ORGANIZATION CULTURE AND SYMBOLS

Since the early pioneering study by Carlson (1951), requirements have used descriptive methods such as direct observation, diaries and interviews to discover what managers do and how they spend their time. The research on managerial activities attempted to fine answers to questions such such as how much time managers spend alone or interacting with different people (eg. Subordinates, peers, outsiders), how offen managers use different forms of interaction (eg. telephone, scheduled meetings, unscheduled, meetings, written messages), where the interaction occur, how long they last, and who initiated them. Reviews of this research fine that a clear picture is beginning to emerge about the nature of managerial work for most managerial position (Hales, 1986; McCall, Morrison, Hannan, 1978 ; Mintzberg, 1973). This section of the chapter reviews major findings about the nature of managerial work. Pace of work is hectic and unrelenting The typical manager work long hours; and many managers take work home. In part, this workload can be traced to the preferences of people in managerial position. Having trained their minds to search for and analyze new information continually, most manager do this automatically and find it diffcult to forget about their jobs when at home or on vacation. During the typical manager’s day, there is seldom a break in the workload. Managers receive almost continuours requests for informantion, assistance, peers superiors, and people outside the organization. The research on managerial activities contradicts the popular conception of managers as people who carefully plan and orchestrate events, and then sit in their office waiting for the occasional exception to normal opertions that may require their attention. Content of work is varied and fragmented Managers typically engage in a large variety of activities each day that are usually very brief in duration. Mintzberg’s (1973.p.33) observations of executives found that “half of the activities were completed in less than nine minutes, and only one tenth took more than an hour”. The activities of managers tend to be fragmented as well as varied. Interspersed with trivial ones, requiring rapid shifts of mood. A manager may go from a budget meeting involving decision about millions of dollars in spending to discussion about how to fix a broken water fountain (Sayles 1979). Many activities are reactive The fragmented nature of managerial reflects the fact that many interactions are initiated by others, and much of a manager’s behavior is reactive rather than proactive in nature. Problems as they becom aware of them, while others are ignored or post poned. There are always more problems than one can handle at any given time, and some types of problems are more likely to get immediate attention than others.

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC GIÁO DỤC

CHUYÊN ĐỀ TIẾN SĨ NGOẠI NGỮ CHUYÊN NGÀNH

Vấn đề nghiên cứu:

ORGANIZATION CULTURE AND SYMBOLS

(Bản tiếng anh)

HÀ NỘI – 2013

Lesson 3 An examination of the Position of a Secondary School Principal

Since the early pioneering study by Carlson (1951), requirements have used descriptive methods such as direct observation, diaries and interviews to discover what managers do and how they spend their time The research on managerial activities attempted to fine answers to questions such such as how much time managers spend alone or interacting with different people (eg Subordinates, peers, outsiders), how offen managers use different forms of interaction (eg telephone, scheduled meetings, unscheduled, meetings, written messages), where the interaction occur, how long they last, and who initiated them Reviews of this research fine that a clear picture is beginning to emerge about the nature of managerial work for most managerial position (Hales, 1986; McCall, Morrison, & Hannan, 1978 ; Mintzberg, 1973) This section of the chapter reviews major findings about the nature of managerial work.

- Pace of work is hectic and unrelenting

The typical manager work long hours; and many managers take work home In part, this workload can be traced to the preferences of people in managerial position Having trained their minds to search for and analyze new information continually, most manager do this automatically and find it diffcult to forget about their jobs when at home

or on vacation During the typical manager’s day, there is seldom a break

in the workload Managers receive almost continuours requests for informantion, assistance, peers superiors, and people outside the

organization The research on managerial activities contradicts the

popular conception of managers as people who carefully plan and orchestrate events, and then sit in their office waiting for the occasional exception to normal opertions that may require their attention.

- Content of work is varied and fragmented

Managers typically engage in a large variety of activities each day that are usually very brief in duration Mintzberg’s (1973.p.33)

observations of executives found that “half of the activities were completed in less than nine minutes, and only one tenth took more than

an hour” The activities of managers tend to be fragmented as well as varied Interspersed with trivial ones, requiring rapid shifts of mood A manager may go from a budget meeting involving decision about millions

of dollars in spending to discussion about how to fix a broken water fountain (Sayles 1979).

- Many activities are reactive

The fragmented nature of managerial reflects the fact that many interactions are initiated by others, and much of a manager’s behavior is reactive rather than proactive in nature Problems as they becom aware of them, while others are ignored or post poned There are always more problems than one can handle at any given time, and some types of problems are more likely to get immediate attention than others

The importance of a problem is a major determinant of whether it will be recognized and handled, but it is often unclear how importance a problem really is Managers are more likely to respond to problems if there is pressure for immediate action due to a crisis , deadline, or expectations of progress by someone importance, such as the mamager’s boss or an external client (McCall & Kaplan,1985) In the absence of such pressure, a problem is more likely to get action when it is perceived

to be similar to other problems that a manager has solved successfully in the past, when the problem is perceived to be clearly within the manager’s domain of responsibility, and when the manager perceives that the action and resources necessary to solve the problem are available Managers tend to ignore or postpone dealing with problemsfor which there is no external pressure for action, problemsthat are fuzzy and difficult to diagnose, problems for which other managers or subunits are responsible, and problems that cannot be solved without additional

resources and support that would be be difficult or impossible to obtain.

A common stereotype of managers is that they spend a considerable part of their time in careful analysis of business problems and development of elaborate plans to deal with them However, the descriptive studies find that most managers devote little time to reflective planning The fragmented activities and continual heavy demands characteristic of managerial work make it difficult for managers to find the long periods of interrupted time necessary for this type of activity Reflective planning and other activities that require large blocks of time, such as team building and training complex skills to subordinates, are usually preempted by “ fire fighting” activities involving immediate operational problems What little time managers spend alone in the office

is typically used to read correspondence, handle administrative paperwork, read reports from subordinates, write reports or memos, and scan journals or technical publications Most managers gravitate toward the active aspects of their jobs, and they tend to focus on specific, immediate problems rather than general issues or long-term strategies

- Interactions offen involve peers and outsiders

Althoung much of the leadership literature focuses on the relationship between leader and subordinates The descriptive research has foun that managers typically spend considerable time with persons other than direct subordinates or the manager’s boss Kotter (1982) foun that the network of relationships for general managers often consisted of hundreds of people inside and outside of their organization These contacts may involve subordinates of subordinates, superiors of the boss, lateral peers Subordinates of lateral peers, and superiors of lateral peers (see Figure 2.1) In addition, many managers spend considerable time with people outside the organization, such as customers, clients, suppliers, subordinates people in government agencies, important people

in the community, managers of other organization in the same field, and managers in the same area of specialization (e.g personnel managers, marketing managers) Compared with lower-level managers, high- level managers were more dependent on people outside the organization and had more external contacts in their networks (Luthans, Rosenkrantz, & Hennessey, 1985 ; McCall,Morrison , & Hannan, 1978 ;Michael & Yukl, 1993) Managers in boundary –spanning positions (e.g sales, marketing,purchasing) had more extern dependency and engaged in more networking than managers in positions with a dominant internal focus (e.g.production, accounting).

The high incidence of lateral and external interactions can be explained in terms of a manager’s need for information about complex and uncertain events that influence the operations of his or her organization subunit, and the manager’s dependence on the cooperation and assistance of numerous people outside the immediate chain of command (Kotter ,1982) These conditions occur to some extent for all managers, but they vary somewhat for different types and froms of organization For example, managers in a firm that provides many customized products to client are likely to have more external contacts than managers in a firm that provides only mass-produced products Managers in a self –contained unit of a larger organization (e.g regional securities office, local department store) are likely to have fewer lateral contacts with other parts of the organization than managers in a matrix organization with many different product and functional units (Kotter,1982; Stewart, 1976).

Kanter (1983) found that lateral relationships were especially important to make innovative changes A coalition of supporters is usually necessary to gain approval and funding for a new product or project and to guarantee that it will be implemented successfully, rather

than being derailed due to lack of attention, apathy, interference, or political opposition Kanter’s reseach showed that successful entrepreneurial managers built a coalition of supporters and sponsors, beginning with peers and then adding superiors.

FIGURE 2.1 A Manager's Network of contacts

2 The content of managerial work

- job description research

Boss

Manager

Direct subordinates

Indirect subordinates

Suppliers

Colleagues in the same profession

Important people in the community

Decision making

Influencing Exchanging

A briefing paper presented by Dr Peter Thursby, Team Leader, Upper Secondary and Professional Teacher Development Project

Introduction

This paper introduces the preparation, training, and professional nature of principals

in the Australian state of New South Wales Australia has six states and two major territories and each has autonomy for the delivery of services in such areas as school education, health, policing and transport The Commonwealth Government of Australia provides national grants and additional priority funds for education to the states and territories including funds to non-government and independent schools based on an enrolment formula New South Wales has the largest secondary school system in Australia

The NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) has more than 2,200 public schools and over 738,000 students across NSW Statistics from 2008-09 identified 96,363 full time equivalent staff members employed by DET (permanent teachers, TAFE teachers, technical and administrative support staff) There are another 27,000 teachers registered for permanent employment, some of which may be working as casual (substitute) teachers The DET is the largest employer of teachers in the state, and has responsibility for the education of children from Early Childhood (pre-school), Kindergarten through to Year 6 (Primary), Year 7 to Year 10 (junior secondary leading to the School Certificate) and Years 11 and 12 (senior secondary leading to the Higher School Certificate) The DET also has responsibility for post-secondary vocational or technical education through the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system The TAFE system is career oriented to provide qualifications for specific trades and occupations directly concerned with business and industry and to address skills shortages The TAFE education system links directly to specific occupational knowledge and skills and technology and teaching and learning

is primarily competency-based

Children in the state are automatically entitled to enroll in a state school without having to pay compulsory fees, although all state schools have a small payment system in each year to support the supply of specialist resources Parents who choose

to enroll their children into a non-government school are required to pay yearly fees although the national government supplements these schools with additional funds including funds for capital works and learning resources The Australian Government

has recently committed to providing all secondary students in government and government school from years 9 to 12 with a laptop as part of a “digital school revolution” to improve student knowledge and skills in the use and application of ICT

non-to learning

Technological changes in education: from slates to computer technology

The NSW Institute of Teachers

The NSW Government established the NSW Institute of Teachers through an Act of Parliament in 2004 following several enquiries into education that examined ways to improve the professional status of teaching and quality teaching in all NSW schools The Institute has responsibility for career-long development of teachers and the accreditation of teacher education programs offered by universities Accreditation of teacher education programs and the recognition of the professional capacity of teachers to provide quality education for school students are measured against teacher professional standards The Institute requires teachers to maintain professional development throughout their career and has an ongoing influence upon university teacher education programs on behalf of the employer, both DET and non-government school systems

The Institute developed teacher professional standards in partnership with teachers from around NSW More than 7000 teachers in NSW assisted in the development and validation of the standards and the University of New England completed an evaluation of the standards prior to their acceptance by the NSW Government The introduction of teacher standards affects all teachers from the beginner teacher through to the Principal of a school There are four levels and there is an expectation that a teacher considering promotion to a school principal position will have achieved the fourth level, Professional Leadership, prior to applying for a principal position, although this requirement is not mandatory in the legislation

The four levels are:

• Graduate Teacher

• Professional Competence

• Professional Accomplishment

• Professional Leadership1

Teachers are required and encouraged to improve their teaching practice and submit

to a review at key stages in their career to confirm their achievements at one of the four levels and when they want to be considered for promotion to a higher level Teacher assessments are carried out by trained assessors and may include senior teachers and principals who have attained professional accomplishment and professional leadership

At Professional Leadership level the standards state,

These teachers have a record of outstanding teaching and are committed

to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning They are committed

educators who can articulate a vision of education to their students, peers,

the profession and the wider community They may be employed in formal

leadership positions within schools.2

Application for Professional Leadership

Teachers looking for promotion to professional leadership are required to apply to the NSW Institute of Teachers and provide extensive evidence to support their application Whilst there is no requirement for an applicant who is successful in achieving Professional Leadership to be appointed to a leadership role (they may remain a classroom teacher) most applicants will be looking for an opportunity for promotion to Head Teacher of a department, Deputy Principal or Principal position

An information package is provided that identifies both the steps and the kind of documented evidence that is required Three sources of evidence are required from the candidate: documentary evidence based on the standard, referee reports and observations from an external assessor At this level the Institute uses external assessors who are required to observe the candidate in their school over a two-day period, read all of the documentation provided as evidence that the candidate meets the standards at this level and provide a report to a Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA) committee with responsibility for making the decision to accredit or not

1http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/home.aspx

2http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards.html

accredit the candidate The TAA represents the many stakeholders in education and is established to provide advice and guidance on accreditation matters and provide decision-making on accreditation of candidates as they apply and are assessed External assessors are trained by the Institute and are required to serve for at least a two-year period Assessors may be classroom teachers, senior teachers (Head Teacher of a department), Deputy Principal or Principal In some cases university staff may also become assessors A three-year time frame (or time limit) is set for the candidate to meet, or not meet, the required standards for accreditation once they have applied.

Candidates are guided by the information packages in preparing their application Three packages are available: an information guide, one on policy and procedures for accreditation, and advice on the evidence guide and supporting documentation needed

(i) Information Guide: identifies the procedures to be followed including a preliminary application phase at which time the candidate completes a self-assessment

of professional capabilities based on the Standards At this point the candidate may

be advised to proceed with the application or delay for further consideration and development The second phase of accreditation in which the candidate proceeds with the application involves payment of an assessment fee, gathering reports from at least three referees representing different professional experiences of the candidate, and preparation of the documentation in support of the application

(ii) Policy and Procedures: refers to the role of the Institute within the meaning of the Act (2004) and the role and responsibilities of accreditation bodies within the Institute An external standards assessor is appointed to assess the capabilities of the candidate through document analysis and observation Observations are structured to observe professional practice, as the external assessor is able to provide an objective and independent analysis of the applicants claim for accreditation Procedures to be followed in confirming or rejecting the candidate’s application are also outlined in the policy A decision to accept or reject an application is based upon the relevance and adequacy of the evidence provided in support of the application and a comparative analysis of the application against many similar reports from other candidates For unsuccessful candidates an appeal mechanism is available based on specific criteria that include procedural fairness, evidence of capability provided by the candidate or another relevant matter In those cases where a candidate is not successful the TAA

committee is required to provide feedback and advice to the candidate as to the reasons for the lack of success

An accreditation fee is applied at each phase of the process: preliminary application cost is AUD$60; submission for accreditation cost is AUD$650 and an annual fee of AUD$92 Applicants who advance to application of accreditation have the AUD$60 for the preliminary phase credited to the accreditation fee

(iii) Evidence and Supporting Documentation: explains the processes that need to be followed to prepare the necessary documentation to provide evidence of professional capabilities Supporting documentation has to include the three domains identified within the Standards: Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Commitment Supporting evidence may include details of past and current teaching situations and achievements, planned teaching and learning programs, written communications concerning professional matters, emails, newsletters, student work samples, professional development courses, postgraduate studies, evaluations of work submitted as a result of colleague feedback, and written papers on educational topics Teachers engaged in action-research projects in their classroom may submit a copy of the project and outcomes of the research on such topics as curriculum development or student learning achievements There are recommendations on how to report documentary evidence to ensure external assessors understand the significance of achievements in relation to different educational contexts For example, annotation

of specific entries will provide an explanatory note about the achievement in professional or educational terms and so assist the assessor to understand the significance of an entry

The role of the external assessor is very important to the validity and reliability of the accreditation process Training of assessors covers professional ethics including equity, confidentiality and objectivity of judgment, understanding of professional standards and an ability to analyze sample reports and evidence to support decision-making Assessors that demonstrate inability to reach valid decisions based on the evidence or those that regularly make incorrect decisions will not continue as assessors Assessors are allocated to education levels with which they are familiar so that a primary school teacher (K-year 6) will be assessed by an assessor with primary school experience and a secondary school teacher will have an assessor with a secondary school background Wherever possible, an assessor at secondary level will

be assigned to teachers in the same subject area as themselves

The Institute of Teachers also tries to appoint assessors with a variety of teaching backgrounds so that teachers are confident that an assessor has an understanding of the candidate’s educational situation This means that assessors may be representative

of schools in urban areas, rural areas, disadvantaged and isolated areas and special education centres Assessors are also chosen using a set of essential criteria: recent successful classroom teaching, knowledge of subject(s), pedagogical knowledge and skills, excellent analytical and writing skills, experience in mentoring and supporting colleague teachers, particularly beginner teachers and knowledge of the Professional Teacher Standards Current employment as a teacher or principal in a NSW school is desirable

The Secondary School Principal

Secondary school principals normally have long-term teaching experience in secondary schools and represent the range of subjects on offer Teachers with a teaching background in mathematics, language, visual arts, music, physical education or technical education have become principals The Principal is responsible for the management and day-to- day operations and business of the school The authority to exercise managerial powers is delegated from the Department of Education and Training and the principal has line management responsibilities to a Director of an educational region (a District) and works cooperatively with a parent organization (Parents and Citizens Association) to ensure that the organizational and educational structures and programs of the school receive support from the community The principal is also responsible for the development of the educational environment in which teachers and students work cooperatively together and with the school senior executive (Head teachers of subjects, deputy principal) and teaching staff to establish a vision or mission for the school

School leadership and managerial skill are essential in an effective principal as they implement government policy and respond to community pressure to introduce school reform for a quality education

that improves teaching and learning and student achievement A principal’s ability to improve the learning environment of the school often rests upon the managerial style of the individual and his or her ability to work with staff to create a shared vision for the school An effective principal has been described as having a management style that engages teachers in shared decision-making leading to improved teaching practices and improved student outcomes

In most school systems that principal also has responsibility for supporting the professional development of staff through mentoring, collegial collaboration and cooperation on teaching and learning developments and professional development programs for those staff experiencing teaching difficulties Difficulties may include classroom management, program planning and effective application of pedagogical skills to engage learners in a variety of learning experiences

School principals have been described as taking on a position of trust and leadership

in their school and local community by the government and the DET has established regular training programs to assist principals to improve their leadership capabilities

to introduce quality learning programs in their schools A typical annual training program for new and continuing school principals cover the following issues:

• ways to improve student results

• ways to improve the quality of teaching

• student and staff management

• physical and financial management

• school and community partnerships

• school planning, performance, reporting and accountability

• customer service3

Educational Leadership and Management in NSW Schools

Schools in NSW have been described in the introduction to the duties and responsibilities of the school principal as,

NSW government schools operate in a culturally diverse and changing

society which has high expectations of its schools and the learning outcomes

of students Each school is part of a system committed to the principles of

3https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/

inclusiveness, equity, social justice, ethical practice and excellence.4

Key leadership and management roles for which the principal is accountable are described as,

• educational leadership: vision and a school annual plan, education and welfare

of students; effective teaching and learning practices, providing quality education, a team approach with the community

• educational programs: relevance of curriculum, implementation of mandatory curriculum requirements, teaching and learning plans that meet the needs of all learners, evaluation of teaching and learning and assessment of student outcomes

• learning outcomes: ensure that teachers identify learner needs and assist in achievement of planned outcomes, establish a school assessment policy, reporting student achievement to parents, analyzing school and system data that can assist in establishing targets for teaching and learning and high levels

of student achievement, targeting human, technical and financial resources to support the schools educational goals

• student welfare: develop a student welfare and discipline policy that is regularly reviewed, prepare policies, programs and practices that ensure a safe and supportive learning environment, implementation of the child protection policy, staff training to ensure that the school welfare and discipline policy is implemented in a fair and ethical manner

• staff welfare development and management: promote a collegial and cooperative school culture, establish effective communication and decision-making processes within the school, maintain the code of conduct developed

by DET, clarify duties for all teaching and administrative/technical staff, facilitate staff development and professional growth in all area of school responsibility, introduce improvement programs to assist teachers experiencing difficulties in their performance of duties, maintain staff records, supervision and evaluation of teaching and learning programs, implementation

of induction programs for beginner teachers

• physical and financial resource management: school budget and annual financial statements, effective use of resources to support teaching and

4DET (2000) Leading and managing the school https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/ ./PD20040024.shtml

learning, identify physical and resource needs for future development, financial management that meet DET and legislated accounting requirements, implementation of occupational health and safety measures, maintain all records necessary for Audit requirements.

• school and community partnerships: promote school-community partnership, maintain open communication with community and government agencies, work cooperatively with parents and parent organizations for the educational development and welfare of students, produce an annual report, form partnerships with community, business and industry where appropriate to promote teaching and learning and community participation, promote the school and public education in the community

The Importance of Quality in School Education

Recent developments in NSW education have focussed upon the introduction of quality teaching as a model for NSW schools The DET has responded to international education research that has indicated that effective teaching and learning

methods improve student achievement Entitled Quality Teaching in NSW School’s

the teaching and learning methods build upon current national and international research (particularly classroom research from USA) to assist teachers and principals

to improve their professional practice567

Principals have been given responsibility to introduce the Quality Teaching policy

into their school using an information package and resources provided by DET The starting point has been staff meetings and departmental meetings to discuss how the principles and activities of quality teaching can be implemented into their teaching to improve teaching and learning and ultimately, better outcome levels for their students The research from quality teaching indicates that teaching and learning can be improved in three main areas to assist students:

• intellectual quality that provides greater depth of learning;

• a quality learning environment in which students are actively involved;

5Newman, F.M (Ed.)(1992) Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools New York: Teachers’ College Press.

6 Newman, F &Associates.(1996).Authentic achievement: Restructuring schools for intellectual

quality Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

7DET (2003) Quality teaching in NSW public schools: Discussion paper Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate, DET.

• significance of learning so that students can see the relevance and application

of learning

Research into quality education in schools has identified a number of factors that are consistently present in the school8 The role of the principal is crucial in guiding a school along the pathway to quality

(i) Effective leadership: provides the school with direction in pursuing

improvement and the capacity to make changes in practices so that improvement in areas like teaching and learning take place;

(ii) A School Culture that supports continuous learning: a school environment

in which staff reflect on their teaching and student outcomes and use their findings to improve and/or change practice to improve student learning;(iii) A Shared Vision, Clear Expectations and High Standards: members of the

school community support the mission and goals of the school and work to agreed targets within the school year to reach high standards in teaching and learning

(iv) Commitment to and Support for School Improvement: the shared vision

and beliefs in the mission of the school lead to individual and team efforts

to maintain continuous assessment, evaluate practices and establish benchmarks for school improvement

(v) Support for Continuous School Improvement: management of the school’s

resources to develop staff expertise, professional development, obtain good quality educational resources and assist staff to conduct classroom action research projects that will provide data on effective and non-effective teaching and learning practices

School principals and staff are further encouraged to take action to develop strategies

to improve the quality of the education offered students because of the standards developed by the NSW Institute of Teachers and the expectation that teachers submitting evidence of their professional development will demonstrate many of the factors considered important to quality education An additional mechanism for school development is the allocation of professional learning funds from the Centre (DET) to individual schools as part of their annual recurrent budget and regional and on-line support programs available to staff School principals are able to set aside for

8Public Schools - Quality Education in Every Classroom

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/reviews/futuresproject/issuespapers/qualityeduc.htm

a specific purpose professional learning funds to support staff training in topics regarded as priority areas for the school

Professional Learning Policy

The policy established by DET for NSW schools states that professional learning service learning programs) for school staff should provide for professional growth and help teaching staff to improve outcomes for their students There is a shared responsibility for teachers, schools, regions and DET to promote, plan, implement and evaluate professional learning to support the work of schools The policy states that:

(in-• professional learning is an ongoing activity throughout a teachers career;

• school annual plans should include a section on professional learning and specific priorities for each year;

• professional learning activities should cater for the needs of staff and the school community and be responsive to DET educational priorities in planning the school’s priorities for the year;

• a professional learning team should be established in each school to plan, implement and evaluate the professional learning component of the school plan;

• quality professional learning programs should be planned, promoted, implemented and evaluated within regions and schools to ensure effective and positive participation from participants;

• expenditure of funds on professional learning programs need to be recorded, reported and become part of the Auditing process for schools

Professional Learning and Leadership Development in DET

The DET has established a Directorate (Department) of Professional Learning in support of teaching and learning for teachers through each stage of their career The program is described as a continuum since programs are available for graduate teachers (beginner teachers) and those more experienced teachers wanting to improve practice or interested in a school executive leadership position as head teacher, deputy principal, principal or a senior staff position within the management structure of DET (equivalent to staff and administrative levels within MoET) There are also professional development programs available for school administrative staff and

technical or support staff (e.g., laboratory assistant, special needs support staff).

At the school executive level Professional Learning and Leadership programs specifically support teachers interested in obtaining promotion to Head of Department, Deputy Principal and Principal positions While there are many programs delivered in geographic regions of the state of NSW there are a large number of courses that are offered on-line with supplementary hard copy training manuals and DVDs that enable teaching staff to complete their training in their own home location and at their own pace On-line programs are more cost effective, are able to reach more people, provide support and one-on-one interaction with an on-line tutor and are able to cater for video conferencing, sending and receiving information

on discussion boards and sending and receiving files from the on-line tutor The

Directorate of Professional Learning has also produced a Leadership ToolKit that

provides a self-paced program of modules covering different aspects of leadership Leadership programs are prepared by staff of the Directorate of Professional Learning

in consultation with experts from the field of school leadership, administration and management and the material development services are provided in-house and through outsourcing Program development is guided by the following professional development principles:

• Learning materials are directly relevant to school education issues and topics;

• They are personally relevant for teachers and support staff at their level of professional development;

• Programs use evidence-based problem solving activities;

• Topics are based on workplace practice and analysis of real situations;

• Programs offer flexible, self-managed pathways for learning;

• Learning activities are challenging and provide for in-depth examination of educational issues;

• Participants receive feedback on their submissions9

9DET (2006) The Professional Learning Continuum Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate Sydney: DET.