsibilities and those who are in a position to shape the expectations upon Catholic educational leaders?

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Benjamin 2847B

Sustaining Catholic Educational Leaders ®

Australia
Anne Benjamin, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

The quality of who they are as educators and ministers has always been critical to the influence Catholic educational leaders have upon the many people with whom they interact, - especially the young people in their care. This paper explores ways of balancing the many demands within the personal and professional lives of those in Catholic educational leadership so that that influence is optimal. This is particularly pertinent for educational leaders in contemporary western societies where challenges realting to balanced lifestyle, life quality and values demand immediate attention for the future health of leaders and of Catholic education itself. This paper focuses on strategies at both organisation and personal level to sustain those who carry leadership roles within the ministry of Catholic education. The author brings to her reflection over 16 years' experience in leadership with Catholic schools, and direct knowledge of the pressures experienced by school leaders and others in leadership positions. This paper is premised on Catholic educational leadership being essentially an exercise of ministry within Christian discipleship.

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Bracken 3604

Catholic schools as places of adult transformation- testing the reality: Implications for school and system leaders.

Australia
Anthony Bracken, Catholic Education Office Parramatta

Given the importance of staff in communicating and sustaining the ethos of the Catholic school, providing opportunities for their ongoing formation is a critical leadership responsibility. Diversity of need, life experience and Church affiliation among staff suggests that any program of spiritual formation is focused to cater for difference. Arguably of more significance to adult formation is the culture of the school in which adults are immersed daily, and which exerts a potentially strong formative influence on them, and through them to the students. Within this cultural milieu, every aspect of the school: teaching learning programs, interactions, policy decisions, community life, worship, signs and symbols, all communicate meaning in both explicit and implicit ways. How these resonate with an authentically Catholic view of life, and with the deep values, beliefs and searching of staff will determine whether the school is a place of formation for adults. Testing this cultural milieu for congruence with a Catholic worldview is a critical leadership responsibility. This paper draws on doctoral research carried out by the author in the Parramatta Diocese in Western Sydney.

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Bracken 3755

Leading from the Middle: A project involving beginning secondary coordinators as leaders of learning"

Australia
Tony Bracken, Catholic Education Office Parramatta
Glynis Jones, Education Consultant NSW

Beginning secondary coordinators in the Parramatta Diocese participated in a three term program designed to build capacity in their role as significant leaders of student learning. The program is part of the broader Leadership Development Program within the Parramatta Diocese. The program was convened by Glynis Jones and integrated current international research into middle leadership with strategies for effectiveness in management and leadership at the school level. Following the course in 2006, beginning coordinators maintained a learning log in which they reflected on some of their achievments and challenges in the role. This workshop provides an overview of current research and best practice and reports on the excperiences of the beginning coordinators in their roles as leaders of learning

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Brady 9637

The academic mentor: A new vision of secondary pre-service teacher education in Canberra ®

Australia
Jo Brady, ACU National Canberra Campus (Signadou)
Carolyn Broadbent, ACU National Canberra Campus

The paper draws on a pilot study of the role of the academic mentor in secondary pre-service teacher education conducted in 2006. ACU National Canberra Campus offers a new vision of secondary pre-service education with a collaborative partnership between the university, Catholic Education Office of the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn, leading teachers and the Catholic schools. While over the past decades teacher preparation courses across Australia have instituted a mentoring program during the practicum component, the program at ACU National Canberra Campus differs in having the mentor teachers fulfilling a more academic role in the provision of small group tutorials addressing educational theories in practice, philosophies and professional performance and effective teaching strategies. The academic mentor has an ongoing role throughout the year and provides another level for reflective practice for the pre-service teacher beyond the practicum. The professional relationship embarked upon by the pre-service teacher and mentor teacher provides a significant initiation into both the profession and a professional practice of a competent educator. The study explored the effectiveness of the experience for both the pre-service teacher and the academic mentor. The conclusions provided recommendations for the enhancement of the programme in addition to assisting the professional development and career advancement of these educational leaders.

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Broadbent 2628

An Engaged University: Unlocking leadership potential in schools to support children with special needs ®

Australia
Carolyn Broadbent, ACU National Canberra Campus (Signadou)
Jill Burgess, ACU National Canberra Campus 

Significant changes within the higher education sector have led to a growing interest in the way in which universities seek to engage with their communities. This has resulted in the emergence of numerous visions and discourses surrounding the notion of community engagement, including social capital, community partnerships and sustainability. An engaged university acknowledges the centrality of community engagement to its overall mission and teaching, learning and research roles. This paper outlines a successful initiative that brings together ACU National, Canberra, the Catholic Education Office (Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn), school Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) and members of the wider educational community for the development of a one year university-accredited LSAs' Professional Development Certificate course. The paper discusses the design and implementation of the course, including approaches to curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. Now in its fourth year, the course continues to receive strong support and course evaluations reflect an increase in the self-efficacy of the participants, not only in their improved understanding and practice but also in their ability to assume a leadership role in their school communities. As 'quiet' leaders working behind the scenes, these LSAs are able to effect considerable change through the cumulative effect of the many small changes they make while building more inclusive learning environments. Long-term, the value of this LSAs' course is its success in creating: stronger synergies between the University and members of the wider educational community; leadership capacity within schools; and, more equitable learning outcomes for all students.

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Broadbent 6409

Building cultural capital within the Indigenous community ®

Australia
Carolyn Broadbent, ACU National Canberra Campus (Signadou)
Margaret Boyle, ACU National Canberra Campus
Margaret Carmody, ACU National Canberra Campus

Schooling presents both tensions and challenges for many Indigenous Australian students. Although the key elements of their cultures and lifestyles may have been maintained to varying degrees within the Indigenous community, this is not always clearly acknowledged within educational policy, overall curriculum development and pedagogy. Recognition of the rich cultural capital that many Indigenous students bring to their schools, and efforts to enhance that of students who may have experienced less opportunity to learn about their culture, can work effectively to build strong home-school-community partnerships that strengthen student engagement in schooling and the learning process. This paper provides details of a successful ACT Government funded initiative, the Connecting Communities Project, developed to support Indigenous families to assist their children's learning. This collaborative Project brought together schools, members of the Indigenous community, including adults, students, and course presenters, academic staff from ACU National, school teachers, and learning support staff. Central to the development of the Project was awareness that working with and support from the Indigenous community, at both the design and implementation stages, was essential to its success. Through a focus on the rich cultural heritage located in the local community and use of community learning spaces such as the National Gallery of Australia and Australian National Museum, the participants explored their Indigenous culture through life stories, writing, film, and the arts resulting in meaningful learning experiences that enhanced cultural affirmation and pride.

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Burford 4130

Student Engagement in Catholic Schools: Implications For Catholic Leaders ®

Australia and United States
Charles Burford, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Steven Gross, Temple University

Student Engagement in Catholic Schools: Implications For Catholic Leaders While scores of programs are designed to respond to the concerns of teachers and administrators, sparse attention has been paid to students themselves. How do they define their learning needs? Where are these needs met now? How do today's high school students learn best? We simply have not bothered to ask these essential questions often enough and well enough. Without answers to such fundamental questions, how do policy makers know that young people are listening, let alone engaged enough to learn effectively? If we are serious about promoting high standards of academic achievement, we must do more than talk. This paper will report on research conducted by the authors in The United States and Australia designed to give a carefully selected, diverse group of high school students an opportunity to describe their level of engagement with school academic programs and express their own learning priorities. Five Australian Catholic High schools were selected for participation in this study. Their selection was decided by their existing involvement in a Project called "Leaders Transforming Leaning and Learners". To further the LTLL program goals it was decided to incorporate a research project commenced by Prof Steven Gross of Temple University, Pennsylvania on Student Engagement into the "Leaders Transforming Learning and Learners" program. It was hoped to give insights to the school's leadership teams and their student and parent communities about the perceptions of their students, as to their engagement in learning at the school, at the outset of the LTLL program. The research problem statement was: What learning really matters to today's high school students and how do we know?. This paper will share what the findings that have clear implications for leaders in Catholic Schools.

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Butcher 3284

Engagement, Transformation and Mission for Catholic Education Today ®

Australia
Jude Butcher, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Seamus O'Grady, Catholic Education Office Sydney (Leichhardt Office)

Catholic Education has a history of addressing proactively the diversity of its student population. This proactive approach has been evident in the areas of ESL and students with learning disabilities. New challenges have occurred for Catholic Education with the increasing number of students arriving from diverse cultures. Many of these students are refugees. Catholic schools in their mission of evangelisation and commitment to quality education are seeking appropriate ways to work with children who have never experienced school situations as found in Australia. New arrival programs have been established in response to the needs of the students. Engaging with the students, their families and their communities are key to informing decisions about the structures, strategies and resources for such programs. Such engagement is a basis for implementing transformative learning and pursuing the evangelising mission of the school. This paper presents principles and strategies for listening to the voices of the people and discerning effective ways of promoting access to Catholic schooling and transformative learning.

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Cauchi 9565

A grounded study on leaders' perspective ®

Malta
Rose Anne Cauchi Cuschieri, Secretariat for Catholic Education

This paper takes a look and discusses the findings of my current doctoral research on leadership in Roman Catholic primary and secondary church schools in Malta. Taking a grounded approach, the study aims at investigating what it is like to be a headteacher in a church-run school, through an emploration of attitudes, behaviours, leadership styles and managerial skills and approaches. The initial phase of the study involved interviews with five primary headteachers and five secondary headteachers. The main issues that were thus elicited, provided the basis of a questionnaire that was then distributed to all heads of Maltese church schools. The final findings provide a clear discernment and a deep insight into the experiences and perceptions of church school leaders. Positive and negative aspects of the job are also drawn out, indicating areas where changes would be helpful. The findings also provide a clear picture of the stressful and motivational features of this profession. Light will also be shed on the importance given to vision, school ethos and charisma of each religious order that runs the school. Finally recommendations for the way forward will be given.

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Cavanagh 8249

Crying out for leadership: the role of the Catholic System In Aborginal Education ®

Australia
Pat Cavanagh, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Sharon Cooke, Armidale Catholic Education Office

The Catholic school system's commitment to Aboriginal education should be seen in the context of its stated vision for, and commitment to, social justice. Unfortunately the reality has not always matched the vision. Though individual schools, principals and teachers have at times made significant contributions at the local level, responsibility for Aboriginal education has generally been left by default to state school systems. There remains a widespread perception that Catholic schools and systems continue to avoid this difficult area and, indeed, that many Catholic schools encourage and facilitate a "brain drain" and "white flight" from the state system. However, in the 20 years since the papal visit of 1986, significant initiatives in Aboriginal education have emerged from the Catholic system. This paper analyses several "lighthouse programs" in the Catholic system and suggests that key features of these programs should both be more widely adopted and more enthusiastically celebrated so that Catholic leadership in this important area of education for social justice is better appreciated.

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Chambers 7018

Students Who Are Not Catholics in Catholic Schools: Research in Progress ®

Australia
Michael Chambers, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

This paper provides an account of a PhD study in progress designed for a more sophisticated and developed understanding of how religious educators should respond to the presence of students who are not Catholics in Catholic schools. Increasingly, there is awareness that many students in Catholic schools are not Catholics and that these students, by their enrolment, pose possibilities and challenges for the Catholic school and religious educators. They pose possibilities because they add to school enrolments and they are part of the reason for increased funding, resourcing and staffing. Moreover, the presence of students who are not Catholics allows Catholic schools to engage with the 'richness' of cultural and religious diversity. They pose challenges because they bring to question the nature and purpose of religious education in Catholic schools. This challenge is particularly problematic given the postmodern context of pluralism, secularism and fragmentation. This paper will present the findings to date in respect to this research study and will include the perspectives of secondary religious educators, principals, religious education co-ordinators and diocesan education officers regarding an appropriate response to the issue of the religious education of students who are not Catholics in Catholic schools.

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Clancy 6103

Pedagogy for Neomillennials

Australia
Kate Clancy, Catholic Education Office Sydney
Anna Dickinson, OLSH College

We need a new pedagogy, based on interactivity, personalisation and the development of autonomous capacity of learning and thinking...While at the same time strengthening the character and securing the personality. (Castells) The forces of globalisation, including technological innovation, have mediated the life experience of students presently in classrooms. These students are presenting with 'new identities'. The digital medium is a key factor in the imperative to remodel learning experiences in the classroom. The technology is changing the way neomillennials are engaging in the world. We need to challenge prevailing assumptions about the learner and the learning process to redesign pedagogy for students presenting with these 'new identities'. The Catholic Education Office Sydney has developed the Learning framework, a comprehensive statement about teaching and learning in the contemporary Catholic context. recognising the moral purpose of schooling and that all educational practice is governed by values, it includes Foundation Statements that are drawn from the Catholic tradition and relate directly to the person of the learner and the learning process. This session outlines the process for the development of the Framework and how one secondary school uses the Framework to promote excellence in teaching practice.

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Collins 8025

Learning from Experience: Formation for Leadership and Group Relations Training Programs ®

Australia
John Francis Collins, Centacare Sydney

A major event in the field of experiential learning was the first "Leicester conference" in the UK conducted in 1957. The conference was a two-week residential working conference, focusing on such issues as authority, leadership and organisation. This conference gave birth to what was to become the Group Relations Training Programme (GRTP) of the Tavistock Institute in London. GRTPs are conducted in Australia by Group Relations Australia. This paper presents an overview of the (GRTP) process and theory with a view to the adoption and adaptation of the Group Relations Training Program specifically for education/formation of leaders and potential leaders in Catholic schools.

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Cook 2507

Are We Who We Say We Are? Assessing Ethos and Mission Effectiveness ®

United States
Timothy Cook, Creighton University

How do you know your school is a good Catholic school that is effective in its religious mission? How are your students and graduates different? How is your school ethos different? What evidence do you systematically collect, assess, and communicate to address these questions? In this era of educational accountability, it is important that we also cultivate, monitor, and assess our authenticity as Catholic schools. This paper will discuss accountability and assessment issues in relation to religious mission and identity. This paper will also suggest best practices regarding structures, processes, and pieces of evidence that may help leaders meet the challenge of ensuring that their schools fulfill their distinctive purpose?

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Cooke 3390

Everybody's Business: The vision for Indigenous Education in Catholic schools

Australia
Sharon Cooke, Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Armidale
Danielle Cronin, Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT

"That teachers, schools and systems strive with minimal success to increase and improve student and parent affiliation with schools, begs the question as to why Aboriginal students and adults seem to reject schools despite efforts made. A danger, warns Munns (1998) when addressing such a question, is for teachers and administrators to fall back on deficit explanations of student alienation and parent reluctance to embrace schools. Deficit logic, he warns, can easily result in lower expectations, watered down curriculum and paternalistic attitudes towards parents and communities and in doing so severely limits scope for positive options" (Harslett: 1998). The overall number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students continues to increase in Catholic schools, in 2005 there were 11,571 students enrolled in Catholic schools nationally. Significantly, however, learning outcomes for Indigenous students still fall behind those of their peers. Schools and communities must work together, in a variety of ways, to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students, including the development of strong and ongoing partnerships between Aboriginal communities, parents and schools that encourage Aboriginal parents to be part of their children's education. This session explores the challenges faced by Catholic education leaders when seeking to engage Aboriginal parents and students in education - and some of the triumphs, the collaborative model adopted by the NSW state Catholic parent body, the Council of Catholic School Parents. Both Danielle Cronin and Sharon Cooke explore the notion that this is "everybody's business": Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike.

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Cumming 5031P

Catholic Educational Leadership in Small Rural Communities

Australia
Bernard Cumming, Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Broken Bay
Andrew Chinn, Butterfly Music

This paper will examine issues of leadership in small rural Catholic primary schools. The lead presenter spent five years as Principal of such a school in rural NSW. The co-presenter has visited more than 400 Catholic schools in Australasia. The paper will identify key issues of leadership in such communities:

• Professional isolation in terms of support and being the sole designated leader.
• Systemic support for leaders in terms of professional development and career pathing.
• Staffing issues:
  • constant stream of beginning teachers learning to cope with living in a rural community as well as coming to terms with their initial years of teaching.
  • Maintaining professional motivation for long term staff who are permanent "fixtures" in the community
• Broad leadership issues:
  • the principal in this community assumes the role of a key Catholic leader, often in the absence of a resident priest.
  • The implications that these issues have for the long-term survival of Catholic Schools in rural communities.
• Issues for the future:
  • Attracting leaders and teachers to rural communities and long-term support.
  • Incentives for quality teachers and leaders to remain in rural communities.
  • Preparing leaders for broader Catholic community leadership.

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Cunliffe 8580

Engaging Young Educators in Leadership ®

Australia
Annette Cunliffe, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Tony d'Arbon, ACU National Strathfield Campus

One of the significant challenges of the 21st Century in Catholic Educational Leadership is the predicted shortage of capable, enthusiastic and visionary leaders. An innovative program, Leaders for the Future was initiated by the Sydney Catholic Education Office as a strategy to encourage interest in leadership in teachers who are under thirty years of age. An evaluation of this program was conducted. It sought to discover the degree to which the program has met its objectives and the level of impact that the program has had on the leadership aspirations of the participants. This paper will explore the process of this evaluation and the outcomes demonstrated through the evaluation. It will suggest possible implications for the future for Sydney Catholic Education Office and suggest possible initiatives that could be initiated by other Offices to ensure that potential leaders have appropriate education and experience to lead our schools into the future.

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Darbon 8973

Linking Worlds: Ensuring meaningful and equitable participation and collaboration of Indigenous people in the educational leadership research process ®

Australia
Tony d'Arbon, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Lyn Fasoli, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Linking Worlds is a three year project funded by the Australian Research Council and awarded in 2005. The project brings together the concerns for enhancing Indigenous educational leadership and the research interests of ACU National, and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, as research partners, and the collaborating organisations of the Australian Principals' Associations Professional Development Council, Catholic Education Darwin, and the Northern Territory Department of Employment and Education and Training. This paper will present a progress report on the most recent developments in the Linking World project. In particular, it will focus on the ways in which Indigenous people have interacted with the Project. The paper will describe and reflect on the initiatives that Linking Worlds implemented to encourage their meaningful and equitable participation and collaboration in the research process. This will cover that part of the Project from conceptualisation to the conclusion of the first data collection. The purpose of Linking Worlds is to determine cultural influence on educational leadership in remote Indigenous communities, and how this might assist in strengthening leadership capacity. The way in which Indigenous people are centrally positioned in the research process underpins Linking Worlds and this calls for their direct involvement as key players in the research activity.

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Dorman 8602

Learning Environment Research: Possibilities for Leadership in Catholic Schools

Australia
Jeffrey Dorman, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

It is now nearly 40 years since the modern era of classroom environment research began with independent research agendas of Moos and Walberg in the Unites States. It has been extended by a host of researchers, especially in the United States, The Netherlands and Australia. This paper reviews the field of learning environment research by exploring four areas: historical perspectives, methodological issues, previous research, and possible directions for research involving school leaders. While the study of learning environments is now a firmly established international research field with its own Special Interest Group in the American Educational Research Association and international journal (Learning Environments Research), researchers have not lost sight of the implications of their research for policy and practice, especially in schools and classrooms. This paper will discuss the importance of learning environments to Catholic schools and suggest some ways in which educational leaders can contribute to learning environment research in Catholic schools.

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Drabble 2197

Shared communication during the professional experience program: A distributive leadership perspective ®

Australia
Ann Drabble, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Evan Harris, ACU National Brisbane Campus

This paper explores the concept of distributive leadership in the context of a teaching and learning project conducted in the School of Education, at ACU National's Brisbane Campus. In this context, distributive leadership is associated with building relationships that are authentic, genuine, caring, and empowering. Within this teaching and learning project, a website was developed, using the university's Learning Management System [LMS] (WebCT 6), in order to facilitate multi-dimensional communication involving students, the university coordinator and their visiting supervisors. The topic of this communication was the students' experience of teaching in schools as part of their professional experience program. After the completion of their professional experience in schools, students completed a survey of their perceptions of the support provided through this website. More than 50 per cent of the students completed this online survey. The results describe the nature, extent, and type of relationships that can be established during this professional experience. It is particularly interesting that these results suggest the possibility of modelling distributive leadership to students in their pre-service teaching program.

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Dwyer 6345

Providing Cultural Leadership - An induction strategy

Australia
Barry Dwyer, Catholic Education Office Parramatta

One of the greatest challenges facing principals and other school leaders in the 21st century is the induction - and re-induction - of school staff members into authentic Catholic school culture. This session outlines a program developed for the Parrmatta Catholic Education Office, titled 'The Way We Do Things Around Here - a program exploring how Catholic world view, life and culture help shape the modern Catholic school. Spread over 10 separate sessions, or condensed into one day, the program covers such topics as world view, community and culture, symbols and celebrations, Catholic educational philosophy, identity and spirituality. Course presenters are invited to adapt the program to meet the needs of participants and to personalise it as much as possible while also involving other experienced teachers and using examples of students' work and events in the life of the typical Catholic school.

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Eacott 9934

Strategy and the practising educational leader ®

Australia
Scott Eacott, University of Newcastle

This paper reports on the initial stages of research into the strategic leadership of primary school principals in New South Wales. Strategic leadership, a leadership dimension present in all leadership theories and perspectives, holds the key to effectively linking the actions of today with the future. This study draws on a theoretical framework derived from a comprehensive study undertaken in the United Kingdom by the National College for School Leadership and applies that through a demographic lens to the NSW context. The findings suggest that the very concept of strategy remains elusive to scholars and practitioners alike. Researchers have tended to focus on planning as the sole source of strategy and consequently practitioners have been led to believe that this is their strategic role. This paper argues that by broadening our understanding of the concept of strategy, practitioners and scholars can gain greater insight into the strategic role of the educational leader. A more holistic understanding of the strategic dimension of educational leadership will provide leadership theorists, systemic authorities, and practitioners – the ones who grapple with enormous complexities posed by strategic leadership with a knowledge and understanding of strategic leadership that may hold promise to lead more positively into the future.

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Ehrich 7391

Lessons learned from ten authentic Australian leaders ®

Australia
Lisa Ehrich, Queensland University of Technology
Neil Cranston, University of Queensland

Leadership is a highly contested topic that has been the subject of debate amongst practitioners and theorists alike for thousands of years. Yet, to date there appears to be limited empirical investigations that give voice to Australian leaders and their experiences of leadership. This paper reports on a study that explored the leadership stories of ten well-known Australian leaders. Included here were a Nobel laureate, an internationally acclaimed environmentalist, a high court judge, a medical researcher, an Indigenous politician, a previous Lord Mayor (elected four consecutive times), an artist director of a dance company, a police commissioner, an entrepreneur, and a chief executive officer of a large overseas aid organisation. Theoretical frameworks of leadership provided by Leavy (2003) and Kouzes and Posner (1986, 2002) are used to provide a lens to understand their leadership values and practices. While Leavy's framework construes leadership as a consisting of three C's: context, conviction and credibility, Kouzes and Posner (1986, 2002) refer to five practices of exemplary leadership. The paper concludes with some important messages and learnings for educational leaders today.

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Engbretson 4003

The Catholic school as an ecclesial community ®

Australia
Kathleen Engbretson, ACU National Melbourne Campus (St Patrick's)

This paper first surveys relevant literature on the Catholic school as an ecclesial community, its links with the institutional Church, and the relationship between the identity of the school, and its ecclesial nature. It argues that a school can only claim to be Catholic to the extent that it is grounded in, and is in relationship and partnership with the Church. For most young Australian Catholics the school is their only contact with the Church, while the archdiocese, (or diocese), and local parish are still the structures through which the life of the institutional Church is experienced. The paper explores this issue and suggests some ways in which Catholic schools can enhance their ecclesial nature and cement more vibrant connections with the local Church.

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Ferguson 4526

Expanding Boundaries: Defining and Fostering Authentic Student Leadership

Australia
Anne Ferguson, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)
Mary McInerney, ACU National Strathfield Campus

The introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism has meant that student leadership in Australia is to be re-considered and conventional thinking about student leadership has to be challenged. The development of genuine leadership is dependent on the process of reflection-in-action. Processing and making sense of the lived experience contributes to understanding in our lives and valued life choices. Such processes of reflective practice can encourage human beings to become more aware of their beliefs, attitudes, judgments and assumptions and can contribute to personal growth and the development of authentic Christian leaders for the Church and the world. By engaging students in a continuous reflective process, they enter into conversation and critical analysis that integrates spiritual and social justice issues. The paper will offer discussion of strategies that enable students to explore and enquire into their lived experience of commitment to community and mission engagement. There will be an examination of key student leadership experiences at ACU National and how reflective practice processes address this shift in the leadership paradigm and contribute to the development of effective and authentic student leadership.

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Fleming 3131

Sacramental Leadership - Ensuring that Catholic Schools are places of encounter with God ®

Australia
G. P. (Joe) Fleming, REvise

The paper will explore the following ideas: "One of the distinct features of Catholic life is its understanding of sacraments. One of the most popular definitions of sacraments is that sacraments are encounters with God. Apart from the specific seven sacraments, Catholic theology has long articulated a more generic sacramental view of lifee which is echoed in the words of Gerard M. Hopkins that: "the world is charged with the granduer of God". Catholic schools as places of evangelisation invites the members of its community to encounter God within the school environment. Leaders of Catholic schools, among their many othe roles, are called to lead sacramentally. They are given the responsibiity to do as Jesus did and to say as Jesus did: "Come follow me"; "live life to the full";"Love one another as I have loved you". In short they are asked to give life to the vision of Jesus to bring about the reign of God, to encounter God. This means they are called to sacrament leadership.

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Francis 3997

Discussion of the Karpin Report. Implications for Educational Leadership

Australia
Heloise Francis, Education Queensland

Since the release of the Karpin Report in 1994 a lot of debate has occurred regarding the state of management in Australia. Part of this discussion has focused on the 'culture' of management in Australia. I would argue that while this culture may be recognised, it is very difficult to define, as it is mercurial and dynamic. There is no clear evidence to suggest that the Karpin Report lead to the reforms in Australian management which it advocated. Karpiin has highlighted a need for increased competence and performance. The report suggests that Australians are to be part of an 'Enterprising Nation' and adapt to change in order to face the demands of a future global marketplace. There are so many competing values, on so many different levels within Australian organisations that impact upon the learning environments established in organisations. It is these learning environments where I believe values are refined and used as the building blocks of management culture.

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Gaffney 7719

Leadership in the Religious Domain - Leading in Catholic Schools ®

Australia
Michael Gaffney, Catholic Education Office Canberra-Goulburn

Changes in Church and parish life and organisation, increasing diversity in school communities, and intensified accountability and compliance arrangements to governments are having significant impacts on the exercise of leadership in the religious domain in Catholic schools and school systems. In August 2005, the Religious Education Committee of the National Catholic Education Commission as part of its strategic charter convened a forum to investigate the practices and issues surrounding leadership in the religious domain in Australia's Catholic schools and school systems. The forum brought together leaders in Catholic school education, and was widely acknowledged as a valuable opportunity to discuss issues and opportunities for leadership in the religious domain in Australian Catholic education. These ranged across the following themes:

1. Teacher Spirituality and Formation
2. Recruitment, Retention and Rewards for Religious Education Coordinators & Assistant Principals in Religious Education
3. Succession Planning for Principalship and System Executive
4. Professional Standards and Development for Leadership
5. Parish-School Relationships and Expectations
6. Parent Expectations and Engagement
7. Catholic School Identity and Mission
8. Religious Education, Curriculum Change & Accountabilities.

In this session, Dr Gaffney will overview the findings relating to each theme and invite discussion on issues and opportunities identified by diocesan authorities and CECs.

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Gibson 2965

It takes a village to raise a child

Australia
Bernadette Gibson, Holy Cross Catholic School
Peter Green, Holy Cross Catholic School

Change is the result of our most basic assumptions being challenged, how we cope with it depends on the strength of our relationships. Through the LTLL Project, Holy Cross was forced to reflect on some of our most basic assumptions around who we were as a Catholic School, and how children learned because there were children under achieving and indeed some children were not learning. From the moment we identified Justice as an issue, change began to take place. The new story is a story of truth, freedom, trust and heart. It is radically relational and one which reflects a genuine desire to participate wholeheartedly and authentically in the pulse of the life of the organisation. It is grounded in hope, because looking in the mirror and revealing the truth to ourselves, paradoxically opens paths of knowing which lead us deeper into the world. It involves "becoming" a part of the 'respiratory system' of the organisation and acknowledging the life we share as a result. The breath we exhale (the sum of the integrity of our actions and behaviours) is the breath others inhale. Is it wholesome and life giving or toxic and death delivering, like carbon monoxide poisoning – the pink of life but the reality of death. Life or death, this is the heart of the matter.

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Goldburg 6709

Religious Educators leading understanding in multi-faith Australia ®

Australia
Peta Goldburg, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

Religious educators are taking a leading role in preparing students to live and operate effectively in a multifaith world. Religious educators are challenged to continue to teach Christianity in such a way that students have a strong and well developed understanding of the home tradition and also a working knowledge of the major world religions. In many ways religious educators are establishing some of the foundation stones for building and leading conversation about religion in multifaith Australia. This paper will explore some of the challenges facing religious educators as they develop appropriate pedagogical practices for multifaith education.

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Graham 2706

Leading the catholic school as community: the voice of the principal ®

Australia
John Graham, Catholic Education Office Lismore
Gayle Spry, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

This paper focuses on the principals' role in school community leadership. In doing so it provides an account of a study that explores this issue in the context of Catholic primary schooling within one rural diocese in Australia. The impetus for this study was a realisation that while there is a policy expectation within the diocese that the principal nurture the school as community, meeting this expectation was proving to be challenging. Consequently, this study sought to document principals' perspectives on the Catholic primary school as community and their role as school community leaders. Comparing and contrasting this principals' perspective with the various models of school community leadership advanced in the literature, this study developed a more informed and sophisticated understanding of this dimension of school leadership leading to recommendations for further policy and practice for primary schools within this diocese.

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Grajczonek 9433

Early Childhood Religious Education: Realities and Challenges for Catholic School Leaders ®

Australia
Jan Grajczonek, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

As the early childhood sector continues to grow and develop in Australia, increasing numbers of Catholic schools are introducing the non-compulsory preschool year to their primary schools. Whilst leaders in these schools face many exciting, new realities associated with such introductions, they also face significant, unfamiliar challenges. In addition to issues common to all schools, Catholic schools have to consider the essential area of religious education in the early childhood setting. Both dimensions of religious education, the classroom religion program and the school's religious life, raise unique and specific issues for the early years. For a growing number of young families whose first child will be enrolled into the Catholic preschool or preparatory year, their familiarity with religion and religious education may be limited. Such realities raise significant challenges for both teachers and school leaders. What is appropriate for young students to learn in the classroom religion program? What is the school's position regarding young students' attendance at school liturgies? This presentation which includes recent research in the area of early childhood religious education, considers implications for school leaders, and suggests recommendations that may assist in creating an enlivened, contemporary and inclusive vision for the future.

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Karaolis 9417

Understanding intellectual disability in terms of cultural diversity

Australia
Jo Karaolis, St Lucy's School Wahroonga

Our society is more culturally diverse than ever before, ethnically, socially and financially but the ambit of social normality has narrowed to a couple of standard deviations from an often media-constructed ideal. History teaches us that when the acceptable norm narrows too much, those outside it become victimised, sometimes violently. Catholic leadership in these times must promote acceptance of difference in all its forms. The focus of this paper is on intellectual disability. Contrary to the well-intentioned policy of 'normalisation' on which integration is based, this paper argues that intellectual disability is a form of cultural diversity. It explores a theology of disability to provide a framework for leadership, remembering that Jesus gave thanks to his Father that He had hidden the truth from the clever and educated and revealed it to the simple. This is highly counter-cultural in a society that evaluates a school according to its HSC results and sporting victories. Acknowledging the pressures on schools, the paper proposes forms of leadership to support teamwork between schools that will make it possible for Catholic Education as a whole to live up to Jesus' prompting that 'in so far as you do it for one of the least of these, you do it for me'.

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Kelly 7767

University/School Partnerships: A necessary component to growth and existence of Catholic institutions of learning ®

United States
Christine Kelly, Dominican University

In a day when private education is a luxury on every level from Pre-kindergarten to 16, partnership between universities and elementary schools are a vital component for the growth, progress and survival of both institutions. This paper will provide an insight into the partnership between Dominican University and St. Edmund Elementary School in the suburban Chicago area. In its second year of partnership, both institutions find themselves tied together around the pilar of professional development and service from the earliest preservice teacher to the most veteran teacher. This central pillar provides the focus for elementary school student participation in summer reading academy at the university; university student internship for reading clinicians, teacher candidates and administrator candidates; marketing expertise of university personnel; parent education and participation programs conducted by university professors. Through such a partnership, the Catholic elementary school faculty participate in ongoing professional development provided by the partner university faculty while providing a "home base" for field experience for university teacher education candidates. The university faculty, at the same time, bring the school of education conceptual framework-scholarship, leadership, service-to its real world application by serving the entire educational community of learners.

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Kennedy 9168

The Practicum in Teacher Education: Implications for School Leaders ®

Australia
Joy Kennedy, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Jeffrey Dorman, ACU National Brisbane Campus

The findings of research into the practicum learning environment of pre-service teachers at a Catholic university revealed the importance of the school leadership team to the experience of the student teacher. The study investigated pre-service teacher perceptions of extended practicum learning environments and their self-efficacy for future teaching. A questionnaire, the Extended Practicum Learning Environment Inventory (EPLEI), was developed and validated to assess pre-service teacher perceptions of the practicum learning environment and a Student Teacher Efficacy Instrument (STEI) was developed to assess pre-service teacher efficacy for future teaching. Data analyses revealed significant associations between pre-service teacher perceptions of practicum learning environments and their self-efficacy for future teaching. Findings indicated that pre-service teachers who participated in the extended practicum in Catholic schools perceived the learning environments more positively than student teachers in other schools. Significantly, the research demonstrated that extended practicum experiences of pre-service teachers at a Catholic university are affected by features at both classroom and school levels. In particular, findings indicated that pre-service teacher experiences are affected by levels of support provided by supervising teachers, school leaders, school administrative officers and teacher aides. This paper will discuss the significance of these findings for leadership teams in schools where future teachers participate in practicum experiences.

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McArdle 6126

Theology, Relationship and Leadership in Catholic Education ®

Australia
Patrick McArdle, ACU National Canberra Campus (Signadou)

Recent years have seen witnessed a turn to relationality in philosophy and theology. This academic trend is now being applied in a practical way to a range of contexts. In terms of leadership in Catholic Educaion a relational anthropology offers a paradigm for vision, spirituality and action. The basic thrust of this paper is to explore how a theology of relational personhood prioritises the needs of the most vulnerable and can underpin a renewed leadership in Catholic education. The paper draws on the work of John Macmurray, Emmanuel Levinas and John Zizioulas to develop an authentic Christian anthropology.

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McCann 3565

Covenantal Leadership: Illusion, Obsession or Invitation

Australia
Narottam Bhindi, Australian Centre for Educational Leadership, Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong
Paul McCann, Wollongong Catholic Education Office

In this interactive workshop Narottam Bhindi & Paul McCann will identify certain mega challenges which educational leaders face, and argue for covenantal leadership to deal with them. Drawing upon related literature and their personal and professional leadership experiences in educational organisations, Bhindi & McCann will canvass and critique the appropriateness of covenantal leadership as an alternative, effective leadership strategy for 21st Century Catholic school leaders.

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McLaughlin 1777

The Impact of Legal Issues on the Leadership and Management of Catholic Schools

Australia
Denis McLaughlin, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo) 
Paul McCann, Wollongong Catholic Education Office

This paper will present the findings of a recently complete doctoral study. It will explore the legal issues confronting schools and their impact on the leadership and management of Catholic schools. Areas examined will include the perceived time principals spend on dealing with legal issues and the stress associated with this involvement. It will also explore the perceived compatability with the ethos of the Catholic school and the resolutions reached and the processes used in resolving legal issues.

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McLaughlin 4501

At the margins ®

Australia
Denis McLaughlin, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Dale Murray, Edmund Rice Education

Edmund Rice Education has been pioneering Flexible learning centres for teenagers who are unable to learn in mainstream education for over twenty years. Recently Education Queensland has entered into partnership with ERE to provide relevant education to those who have behaviour problems, substance addicted, single mums or others who find that regualr schools are unable to meet their needs. This paper explores the conduct of one such flexible learning centre and illustrates how the charism of Blessed Edmund attempts to nuture these students emotionally, academically, vocationally and spiritually.

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McLean 3962

Evangelisation Under the Peppercorn Tree

Australia
Anne McLean, Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT

The reality is Catholic schools and parishes face a changing community dynamic: schools are becoming more middle class, families are not attending church on a regular basis, schools are becoming the only contact many families have with the community of the Church, and these trends overlay a broader social trend of a growing consumerist culture. The traditional model of leadership in Catholic schools has also changed over time. Bishop Gerard Holohan, in his paper "Nurturing the Catholicity in our Catholic School" presented at the 2006 NCEC Conference, recognises the challenge "....of helping communities of the parish and the family, as well as the Catholic school, to become fully aware of how they each need to go about their respective roles in the evangelisation of children and teenagers. ... Until all evangelisation communities in the Church....accept their particular responsibilities, our young people cannot receive the evangelisation to which they are entitled. .......Individual parents and priests need to understand their distinctive roles ....and how to evangelise personally" Parents recognise that new directions are required by them as Catholic educational leaders in the 21st Century to participate more in the evangelising community of the Catholic school. This session will attempt to explore the vision whereby parents are able to fulfil their obligation for the Christian formation of their child and new evangelisation of parents. The session will also explore the challenges of working within the educating community of family, school and parish, and making the servant model of leadership a shared one. Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT is the parent organisation representing the parents of children in Catholic schools in NSW /ACT. As educational leaders, the CCSP recognises the reality and the challenges and seeks to explore a new vision for partnership in the mission of the Catholic school.

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McMahon 6754

Formation in Charism: An Emerging Framework

Australia
John McMahon, Marist Brothers

The Second Vatican Council encouraged lay involvement in the Catholic Church. Many Religious Congregations are at the forefront of implementing this imperative particularly in their schools. Today many women and men lead Catholic Schools in ways that adopt the charism of the founder of a Religious Congregation. Increasingly men and women are also participating in the leadership of the mission of these Congregations. Rather than seeing a dilution of the charism, this development has enhanced the expression of the various charisms as vibrant practitioners passionately take up the challenge to inspire others through the programmes they lead, the documents they write and the resources they create. Nor is this a spasmodic development. Congregations have spent much time and resources in developing a clearly articulated framework for the ongoing formation of their members and for those who help oversee the work of spreading the Word of God in the tradition of people such as Catherine McAuley, Ignatius of Loyola, Mary Aikenhead and Marcellin Champagnat. This proposed seminar would outline a formation framework that is currently being adopted by those involved in Champagnat Education in the Melbourne Province of the Marist Brothers. It would detail the programmes offered, the resources being developed and the emerging directions for this expanding movement.

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Madden 3519

The Relationship Between Principal and Teacher Leader in Nurturing Student Learning

Australia
Jake Madden, St. Augustine's Primary School, Coffs Harbour

This presentation predominately focuses on the relationship between principal and teacher in nurturing student learning. In doing so it leans heavily on the role of the principalship in fostering the growing emphasis on the promotion of distributed leadership throughout the school. This notion of teacher leadership empowers teachers to exercise professional responsibility for student learning and promotes a focus on classroom pedagogy. The presentation explores some of the major findings of the doctoral research conducted within the Diocese of Rockhampton. The study illuminated several key themes including school improvement, encouragement of learning communities, teacher commitment and motivation, changing roles of principals and promotion of teacher leadership. In particular this presentation provides insight into how successful principals impact upon student learning. Findings from the study indicated a strong commitment by principals to developing leadership skills amongst the staff. With this as the predominate focus for principals, particular work conditions prevailed. Furthermore, this discussion concludes that successful teachers were supportive of the measures put into place by principals to enhance their own and their students' learning.

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Maher 1234

Negotiating Adolescence: The Real Challenge For Catholic Educational Leadership in the 21st Century

Australia
Anthony Maher, Catholic Institute of Sydney

This paper will explore the role of Catholic Educational Leadership in relation to the perceived moral, spiritual and philosophical 'identity crisis', associated with young people within an Australian context. The paper will attempt to establish the extent of alienation across the three significant areas, and suggest that the primary cause of disaffection and isolation is the failure of the individual and their nurturing environment to successfully negotiate a series of adolescent identity issues. Drawing upon contemporary psychological research, within a particular Catholic paradigm of education, the paper will further explore the link between unresolved identity issues and adult social and relational disaffection. The paper will finally argue that supporting young people through what is perhaps the most traumatic stage of human development, forming a personal spiritual identity, is the primary objective of Catholic Educational Leadership in the 21st Century.

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Mathibe 1906

Essentials for effective school management and leadership: The South African Perspective

South Africa
Isaac Mathibe, North West University

The 1994 elections ushered in an era of extensive changes in the South African education system. With the coming to power of the ANC-led government in 1994, expectations for "a better life for all" were raised after a long period of apartheid. Education [which for many years has been a contested terrain for revolutionary African beliefs such as the Black Power Movement and the supremists' ideology of "relevant education for the Black masses"]was seen as being central to the emancipation of the masses from the state of poverty and humiliation suffered in the past. The challenges facing the democratically elected government in South Africa included: access to educational opportunity, equal distribution of educational resources, lack of reading and writing skills by the majority of the Black people, lack of participation by the civil society in education-related matters, inequalities for opportunities to gain admission to educational institutions based on gender, race and religious affiliation as well as the role of social background. Additionally, the South African education system had to contend with dysfunctional schools [particularly in predominantly Black areas]. It is also essential to note that with the onset of the post-1994 period South Africa was re-admitted into regional, continental as well as global affairs. This also increased the necessity for the development of an education system that would ensure provision of high quality education that would improve the standing of the country in the global arena. In this respect, the quest for democratisation in South Africa has been accompanied by attempts to change approaches to school management and leadership in order that it fits in with the government's agenda of social transformation and democratisation. The paper will thus focus on essential factors that would enhance the effectiveness of school management and leadership from the South African perspective.

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Mohr 2419

Hate in the 21st Century: Catholic Leadership on the Academic Study of Hate

United States
James Mohr, Gonzaga University

Bayley (2002) has said that hate has become a common experience of people throughout the world. In response to the desire to challenge such hate and the consequences that arise from it, a growing movement to establish a field of hate studies has emerged. The purpose of this field is to deepen our understanding of hate and to develop meaningful and well researched responses to hate incidents through an interdisciplinary approach. This session explores how a curriculum of hate studies can develop new leadership views and paradigms need to confront a global issue that is impacting the abilities of people to lead peaceful and meaningful lives. Traditionally, Catholic higher education institutions have taken the lead on incorporating social concerns into the curriculum. This session will show how the issue of hate is one of the most pressing concerns facing the world and that Catholic educational leadership can help develop meaningful strategies for challenging hate. An interactive discussion on how the Catholic commitment to social justice can positively influence the teaching of hate will be conducted. Class syllabi of hate-related courses will be distributed and reviewed.

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Munoz 1785

Towards a model of principal's leadership and interpersonal behaviours and teachers' classroom interpersonal behavious in selected top performaing Secondary schools ®

Philippines
Michaela Munoz, De la Salle University

The study sought to develop a model of principals' leadership and interpersonal behaviours and teachers' classroom interpersonal behaviours for secondary schools, gathered from twelve top performing schools in the National Capital Region in the Philippines. The study covered all the principals and a random sample of permanent teachers (N=24) in the participant schools. Data were gathered through interviews and the use of five standardised instruments. Basically, the study determined: (a) the principals' leadership and interpersonal behaviours based on their self-report and on teachers' assessments, and (b) the teachers' self-reports of their classroom interpersonal behaviours. Leadership behaviour analysis covered determining principals' primary leadership style, leadership style flexibility, and leadership style effectiveness. The study likewise investigated (a) whether there is similarity between the principals' and teachers' assessments of the leadership and interpersonal behaviours of the former (b) whether the teachers' interpersonal behaviours are similar with or different from the principals' interpersonal behaviours and (c) whether teachers' observations of their principals' interpersonal behaviours are similar with or different from what they preferred their principals to demonstrate in relating to them. Lastly, the study determined if the type of school has a mediating effect on principals' leadership and interpersonal behaviours and on the teachers' interpersonal behaviours.

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Neidhart 5064

Religious Education coordinators as whole-school leaders ®

Australia
Helga Neidhart, ACU National Melbourne Campus (St Patrick's)
Paul Carlin, ACU National Melbourne Campus 

In Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the role description of the Religious Education Coordinator (REC) has been the responsibility of the principal, working within guidelines provided by the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM). Consequently the role has been variously defined. As Church attendance by families continues to slide and the number of priests who have time to work with teachers in schools decreases, the role of the school in religious education and faith development of children and their families continues to grow. In response to these changing circumstances, CEOM developed a (draft) policy entitled, "Leadership in Catholic Schools: The Role of the Religious Education Coordinator", launched in February 2005. To support the implementation of this policy, research was commissioned to test its viability and strength. The policy's major focus is on how principals can use policy guidelines to enhance leadership capacity and performance. This paper reports that research. CEOM, in collaboration with principals, upgraded the qualifications and experience required of religious education coordinators, and raised their salary level to that of the deputy principal. This was to redefine the role as one of whole-school leadership, as well as to encourage the application of additional qualified teachers to apply for this important leadership position. This paper reports findings from twelve schools and one cluster of four schools on strategies employed by principals to implement the policy by upgrading the role and assisting RECs to become competent whole-school leaders. Finally, key recommendations are made for the effective implementation of the policy in a larger number of schools across the system. (Data collection involved questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with both RECs and Principals.

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Nevin 3044

Career, Culture and Catholicism

United Kingdom
Janet Nevin, Liverpool Hope University

This research aims to examine women's experience of work and career in Catholic sixth form colleges in England and Wales using interviews and fictional narratives. It explores the extent to which the culture of Catholic sixth form colleges impacts on the progression opportunities of women and how the structures and values in the Catholic Church impact upon those institutions for which it is responsible. It explores the reasons for the under–representation of women in management positions; the career paths which women have taken; what has motivated and supported them in their careers and what has not. It looks at the expectations of new women teachers about their careers and whether the Catholic colleges led by women (only 2 out of 16) provide a different experience of career for the women who work in them. It explores whether there is anything that women managers of the future can learn from the experience of women currently in management roles in Catholic Sixth Form Colleges. The research is underpinned by a practical motivation and looks at what the findings suggest about the way forward in terms of directions for Catholic Educational Leadership in the 21st Century.

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Noble 8775

The Good News: Happiness & Flow in Teaching. New Directions for Catholic Leadership ®

Australia
Toni Noble, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

Teaching is one of the most important jobs in our society. Every day in schools teachers use their skills, intelligence and knowledge to inspire and develop children and young people. Yet current data suggests teachers experience dissatisfaction in their career as indicated by the concerning number of teachers leaving the profession in first three to five years after graduation (Ewing 2006). Somewhat surprisingly there has been little research on what is actually good about teaching. This paper draws on a large scale UK study (Morgan 2005) and an Australian pilot study (Noble 2006) that highlight the good news about teachers' engagement in their chosen profession. Many teachers describe high levels of fulfilment, satisfaction and enjoyment when engaged in teaching. In comparison to other careers teachers are far more likely to show high levels of absorption, enjoyment and intrinsic motivation than other careers. Teacher engagement or flow is linked to autonomy/self direction and organisational support. Implications for whole school wellbeing and school leadership will be addressed.

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Noble

Leading & Sustaining Schoolwide Wellbeing & Resilience for Student & Staff Success ®

Australia
Toni Noble, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

Why address schoolwide wellbeing? A number of research indicators provide a convincing rationale. For Leaders: all school systems in Australia report a fall in the number of school staff applying for leadership positions. For Teachers: there is widespread concern about the number of teachers leaving the profession in first three to five years after graduating (Ewing 2006). For students: ten to twenty per cent of children and young people experience a mental health problem by the end of high school (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001). Yet current research demonstrates the powerful interdependence between students¹ wellbeing and resilience and their engagement in learning and academic outcomes and teachers¹ wellbeing and their commitment and engagement in their profession (Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg 2004).

These data indicate a moral imperative for school leadership to engage, empower and energise the whole school community, to transform teachers and learners and to improve whole school wellbeing. This presentation draws on the new field of positive psychology: the study of positive experiences, positive characteristics (strengths & virtues) and positive institutions and the application of these topics to creating meaning and purpose in life. This framework is applied to school leadership to review school and classroom initiatives that lead and sustain schoolwide wellbeing and resilience for student and staff success.

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O'Brien 9719

Building 'professional capital' through teacher leadership - exploring a new imaginary for Catholic schools ®

Australia
Tricia O'Brien, Catholic Schools Sector, Victoria

As educational visionaries explore a new imaginary for schools in the 21st century (Beare, 2006), a crucial factor in the debate is the changing nature of leadership in schools. Recent research findings indicated that formal leadership is still very much a reality in schools whilst teacher leadership is yet to gain a rightful status. In this paper is presented a case for building 'professional capital' through teacher leadership as a way of developing a new imaginary for Catholic schools. 'Professional capital' refers to the abundant resource of teachers' professional practice, teachers' professional learning and the potential of teacher leadership development. The concept is developed from key findings of doctoral research, which explored the perceptions and experiences of leadership by teachers in Catholic schools and their opportunities for leadership development. The study highlighted the integral connection between teacher leadership theory and teacher professional practice and learning. Key findings, however, suggested that leadership by teachers in Catholic schools is very much shaped and influenced by ways in which teacher professional practice and learning are resourced. Only when Catholic schools begin to facilitate processes that support teacher 'professional capital' might a new imaginary for teachers as leaders emerge.

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Reaburn 3479

Charisms and Educational Leadership ®

Australia
Mary Reaburn nds, Yarra Theological Union/Melbourne College of Divinity
Deborah Barker, Our Lady of Sion College

Charisms are specific gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the founders of the various Congregations for the sake of the life of the Church. These charisms provide a particular dimension to the vision of a Catholic College and thus assist the leadership of these Colleges in their endeavour to contribute to the wider church and world. The Chrism of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion provided the vision for the Leadership of their Colleges in the past. This same vision, but made new by the fruits of Vatican 11, facilitated the transition from the leadership by the Sisters to leadership by lay women and men, this was done with the support of the Sisters. Today the responsibility of handing on the Charism is shared with those in the College; by the Principal and her team. It is enhanced by those who live the charism in the life of the College. This paper will explore the pivotal role the charism provides for the vision of leadership unique to Catholic schools. Such leadership recognises the value of an "organic and dynamic charism" that provides continuity with the past and yet embraces change in a way that is transformative and futuristic within an educational community.

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Robinson 7672

Supporting the professional transition between culture

Australia
Jennie Robinson, ACU National North Sydney Campus (Mackillop)
Olivia Unite, ACU National North Sydney Campus

In this presentation the many issues facing health professionals who come to Australia from other cultures will be examined in relation to the challenges involved in their successful transfer to a new, cultural learning environment. The hierarchy of variables to be overcome in a personal transition to a new culture varies widely from person to person, however certain major themes emerge from the literature. These themes will include culture shock, adjustment problems, and other psychological experiences, which may be evidenced by feelings of distress, depression, loneliness and even anger. Against this background, ACU National's School of Nursing in North Sydney has undertaken a particular strategy to identify and assist overseas qualified doctors and nurses who hope to practise in Australia. This strategy enables them to gain professional registration, to perform literacy and research skills as well as being able to communicate in English at a professional level. ACU National has to consider the many varied barriers to learning, which are being experienced by this cohort of overseas trained doctors and nurses. The outcomes of this educational leadership strategy include a more supportive and less traumatic transition of people into much needed professional roles in Australia; the enhancement of the reputation of Catholic education among overseas groups interested in transferring to practice here; and the preservation of the wonderful diversity of cultures that they bring to the practice environments of helping professions. Key words: cultural transition, professional development, educational leadership, cultural diversity.

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Leadership related to the spiritual and moral dimension to the school curriculum: Addressing the gap between rhetoric and reality ®

Australia
Graham Rossiter, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

It has always been comparatively easy to talk about schools, and religious schools in particular, promoting the spiritual and moral development of pupils – just as easy as making a list of the values that should underpin education and which schools should 'teach'. But this often amounts to little more than nice sounding rhetoric because the complexity of relationships between schooling and personal change in pupils is not acknowledged or spelled out in any detail; in other words, an attractive mission statement that does not have enough 'purchase' on the curriculum. If the school's efforts to foster young people's personal development are to be realistic and effective, then the gap between rhetoric and reality needs to be addressed by school leaders. This paper proposes a constructive way forward. It involves a clarification of the possibilities and limits of the school community and curriculum for prompting personal change in young people; such understanding then needs to affect the language and concepts used to give a modest but reasonable account of the school's role; and it needs to affect both pedagogy and curriculum content in a way that is realistic enough to win the support of teachers and parents; this refers just as much to across-the-curriculum studies as it does to subject areas like religion and values education.

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Ryan 3219

Students who are not Catholics in Catholic Schools: Issues for School Leaders ®

Australia
Maurice Ryan, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Michael Chambers, ACU National Brisbane Campus 

This presentation discusses the issues that confront Catholic school leaders when considering the enrolment and presence in the school of students who are not Catholics. As the percentage of students who are not Catholic seeking enrolment in Catholic schools continues to increase, school leaders are faced with many dilemmas regarding the place of such students in their schools. An important point of reference regarding enrolment policies for school leaders is Church documents. Using the methodology of Membership Categorisation Analysis, we will consider the guidance provided from official Catholic Church sources and discuss the implications and consequences of these guidelines. The issues involved go to the heart of questions about the nature and purpose of Catholic schools. We will offer a number of recommendations for school leaders to assist in resolving these issues.

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Schuttloffel 7661

Collaborators in Catechesis ®

United States
Merylann "Mimi" Schluttloffel, The Catholic University of America

In the United States recent descriptive data about the future of Catholic school leadership (Schuttloffel, 2003) and lay parish ministry leadership (DeLambo, 2005) raise challenges rooted in a shared need to recruit, prepare and retain parish leaders. Often principals lack adequate theological knowledge and their ability for spiritual leadership suffers. Typically this reality is attributed to the diminishing number of vowed religious women and men in Catholic school leadership. Meanwhile, parish ministry currently benefits from an infusion of dedicated religious and lay leaders formed by educational and professional experiences within Catholic schools. DeLambo's data makes clear that a school to parish leadership path has shaped the current lay parish leadership reality. The challenge is to find ways that mutually support schools and parish ministry in their efforts to hire the most competent leadership for the future. A benefit from these efforts, I suggest, is an opportunity to mend the schism that frequently exists between "school people" and "CCD people" in too many American parishes. In view of this reality and its challenges, I propose a vision for parish leadership recruitment, formation and retention that builds on the positive interactions between school and parish ministry in order to build a mutually supportive future beneficial to all parishioners. Ultimately school leaders and lay parish ministers would become collaborators in catechesis.

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Schneider 7859

Developing the leadership capabilities of middle-level curriculum leaders: an exploration of the Leading2Learn programme ®

Australia
Annette Schneider, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

This paper explores the aims, implementation and initial leadership learning outcomes of a programme sponsored by the Melbourne Catholic Education Office and offered in partnership with ACU National. The approach to ACU National from the CEOM grew out of the latter's desire to enhance the leadership capabilities of middle level leaders with responsibilities for teaching and learning/curriculum and professional development. The CEO envisioned a programme which allowed participants to engage in research within their schools while developing their knowledge of the leadership literature. The course structure of the Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership was flexible enough to provide both the theoretical and research bases and involve participants in shaping their own learning. The involvement of participants in projects of their own choice but which included the keeping of online research learning journals, working with a critical friend at local school level and critical witnesses from within the learning group, enabled participants to develop their understanding of the links between the literature and their own leadership practice in a collaborative environment. Results suggest that such projects could be replicated within schools as part of a growing professional network of learners.

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Spry 7083

Shaping the Catholic school culture of the future: First step declaring vision and mission ®

Australia
Gayle Spry, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Jan Grajczonek, ACU National Brisbane Campus 

This paper focuses on the challenge of shaping the culture of the Catholic school of the future. Positioned with a constructivist appreciation of learning and leadership, this paper highlights the importance of articulating vision and mission as a first step in shaping an authentic Catholic school culture. Here it is argued that vision and mission not only give guidance to what people work towards on a daily basis but also the very process of developing vision and mission provides an opportunity to develop the shared symbolic language and the collaborative community that underpins shared work into the future. With reference to the 'story' of one Catholic primary school, this paper provides a practical process for developing vision and mission. Practical issues to do with participation, roles, decision making will be also discussed.

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Stokes 5291

The Challenges Facing Catholic Schools Attracting and Keeping Quality Teachers ®

Australia
Anthony Stokes, ACU National Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary)

This paper looks at the challenge of attracting and keeping quality teachers in Catholic Schools. This paper is based on a study of 269 high school teachers and 410 university students in NSW. This study examines what motivates teachers to remain as teachers and the factors that determine their levels of satisfaction within the job. It also considers the factors that influence university students to become or not become teachers and suggests ways of improving the level of teacher satisfaction in schools with the aim of improving teacher retention rates and attracting more high quality university graduates to the teaching profession. This study provides recommendations that are designed to alleviate the shortages of teachers that already exist in some disciplines and locations throughout Australia and in the overall global teacher labour market. The promotion of greater job satisfaction among teachers may not only help to alleviate these shortages but can also lead to increased teacher effectiveness, which ultimately affects student achievement.

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Treston 8107

Five Key Challenges for Leadership in Catholic schools for 21st Century

Kevin Treston, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

This paper will explore discourses about five key challenges for leadership of Catholic schools in the 21st century. The five challenges are: Meeting points between compliance issues and authentic Catholic identity Meeting points between the Catholic school community and the 'birth-to-death' age old tradition of Catholic education The theological underpinnings of a curriculum in a Catholic school The promotion of vocation against a 'job' model for staff The imperative of wisdom leadership beyond mere knowledge to discern ways forward for Catholic school communities.

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Tuite 8463

Making the Edmund Rice ethos a reality: A case study in the perceptions of principals in Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition ®

Australia
Kerrie Tuite, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Refereed paper for presentation during the main Conference

The ethos of an organisation generally resides in its founder and results in a culture unique to that organisation. This case study explores the transmission of ethos in Queensland schools, once know as Christian Brothers' schools, now known as Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice tradition. The Congregation of the Christian Brothers, founded by Edmund Rice, has conducted schools since 1802 to provide boys, particularly poor boys with a Catholic education. Since Vatican II numbers of religious have declined markedly raising questions of authenticity now that the schools are led by lay men and women. This research seeks to explore perceptions of lay principals in Queensland who have now been given responsibility for developing an ethos in line with the vision of Edmund Rice but without the specific formation that was afforded to Christian Brothers. Given this lack of formation in the Edmund Rice ethos, the question of how principals understand ethos and develop a school culture faithful to the vision of Edmund Rice is one that must be asked. These questions are essential if schools are to remain faithful to the vision. Given the issues related to the relevance of the Catholic schooling in the 21st century this study will explore if it is possible for principals to remain faithful to the Founder's vision in an increasingly complex organisation with the inherent tensions of school leadership.

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Turkington 7614

The Catholic Education Office (CEO) Sydney As a Learning Organisation and its Perceived Impact on Standards

Australia
Mark Turkington, Catholic Education Office Sydney

CEO Sydney The Catholic Education Office (CEO) Sydney is a large non-government education authority which administers the systemic, Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia. The system consists of 148 primary and secondary schools with an enrolment of some 62,000 students. This paper summarises a major piece of research which addressed the question: What characteristics of a learning organisation can be identified in the Catholic Education Office (CEO) Sydney and are these perceived to raise standards in systemic schools of the Archdiocese of Sydney? Like all western education systems the CEO Sydney is immersed in constant change and is expected to account for improving educational standards within the system. The learning organisation with its emphasis on adaptability and continuous improvement was considered an appropriate framework within which to conduct this research. The research consisted of two main parts the first investigated the CEO Sydney as a learning organisation. The second part of the research investigated the perceived relationship between the CEO Sydney and its learning organisation characteristics and the standards in three curriculum outcome areas (religious education, literacy and numeracy). The results of this research indicated that the CEO Sydney exhibited many of the characteristics of a learning organisation with particular strengths in 'Continuous Improvement of Work', 'Systemic Thinking and Mental Models' and 'Shared and Monitored Vision/Mission'. The weakest characteristic was 'Taking Initiatives and Risks'. Demographic group analysis of this data revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the responses of the different demographic groups. The results also indicated that there were correlations between the CEO Sydney as a learning organisation and raising standards particularly in religious education and literacy and less so in numeracy. Finally, the research made a number of recommendations for the further development of the CEO Sydney as a learning organisation and ways that it can further raise standards in the schools of the system.

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Tyler 5958

A postcard from Special Religious Educators(SRE) in State Schools: we're alive and well and HOPING to hear from you! ®

Australia
Christine Tyler, Catholie Schools Office Maitland-Newcastle
Wayne Tinsey, Catholic Schools Office Maitland-Newcastle
Susan Macleod, CEC

In this time of severe enviromental drought, farmers are looking further afield for pastures to nurture their stock and reverse the debilitating effects of unprecedented change. At the 2004 conference,David Tuohy spoke about the concept of Catholic schools being "catholic pastures for catholic cows". Our Catholic communities are also experiencing a drought of new, commited and active members.Yet, aren't there well irrigated pastures available, lovingly tended over many years by loyal and patiently waiting workers? Where is the signpost to evangelisation pointing? Surely the Holy Spirit has been active in preparing the way,via government legislation, for "Catholic Education" (with all it's skills and resources) to recognise the under valued pasture of catholic education in State Schools. This paper will address the postcard message- SRE is alive(sometimes only just)and well (depending when you ask) and HOPING (and praying) that "Catholic Educational Leadership" see us as a vital pasture in their search for direction into the 21st Century.

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Walsh 5243

Building collaborative cultures in primary schools

Australia
Sue Walsh, Catholic Education Office Parramatta
Glynis Jones, Education Consultant NSW

This paper will review a leadership initiative involving eleven Catholic primary schools serving an area of high socio economic disadvantage in an area west of Parramatta, NSW. The schools range in size from 120 to 820 serving communities which are culturally diverse with a high ratio of children identified with special needs with three of the schools identified as Category A. The development of a strong collaborative culture within this group of schools has been led by the Area Administrator who has worked strategically with the Principals, leadership teams and Coordinators to build trust and capacity. The approach is consistent with best practice involving tri-level reform where the system, in this case CEO Parramatta through its Area Administrator, has worked with the Principal at the school level and with Coordinators working at the Stage and/or subject level. By introducing appraisal and compliance requirements (ie pressure mechanisms) alongside strategies such as professional learning opportunities, site visits and ongoing professional dialogue (ie support mechanisms) it has been possible to achieve an alignment of effort which focuses very much on the learning outcomes of students. A major element has been the review and re-conceptualisation of the Primary Coordinator role by using an external consultant to challenge, support and extend the thinking of the purpose and significance of the role in achieving improved learning.

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Watkins 9093

District supervisors' involvement in school renewal: Educational  leadership or a perceived imposition? ®

Australia
Simon Watkins, St Joseph's School Park Avenue, Queensland
Denis McLaughlin, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)

This paper reports on the process of Catholic School Renewal in an Australian diocese. In particular it focuses on the role and approach of district supervisors and the impact they have on a change process in the schools for which they are responsible. The research study was a qualitative case study. Participants were some staff members who worked in one of four selected Catholic primary schools situated in the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton. Data collection took the form of semi-structured interviews and a survey questionnaire. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method. The research concluded that there is a need for district supervisors to have strong inter-relational skills and a solid understanding of leadership concepts and the ability to implement them. The study also concluded that district supervisors should undertake appropriate professional development to ensure that they all have the equivalent understandings of renewal and of their role within it.

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White D

Pedagogical Leadership: An illusionary myth or a vibrant reality? ®

Australia
Dan White, Catholic Education Office Hobart

Over the last decade, by embracing constructivist learning philosophies, curriculum bodies across Australia have undergone a major paradigm shift. As a consequence there has been a greater emphasis on differentiated learning, higher order thinking skills, enhanced student engagement and the discernment of meaning. In response, school leaders have been challenged to adapt their leadership styles to incorporate a greater focus on 'instructional leadership', especially in the pedagogical domain.

Whilst the rhetoric has been strong, it is questionable as to whether educational leaders have fully embraced the distinction between curriculum reform and pedagogical renewal. The focus on outcomes based learning in combination with grading students against 'A–E standards' has ensured that, in most cases, the 'product' has continued to remain more important than the 'process'.

This paper is an endeavour to assist school leaders to critically reflect upon the pedagogical culture that is currently evident within the 'cloistered classrooms' of school communities across Australia. In order to shift from 'mythology to reality' instructional leaders need to understand what 'good pedagogy' actually looks like and, subsequently, to develop strategies that will strike an appropriate balance between curriculum outcomes and effective learning processes. The workshop will be designed to empower leaders engage learning teams in sustained professional dialogue around the 'art and science of teaching' and to provide some practical tools to assist lead learners to critique the pedagogical merit of both specific lesson activities and entire learning sequence.

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White N 1401

Indigenous Leadership in Catholic Education: rising up with courage "until that contribution has been joyfully received."

Australia
Nereda White, ACU National Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo)
Naomi Wolfe, ACU National Brisbane Campus

Current models of leadership within Catholic Education do not meet with the needs and expectations of Indigenous people. There is a very real chasm between the structures of Catholic Educational Leadership and the realities faced by Indigenous educational leaders. Pope John Paul II in his historic address to the Aboriginal People in 1986 "You are part of Australia and Australia is part of you. And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others." This paper examines the challenges of reconciling Catholic Educational Leadership with Indigenous leadership aspirations. It will use the principles embodied in His Holiness' speech to critique the current context of Indigenous Leadership within Catholic Education. It will also highlight Indigenous knowledge, protocols and ways of leading that would be valuable contributions to the field of leadership and to Australian society.

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