School development
Research-engaged schools O
Dr Raphael Wilkins reflects on the benefits for schools of being ‘research-engaged’ and argues that headteachers must embrace research and collaboration as part of school and staff development
ften headteachers say that they want to strengthen, or deepen, the professional culture of their school. There are four elements to this: talking about practice, professional reading, writing
about practice, and becoming research-engaged. It is not normally practicable, however, for these to be planned and implemented as a conscious, logical sequence: deepening of professional cultures is usually a result of piecemeal, opportunistic developments that happen where conditions are conducive.
Managerial vs professional orientation A prerequisite for any strategies to strengthen professional culture is, of course, a preference for a professional rather than managerial orientation towards the leadership of teachers. School leaders inclined towards a managerial orientation will see
teachers as “operatives”, needing strong direction and control through line management, focused on improving certain narrowly defined performance indicators in ways which help “management” to achieve its objectives. In this perspective, professional development is the training needed to correct deficiencies identified by management. As “operatives”, high turnover among teachers is to be expected, as
those who do not meet management’s expectations are “managed out” of the organisation. Creativity, independent thinking and research by teachers are not encouraged: anything they need to know is best cascaded down to them by management, or at least must be focused sharply on set priorities. By contrast, school leaders inclined towards a professional orientation
will see teachers as self-motivated professionals, mutually inspired and supported through peer-group interactions, having a broad view of their educational role, and using their own initiative and creativity to refine continually their teaching skills.
22 In this perspective, “professional development” is an integral part of
being a teacher. The commitment of teachers beyond the short term to the community of children and their families, and to the organisation as a whole, is assumed, valued and reciprocated by leaders. Creative thinking and research by teachers are largely self-directed, broad in scope, encouraged and supported by leaders, and may be expected, over time, to take forward the school’s thinking on questions such as “what is a good education?”. These are only caricatures, of course, representing extreme ends of a continuum. Unless a school is staffed by angels, management does indeed
“School leaders inclined towards a
professional orientation will see teachers as self-motivated professionals.”
need to manage. While leaders may believe that the professional model is what ought to prevail, in most schools a prolonged and complex process of organisation development is necessary to bring it about. Teachers are, nevertheless, perceptive regarding the messages that school leaders convey about their positioning on this continuum. A shift towards the professional model is necessary for developing professional culture, but it has to be genuinely underpinned by beliefs and values.
Professional conversations The development of professional culture through informed dialogue is dependent on the acceptance of a range of viewpoints and opinions, otherwise the parties to the dialogue might just as well talk to themselves.
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