Understanding Leadership Effects on a School Improvement Initiative in Chile

• In Event: Leadership in a Global Context (Part 1)

Abstract

This research project is a qualitative, multi-case study seeking to understand the impact of principals’ form of engagement on the success of Chile’s national English language learning initiative. The research design incorporated two iterative phases: 1) a national online survey of administrators and English language teachers and 2) school site visits designed to study complex leadership effects in context. Survey findings indicate that Chilean principals’ perceived strengths include fostering distributed leadership and commitment to instructional improvement. Limitations were reported in systematic leadership, curricular improvement, and instructional supervision. Site visit findings identify related limitations in principal preparation, distributed leadership as a compensatory strategy, and the impact of patterned inequities. Findings support integration of leadership development into the national implementation model.

Authors

• Michael Patrick O'Malley, Texas State University

• Sarah Nelson Baray, Texas State University

• Claudio Jaramillo

• Mabel Diaz