Understanding Systems Leadership: Securing Excellence and Equity in Education

摘要

In the weeks which preceded the 2010 General Election in the UK there was much ado about the need for political parties to collaborate. Old-style, two-party politics were said by some politicians to have had their day. In the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis the problems which beset the country were said to be of such magnitude that religious observance to narrow party dogmas would be a doomed endeavour. Put plainly, the 'context' of political leadership had changed radically. Big issues had to be faced. As with politics, so with education: the context of leadership in education is also said to have changed. On this latter point begins Pat Collarbone and John West-Burnham's Understanding Systems Leadership: Securing Excellence and Equity in Education. The education system in England which had served the age of mass-production and mass-consumption must now enable co-production and personalized consumption. This is what 'world-class' education systems must have as their purpose. The justification for this position draws mainly upon policies that have at one and the same sought to maximize standards (hence the 'excellence' in the title of the book) and to ensure that social characteristics do not hinder performance (hence the 'equity' in the title). Chapter 3 provides a very useful summary of the policies (especially of Every Child Matters) which purport to accomplish these aims. Chapter 4 considers the leadership of 'extended schools'. The general point is that collaboration among hitherto discrete providers of education and social care is now a policy priority. These providers should be seen relationally and systemically, and not as separate silos. They need a new type of leadership: system leadership. This was the conclusion of the 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers study of school leadership in England, and Collarbone and West-Burnham agree with it.