Leadership and Student Engagement: Perspectives of High School Principals in Jamaica

• In Event: Education, Difference and Development (II)

Proposal

Research has shown that school leadership, second, only to teaching is an important ingredient in bringing about change in schools and improving student learning outcomes (Huber & Muijs, 2010; Leithwood et al., 2006; 2020). Globally, school leadership is recognised as an important element in transforming the lives and educational outcomes of students. Greater focus on schooling and educational outcomes have made it essential to reconsider the role of school leaders and the development of school leadership frameworks that respond to societal shifts as countries seek to adapt their education systems to the needs of contemporary society (OECD, 2015). School leaders play an essential role in supporting students in achieving their educational outcomes and maintaining well-functioning schools that create positive learning environments. Yulk (2002) suggests school leaders must intentionally challenge the structures and systems that impede student learning and develop clearly articulated goals or outcomes. Effective schools have effective principals, and research has shown that when effective leadership is present students are more likely to achieve positive educational outcomes (Firestone & Riehl, 2005).
Jamaica is considered an emerging economy with a legacy of colonialism that is still evident in its education system. Education in Jamaica is administered primarily by the Ministry of Education (MoE). Formal education is provided mainly by the government, solely or in partnership with churches and trusts and also is provided by private schools. As stipulated in the 1980 Education Act, the education system consists of four levels: early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary. Over the last decade, Jamaica’s education system has introduced several reforms. Recommendations in the Report of the Task Force on Educational Reform (2005) led to the establishment of a National College for Educational Leadership, among other initiatives. In 2010 Education Sector Plan of ‘Vision 2030 a multifaceted programme of initiatives aimed at charting Jamaica’s educational future and development was launched. In 2021 The Jamaica Education Transformation Commission Report (JETC) authored by Orlando Patterson reported that although Jamaica has a good record in providing near universal access to primary school, it has failed to educate at the most basic level a substantial proportion of its children, and that while equity is at the core of Sustainable Development Goals, educational disparity is chronic in the island. School principals in Jamaica continue to be an important group at the forefront of educational reforms in Jamaica.
While school leadership is an important area, sustained research into the theory and practice of school leadership in Jamaica is an emerging field. With this qualitative study, we explored how secondary school principals in Jamaica make sense of their leadership roles as principals, the kind of leadership philosophy they employed, and the kind of leadership training and impact they received. The following questions guided the study: (1) How do school principals in Jamaica perceive and make sense of their leadership roles? (2) How does this understanding impact their leadership practices a) within the school contexts in which they work; and b) shifting socio-cultural dynamics? This qualitative narrative study focused on capturing the unique perspectives of school principals within their contexts, gain deeper understanding of their leadership strategies and approaches, and how they make sense of their work. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews from thirteen high-school principals in Jamaica from traditional and non-traditional high schools in urban and rural areas. After receiving Jamaican Ministry (MOEY&I) approval to conduct the research, participants were conveniently sampled and recruited via email. Principals with more than 3 years of experience were included in the study. Years of experience ranged from 3 years to 18 years. Participants ranged in age from thirty years to sixty plus years. All participants had post-graduate degrees, with two holding doctorates. Of the thirteen participants 4 self-identify as women and 9 self-identify as men. This demographic makeup of participants in terms of men and women does not reflect the teaching staff in high schools in Jamaica from which principals are recruited, which is predominantly women.
Decolonizing education and sense-making supported the research theoretically and contextually. Decolonizing education reconciles contemporary education with the past and the present, ensuring that the ideological and self-interests within Eurocentric education are not imposed on Indigenous peoples and that people who were once subjected to colonization build their own present with their own agency and power (Battiste, 2013). Decolonizing education helps us to understand educational policies and practices within post-colonial contexts, like Jamaica. Although political decolonization ended in many countries in the 1960s, with most countries gaining their sovereignty and independence, the colonial legacy remains and has shaped the educational landscape permanently (Moorosi, 2021). Sensemaking is the activity that people to turn the ongoing complexity of their contexts into a situation that is comprehended explicitly in words and that serves as a springboard into action, supports examination and analysis their experiences, and highlights the interplay between action and interpretation (Weick et al., 2005).
Findings of the study reveal high school principals Jamaica theorized their leadership approaches drawing on various paradigms – democratic, participatory, transformational, and inclusive and this impacted their approach to students, staff, and community. They also perceived their leadership as inextricably linked to communities that the schools serve. Many spoke of their relationship within the community and the importance to how they do their work as school principals. One principal in the study noted “Our students are coming from bush, rural, up in the hills. I don’t even remember some of the names of the communities but rural. They are poor children very poor… they are resilient too in that they want to achieve, they are very ambitious, and they are involved in not just the academics, but you know we have about 60 co-curricular activities on this campus, active activities and they are involved in those, you know, despite their circumstances”. This is in keeping with the JETC (2021) that suggests schools in Jamacia are safe havens for children from some of the harsh conditions in their communities. The study also revealed that principals were mostly satisfied with the leadership preparation and development they received.

Authors

• Ann Lopez, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

• Everton Ellis, OISE, University of Toronto