What Does Integrated Leadership Look Like in Schools With Sustainable Data Teams?

• In Event: 61.043 - Structured Poster Session: The Role of School Leadership for Sustainable Professional Learning Networks

Abstract

Objectives and theoretical framework
Although PLNs, such as data teams, help realize school improvement (e.g., Ebbeler et al., 2016; Poortman & Schildkamp, 2016), schools struggle with making data teams and data use sustainable (Hubers et al., 2017). This means that long-term educational improvement is challenging. Integrated school leadership (SL) plays an important role in realizing sustainable school improvement (e.g., Harris & Jones, 2010). Integrated SL entails the structural characteristics of the school organization, and the coordination and leadership tasks are distributed amongst actors within a school (Hendriks & Scheerens, 2013). Table 1 presents SL’s core functions and tasks (e.g., Robinson et al., 2008).
To date, evidence on actual SL-practices (Harris & DeFleminis, 2016), related to realizing sustainable school improvement with PLNs (Poortman et al., 2018) is scarce. This study therefore aims to add in-depth understanding of what SL looks like in schools where data teams are considered sustainable.

Methods and data sources
Observational data (with a logbook based on the framework in Table 1) were gathered by shadowing three schools, all still working with data teams, six weeks each (cf. Louws, 2016). We also gathered social network data, using a questionnaire for teachers and school leaders, at these schools. Additionally, we triangulated the findings with brief interviews about questions raised in the observations and school documents.

Results and conclusions
Results show how SL-practices are carried out in schools with sustainable data teams. For example, one leader acted as a driving force, e.g. by mentioning the PLN during meetings, as problem solver or by repeatedly carrying out PLN-aspects during daily work. The results also show how the type of social networks in the schools relate to the sustainability of the professional learning network.

Table 1: school Leadership Core functions and Tasks

• Managing the teaching and learning program
o Planning curriculum and instruction
o Monitoring curriculum and instruction
o Coordinating curriculum and instruction
o Evaluating curriculum and instruction
• Organizing and (re)designing the organization
o Developing vision
o Developing goals
o Strategic resourcing
o Creating climate
• Understanding and developing people
o Individual support
o Coaching teachers
o Modeling
o Empowering teachers


Scientific or scholarly significance
This study provides insight into integrated school leadership for sustainable school improvement using data teams in particular and Professional Learning Networks in general.

Authors

• Elske Muilenburg, Universityof Twente

• Cindy Louise Poortman, University of Twente

• Kim Schildkamp, Universiteit Twente

• Siebrich de Vries

• Klaas Van Veen, University of Groningen