In this session we focused on both protecting and enhancing our cultures of learning. Protecting implies there may exist threats that could undermine your own culture of learning, whereas enhancing implies proactively planning intentional changes to both systems and practices that deepen learning across the students and staff. Educational leadership, especially in times of rapid reform and exponential AI development require the dual holding of both protection and enhancement.

In this session we prioritise time for senior and middle leaders to reflect upon and analyse your team’s collaborative leadership learning this year and the experienced and evidence – based impact on the change initiative you identified at the beginning of 2024. What will you sustain? What will you de-implement in relation to this focus in 2025? What has really counted in enhancing your culture of learning in 2024?

Today’s workshop focused on the leadership capability sphere ‘Evaluating practices in relation to outcomes’ found in the Educational Leadership Capability Framework (Education Council,2018). As we considered this sphere we linked back to the two previous workshops this term facilitated by Charles Darr, our visiting Chief Researcher from NZCER.

Charles Darr from NZCER continues the data discussion with Leading assessment: Standardised tests

Effective instructional leaders understand the role of sound assessment in efforts to improve teaching and learning. They use assessment as a strategic tool in developing supportive and effective educational environments that enhance student learning and wellbeing. In this session, Charles Darr from NZCER will examine what leadership in assessment might involve and what it can stimulate, encourage and promote that leads to better outcomes for all ākonga.

  In this final session together for Term Two the focus was on identifying what has worked well while also keeping in mind the key challenges in working systemically. Each school had the opportunity to discuss a key intentional action they have undertaken to work systemically by sharing ‘what has worked well’ and ‘what challenges…

System-wide improvement demands we focus on the specifics of our daily work while also keeping the big picture in clear focus. In this session the focus was on how to engage across the systems and people you identified in Session One. To what do you need to pay attention, to make traction in your improvement initiative/s? How can we do this in a way that reduces overload? You worked within your school groups as some of these issues are specific to each school.

  Nugget of Learning: Implementing and Sustaining: We hear from Milford School in relation to their leadership practices to support the implementing and sustaining of strategies to progress identified school strategic goals for 2024. Our work together in Term Two builds on your focus from Term One. We concentrate on ways to work systemically to…

  Nugget of Learning: Implementing and Sustaining: Maggie presented processes to support the implementing and sustaining of strategies to progress identified school strategic goals for 2024. A key practice that enables us address deeper and unproductive habitual practices is engaging in dialogue. During this workshop we offered some tools and guidelines that help shift conversations…

  Nugget of Learning: Maggie presents a leadership practice to support the implementing and sustaining of strategies to progress identified school strategic goals for 2024. Habitual practices stay in play for numerous reasons. Some contribute to learning, development and trust. Some reflect who we are and in the words of Parker Palmer, “we teach who…