Principal Professional Development: A Fine Balance
by Neil Dempster
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In this article, Neil Dempster argues that principal professional development opportunities need to achieve a 'fine balance' between people- and systems-focused activities if they are to be really effective.
Using the results from three extensive research studies on principal professional development, and findings from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australian studies in the field of principal professional learning, Dempster offers a framework for thinking about and analysing this balance.
Fine balance table. The fine balance needed for principals' professional development.
The framework shows two views of change (reproduction versus reconstruction); two focuses (people and systems); and four orientations to professional development (system restructuring and system maintenance, and professional sustenance and professional transformation).
Dempster’s work shows that principals tend to locate their professional development activities on the 'system' side of the framework, and more usually in the 'system maintenance' quadrant. It is this tendency that leads to an imbalance in professional development opportunities and experience. Why does this happen? He suggests that there are 'powerful forces at work' that direct principals towards this imbalance. These include principals’ feelings of responsibility to focus on transactional activities that meet system requirements, and their own tendency to direct their learning within known organisational comfort zones.
These forces, consciously or unconsciously, reduce the attention given to learning about the immediate personal and professional needs of the people in school settings and on learning about alternative ways of working which challenge system requirements.
Reflective questions
Neil Dempster offers a series of challenges and reflective questions that principals can use to focus on where they currently place the emphasis for their professional learning.
As a principal, has your professional learning and development included activities, programmes, or processes which enhance:
- the leadership and management knowledge and skills related to carrying out your role as principal (system maintenance)?
- your knowledge and understanding of system restructuring initiatives and how you can align school policies and programmes with them (system restructuring)?
- your knowledge and understanding of the values implicated in school leadership and the enduring moral and ethical imperatives in professional life (professional sustenance)?
- your knowledge, understanding, and ability to carry out productive social and system critique and to develop alternative professional practices (professional transformation)?
With these questions in mind, I suggest reflection on the following:
- Where does the emphasis presently lie in your professional development?
- How do you account for this emphasis?
- In which area of your professional learning is provision or action particularly short of your expectations?
- What are the reasons for the shortfall?
- What are you going to do about it?
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