Effective Educational Leader - Research Proposal Example

Effective Educational Leader Student’s Name Grade Course Tutor’s Name Date: Table of Contents Abstract 3 Research Outline 4 Significance of the research 7 Definition of terms 8 Scope of the problem 8 Articles Tracking Matrix 11 Abstract This research paper reviews existing literature with an aim of identifying whether indeed parental engagement is a prerequisite for an effective educational leader. The introductory section identifies the significance of the research as the need to establish whether parental engagement determines the effectiveness of an educational leader. The paper finds out that indeed, how well educational leaders engage with parents determine the results of individual students. Specifically, the paper notes that school-parent partnerships lead to institutions of learning adopting strategies that enhance students’ academic and social development. The results obtained in this paper can be applied by any educational leader for purposes of fostering academic growth and social development among students. The report will arguably be beneficial to educational leaders who want to enhance their effectiveness, and to students, who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of enhanced parental engagement. Research Outline Chapter 1: Introduction Brief background information regarding the debate about effective educational leadership and existing gaps in knowledge The Significance of research: The research is significant to educational leaders and parents because existing literature makes identify a link between parent engagement and improved student performances. Notably, no link has been established between effective educational leadership and parental engagement. The research is important as it seeks to breach a gap in literature connecting to establish whether indeed parental engagement is a factor that can determine the effectiveness of an educational leader. Scope of the problem: Some educational leaders effectively ignore (or innocently disregard) the possibility that failure to fully engage the parents will compromise the attainment of educational goals set out in schools Definition of terms: Effective educational leadership Parental engagement Research question: Is parent engagement a critical aspect of becoming an effective education leader? To the educational leaders consider making formal arrangement to meet or engage parents as part of their leadership duties? Chapter 2: Literature Review: Brief introduction about the topic Unpack the themes, strands, and underpinnings of the study Chapter 3: Research Summary and Conclusions Summary of the findings and facts from literature review Re-emphasize the importance of the topic Highlight the main points of the literature review that are related to the research topic. Chapter 4: Discussion and Application: Insights Gained Application By whom, to whose benefit Generalization and limitations of the research Chapter 1: Introduction Many opinions have been expressed both in the academic and non-academic literature regarding effective leadership in education. Notably, however, an agreement about what makes an effective educational leader seems to be lacking. An effective leader in education is in this paper’s opinion, is one who can successfully inspire desirable results in an education setting. Since schools are meant to be institutions where students obtain knowledge, the effectiveness of a leader would, therefore, first be gauged based on how well performing the students are. However, student performance should not be the only performance benchmark for the educational leader; rather, other aspects that contribute to the stability of the school should be considered. For example, how well does the school leader motivate and inspire the teaching staff working under him? Additionally, how connected is the leader with other stakeholders in the education sector? In literature, authors such as Leithwood, Louis, Anderson and Wahlstrom (2004, pp.8-9) have indicated that the basics of successful leadership in education include “setting direction, developing people and redesigning the organisation”. The four authors suggest that it does not matter whether a leader is an inspirational, democratic, transformational or dictatorial. If he does not set a direction to be followed, and if he fails to invest in developing the people working below him or redesign the educational organisation to cater for emerging needs and challenges, he cannot be considered successful. While Leithwood et al.’s (2004, pp. 8-9) argument is believable, a critical look at the education sector reveals that there are things that leaders cannot accomplish on their own without engaging with other important stakeholders in the education sector. A case in point would be parents. Significance of the research Parental engagement by education institutions has been seen to play a major role in enhancing students’ outcomes. Henderson and Mapp (2002, p.7) for example found out that students whose parents are engaged by the school registered: higher grades; regular school attendance; better adaptation in the school environment as well as good behaviour and social skills; and were more likely to pursue high school. The findings by Henderson and Mapp (2002, p. 7) therefore imply that in addition to good education outcomes, good leaders adopt programs and institutional strategies that mould students as wholesome social beings by facilitating the improvement of social skills through the necessary support systems (e.g. by working together with the parents). Among the few authors who have drawn links between parental engagement and what is seemingly a successful leadership model, is Mleczko and Kington (2013, p. 144). In two case studies involving two racially diverse schools in the United Kingdom, the two authors found out parent engagement was an essential undertaking for the two school principals that were studied. Specifically, treating parents as partners made the school understand where students come from better and hence made it possible for the school to afford them the necessary social support (Mleczko & Kington, 2013, p. 144). Notably, the two authors conducted their study in schools that admitted students from different social and economic backgrounds, and it is not therefore immediately clear from the authors’ results whether the findings can be generalised over the entire education sector. Interestingly, Chen, Goldring and Addi (1994, p.4) found out that the effectiveness with which educational leaders were able to engage with parents depended to a great extent on the kind of training they received and their levels of professional experience. Notably, educational leaders who had worked for longer in the same leadership position were seen to have more effective engagements with parents (Chen et al., 1994, p. 4); possibly because their years of experience had taught them some critical lessons about the important role that parents play in their children academic performances. Definition of terms Educational leader: In a school setting, the educational leader is in most cases the principal who is the head of the school bureaucracy. According to Chen et al. (1994, p.4), the educational leader is charged with the responsibility of enhancing organisational and instructional effectiveness through proper utilization of all available options and resources. Parental engagement: “Parents’ engagement in their children’s lives to influence the children’s overall actions” (Goodall & Montgomery 2013, p.403). In this context, however, a working definition of parental engagement will refer to it as ‘an educational leaders’ engagement with parents with the intention of influencing the children’s learning outcomes’. Scope of the problem The topic on parent engagement as a critical aspect of effective educational leadership is arguably important because it appears that most educational leaders (i.e. school principals) seem to believe that their leadership roles are confined within the school institutions. In such settings, they try to inspire students and teachers and effectively ignore (or innocently disregard) the possibility that failure to fully engage with the parents will compromise the attainment of educational goals set out in schools. Besides, it would appear that the topic has not been fully addressed in the literature, especially since most authors have not established connections between effective educational leaders as people who engage with parents among other stakeholders. Noting the critical role leaders play, this paper seeks to identify whether engaging with parents is considered a critical aspect of an effective educational leader. Specifically, this research paper seeks to answer the following questions: I. Is parent engagement a critical aspect of becoming an effective education leader? To answer this question, this paper will also seek to find out if educational leaders consider making formal arrangements to meet or engage parents as part of their leadership duties. Articles Tracking Matrix Articles: author(s) name and year of publication Introduction Method Results Discussions What new conclusions did you make as it relates to your topic? Goodall, J & Montgomery, c. (2013) The paper seeks to identify a continuum between parent’s involvement in school and children’s learning Literature review The authors offered an aspirational continuum where parents would be engaged more based on students’ needs as opposed to school-directed parent engagement The authors underscore the importance of goal-based parental engagement, whereby parents are consulted with a need to enhance children’s learning, as opposed to just being active stakeholders of the school engaged for purposes of offering support to the school Arguably, and though not explicitly stated, the findings in this paper imply that effective educational leader would have a goal in mind when engaging parents. That goal would ideally be enhancing children’s learning. Chen, M., Goldring, E., & Addi, A. (1994). The article commences the contrasting images of educational leaders. They are often perceived as professionals, but can also be perceived as moral-social agents Questionnaire survey The authors found out that the professional training received by educational leaders as well as their experience in leadership positions affected how they engaged with parents Professional training seems to reduce the importance that educational leaders attach to social and moral values while the absence of experience seems to enhance the same. It, therefore, could be that professional training enhances leaders’ sense of self-sufficiency hence creating the impression that leaders do not need to engage with other stakeholders. In their discussion section, the authors note that effective leaders have to be proficient social-moral beings. This means that in addition to being professional, they need to create room for social/moral factors that could affect how their leadership is perceived. Engagement with parents is one such social/moral factor. Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L. (2002). The authors commence by noting the influence, which families (and especially parents) have on the achievements made by their children in schools. The authors, therefore, seek to find the effective strategies that can be used to connect schools and families among other things. A review of existing literature The authors found evidence that families (parents) can support their children in improving their respective academic performances. However, schools (led by an educational leader) needed to sensitize parents regarding the roles they can play in order to enhance their children’s learning. The authors acknowledge the links between children and the families they come from, and the schools where they study and seem to indicate that the relationships that exist between the children and the families, the families and the schools, and the schools and students all affect the latter’s academic performance Schools cannot just forge good relationships with the students’ families with proper guidance or direction from the leader. Arguably, therefore, it seems that effective parental engagement could be perceived as an indicator of effective educational leadership. Mleczko, A. & Kington, A. (2013). The article focuses on establishing the effect that principals have in enhancing the involvement of parents in primary schools located in the United Kingdom. Qualitative methods The authors found evidence that strong educational leaders foster parental engagement because they ostensibly realise the impact of such engagement in the academic performance of students Arguably, the authors bring to the fore the important role that education leaders need to play in introducing and implementing solutions that enhance good performance among students. This paper contributes to knowledge by implying that a good education leader is open minded and would, therefore, be willing to engage parents and try out other possible solutions for the sake of enhancing the academic achievement of students. Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstron, K. (2004). The authors seek an understanding of how leadership affects student learning Literature review The authors argue that an education leader’s most basic roles is setting directions; developing people; and making the school work. Notably, setting direction is an expansive mandate, just as developing people and making the organisation work is. All, however, require the educational leader to identify what is needed in the school and pursue the same Parent engagement can arguably fall into an educational leader’s role in developing people. By engaging parents, the leader would be enhancing the learners’ potential to become well-rounded people through social support, from their families as well as creating the impression that schools do indeed care. References Chen, M., Goldring, E., & Addi, A. (1994). Educational leaders: professionals of moral-social agents. Conference Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (pp. 4-8). New Orleans, LA. Goodall, J., & Montgomery, C. (2013). Parental involvement to parental engagement: A continuum. Educational Review, 66(4), 399-410. Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: the impact of school, family and community connections on student achievement. Annual Synthesis (pp.1-238). Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. Centre for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/key-research/documents/how-leadership-influences-student-learning.pdf Read More