Implementation of Four Leadership Competencies within an Alberta High School

Date
2022-10-03
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Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to focus on a high school principal’s enactment of high-leverage leadership practices that positively influenced teachers’ instructional practices in one high-performing high school in Alberta with a student population above 1,000. Four competencies were examined: (a) embodying visionary leadership, (b) leading a learning community, (c) providing instructional leadership, (d) and developing leadership capacity in determining a shared instructional leadership approach. The study included 10 participants: one principal, three vice principals, five teachers, and one long-serving superintendent within the school authority. The theoretical framework was based on a systems thinking approach. Analysis of the data collected from interviews, documents, artifacts, and reflective journals yielded 11 findings: (a) redesigning the organization; (b) cultivating strategic alignment to the vision; (c) facilitating shared responsibility; (d) promoting and participating in learning and development; (e) developing a robust mentorship program; (f) managing the instructional program; (g) fostering student-centered instructional approaches; (h) improving visibility and accessibility; (i) being data informed; (j) establishing a distributed leadership structure; and (k) identifying, empowering, and recognizing staff. This study concludes with recommendations, including the key recommendation of making a long-term investment in developing a shared approach to instructional leadership capacity at the jurisdiction and school level to support teaching and learning.

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Keywords
Standards, Leadership Quality Standard, Teacher Quality Standard, Competencies, Leadership practices, Principal, High school education, Case study, Systems thinking theory
Citation
Finnigan, K. J. (2022). Implementation of four leadership competencies within an Alberta high school (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.