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Videoconferencia con UTAH Valley University

3 de Marzo de 2011

“LIDERSHIP AND ITS EXERCISE AT THE CLASSROOM”


Samuel Gento, UNED,
University Professor,
UNED, España

1.- Justification: need of leadership in education


The existence of leadership is essential in any organization of human beings: “Leadership
is important: whoever is the leader and how he acts makes the difference” (id, id: 376)

The need to improve school leadership as a priority in nowdays education is shown


by Pont, B., Nusch, D. & Moorman, H., in a report prepared for the OECD and that has
been published in its original version as “Improving School Leadership, Volume 1:
Practice and Policy. “ In the preface to this publication it is stated: “The school
leadership is now a priority in worldwide education policy. A greater school autonomy
and a greater focus on education and school performance have made it essential to
reconsider the role of school leaders “(Pont, B., Nusche, D. & Moorman, H. (2008: 9).

2.- Lidership Conceptualisation

We understand that a leader is that person (or group of persons) “able to lead a
release, from the inside, of the inner energy of other human beings, so that they
willingly strive to reach, in the most efficient and comfortable possible way, the goals
that these human beings have proposed to achieve to get their own dignity and that of
those with whom they live in a particular environment and context to which they
provide the necessary care “(Gento, S., 2002: 183).

The liberating potential of the true leader converts him in the true servant of his
followers. In this sense De Pree, M. (1989: XX) pronounced, stating that: “he takes the
core mission of helping their followers to overcome the obstacles that prevent them
from putting into action their total capacity to achieve their goals and objectives shared
within the group.

Different ways to exercise leadership: Branson, Ch. M. (2010: 63) afirms that “a
particular leader does not have to be like other leaders to be considered a true leader by his
followers, but he should be consistent, have a predictable behavior, and in any case,
trustworthy”.

Although theoretical and empirical studies offer features that allows to identify the
real leadership, the actual exercise of leadership can be exercised in a particular way for
each person or group of persons. Thus, Rudolf Giuliani (Giuliani, R., 2002: XII)
pronounced as follows: “There are many ways of practising leadership. Some people like
Franklin Roosevelt, inspired others with moving speeches. Others, like Joe DiMaggio,
exercised it with his owm example. Winston Churchill and Douglas MacArthur were
Gento, S. y Cortés, J.
“Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo”

exceptionally brave and excellent speakers. Ronald Reagan did it with the strength and
consistency of his character, people followed him because they believed in him. “

Leader’s own characteristics

Some of the traits attributed to the real leader are:


 Commitment to serving others;
 Control of emotions;
 Atention to details;
 Aceptance of responsability;
 Sincerity;
 Honesty and loyalty to the institution or entity;
 Learning from mistakes
 Aceptance of risk.

3.- Lidership in education

In every step shared by humans, the existence of true leaders and the exercise of a
true leadership is a fundamental component of the effectiveness and quality of such an
initiative. Although leadership must be seen within different fields of intervention and
exercised by individuals or groups of persons suitable for those areas of intervention, its
potential liberation of energy becomes increasingly evident.

Diversity of leadership in education

The exercise of leadership in education can be considered at different levels: the


nuances of its exercise will be unique, with differences between the role that
corresponds to the highest responsible for education in a country, that which involves
the teacher responsible for a group students, to the parents of the latter and even the
students themselves in relation to their peers. In any case, since our primary concern
focuses on the quality of education and necessary change for its improvement, here it
refers to the exercise of leadership and the profile of the leader within this context.

Of course, such leadership should apply also to the heads of educational institutions,
deputy directors, directors of study (or heads of studies), secretaries of the center,
managing or participating bodies (such as faculty, departments, school board , etc.), and
teachers.

In some cases, adhoc teams can be established based on the experience of its
members and the needs of the moment or the situation (Pont, B., Nusche, D. &
Moorman, H: 2008: 11).
Profile of the instructional leader

The exercise of leadership within an institution or educational initiative should be


eminently pedagogical: that is, its profile and action must be accommodated to what is
peculiar to education, to the results it implies and the processes involved. Consequently,

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Gento, S. y Cortés, J.
“Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo”

although the characteristics generally attributable to any kind of leadership can be


applicable to this instructional leadership, the prime concern of the leadership here
addressed has to be to promote the potential of all members of an entity or educational
initiative aimed at achieving the effectiveness and quality of education, preferably
within a total quality approach.
Thus understood, the profile of instructional leader is characterized by the constancy
of the dimensions described below (insert graphic)

 Charismatic Dimension;
 Emotional Dimension;
 Anticipatory Dimension;
 Professional Dimension;
 Participative Dimension;
 Cultural Dimension;
 Formative Dimension;
 Managerial or administrative Dimension.

4.- Educative needed change

The leader of change must “understand the forces or pressures that promote the need for
change” (Branson, Ch. M., 2010: 11). But, depending on the situation of departure or the
motives behind the change and the objectives pursued, there may exist different types of
changes, namely:

 Reactive (when things go wrong);


 Of continuous improvement (when things go well);
 Of re-engineering (where the focus, the organization and the processes are
changed structurally).

Nowdays, in our social, economic and cultural environment, educational changes


should pursue the excellence and the consequent cultural change of the educational
organizations. Among the educational changes needed to improve the quality of our
education systems can be considered as priority the following:
 Support from the authorities to the educational system;
 Reduction of bureaucratic and administrative pressure;
 Elimination of authoritarian approach;
 Reduction of ongoing reforms in education;
 Granting autonomy to schools;
 Increasment of levels of investment in teachers’ wages;
 Inclusive treatment of education;
 Rethinking of curricula;
 Redefinition of leadership in education. (H., 2008b: 9-10).

5.- Teacher´s Leadership

Applied to the field of educational action in the classroom, the exercise of leadership
primarily corresponds to the teacher, and it will aim basically to promote self-learning
formative processes of students, but in its development, the teacher contrasts with the

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Gento, S. y Cortés, J.
“Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo”

practice and improve his/her own professional status, through reflection on his/her
action and from the operational effect of itself (Medina, A., 1988). The main purpose is
not, therefore, to ensure that students acquire specific knowledge, it is, rather, that they
acquire the necessary consistency of progressive autonomous and efficient
development, to the extent it is necessary.

Consistent with what has just been said, the leadership performance of the teacher in the
classroom could be summed up in what is understood as constituting the collective vision
of the school; managing the instruction and promoting a positive learning climate.
Considering the teacher as a leader in the classroom set up, therefore, a new “role” or core
mission, namely: the facilitation of self-forming capacity of individuals and groups that
have been entrusted. According to this fundamental mission, it can be defined as belonging
to this professional the functions described below:

Design formative projects

 Promote an appropiate climate;


 Facilitate information sources;
 Suggest didactical materials;
 Provide educational technology;
 Select formative experiences;
 Guide the formation processes;
 Evaluate the formation levels;
 Propose accreditations.

6.- Assessment of the dimensions of instructional leadership

Empirical evidence gathered in an investigation into the dimensions of educational


leadership (with a special award to the director of an educational institution) provide
information on the importance given to each of these dimensions. In the table following
are inserted: the arithmetic mean of the ratings given to each dimension (on a minimum
score of 1 and maximum of 9), the standard deviation of each arithmetic mean, standard
error of mean and the number of questionnaires that evaluates the respective dimension

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Gento, S. y Cortés, J.
“Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo”

DIMENSION OF LIDERSHIP Arithmetic Standard Stand Nº


IMPORTANCE Mean Devia_ ard Quest
cion Error ionna
Participative 7,4957 1,7665 .0306 3339
Professional 7,4853 1,8371 .0318 3338
Cultural 6,9886 1,8368 .318 3342
Formative 6,8652 1,9215 .0332 3346
Afective 6,7827 1,9441 .0345 3337
Managerial 6,6996 1,9696 .0346 3332
Anticipatory 6,69964 1,9216 .0334 3331
Charismátic 6.4529 2,1192 .0486 1901

Importance that should be given to the dimensions of instructional leadership


(attributed to the director of an educational institution)

7.- References

COVEY, S. (1991). Principle Centered Leadership. New York: Free Press.


DÍAZ LEONARDO, S. & GARCÍA RIGÜEL, M. (2008). Escuela de Desarrollo de Hábitos.
Madrid: Díaz de Santos.
GENTO, S. (1994). Participación en la Gestión Educativa. Madrid: Santillana.
GENTO, S. (Coord) (2001ª). La Institución Educativa. I Iddentificadores de Calidad.
Buenos Aires: Docencia.
GENTO, S. (Coord) (2001ª). La Institución Educativa. II Predictores de Calidad. Buenos
Aires: Docencia.
GENTO, S. (2002). Instituciones Educativas para la Calidad Total. Madrid: La Muralla
(3d. edición).
GOLEMAN, D (1999). Working with Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury
GIULIANI, R.W. (2002). Leadership. New York: Hyperion.
HARGREAVES, A. & FINK, D. (2006). Sustainable Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
HENTIG, H. von (1993). Die Schule New Denken. München: Carl Hanser.
MEDINA, A. (1988). Didáctica e Interacción en el Aula. Madrid: Cincel.
OECD (2003). Education at a Glance. Paris: Author.
OCDE (2004). Regards sur l ´Éducation. Les Indicateurs de l´OCDE 2004. Paris: Auteur.
OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: What Makes a School Sucessful? Paris: Author
PONT, B., NUSCHE, D. & MOORMAN, H. (2008b). Improving School Leadership,
Volume 2: Case Studies on System Leadership. Paris: OECD.
SCHEIN, E.H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership (3rd. ed.). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
SCHMELKES, S. (1995). Hacia una Mejor Calidad de Nuestras Escuelas. México, D.F.:
OEA/SEP).
SENGE, P M. (1990). The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York:
Double Day.
SENGE, P.M. (1994). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday.
TOFFLER, A. (1999). Future Shock. New York: Bantam Books.
SERGIOVANNI, T.J. (2004). Leadership. What’s in it for Schools? Abongdon, Oxon:
Routlege Falmer.

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Gento, S. y Cortés, J.
“Liderazgo para el Cambio Educativo”

UNESCO (2004). Global Monitoring Report 2005: Education for All. The Quality
Imperative (Summary). Paris: Author.
WHEATLEY, M. (2006). Leadership and the New Science. San Francisco: Berrett-
Koehler.
WINTERHOFF, M. (2009). Tyrannen Müssen nicht Sein. Random House: München
YUKL, G.A. (2002). Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall.
8.- Fuentes de Internet
http://europa.eu/legislation-summaries/education: European Union legislation on
education, youth and sports.
http:/www.neo-humanista.org/DPCC2/index.htlm: organización neohumanista.
http:// www.pisa.oecd.org: PISA reports.
http:// www.unesco.org: UNESCO information.

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