Next Practice in Communities for Learning - Community leadership in networks
|
|
What are we learning about...? Community leadership in networks explores the subject of community leadership and learning networks. It considers how the national policy agenda to ensure Every Child Matters is beginning to be acted out in local networked contexts. Through exploring different perspectives of community leadership it considers the tensions, opportunities and challenges involved in moving from homogeneous school-based networks to more diverse heterogenous community-based networks. It also looks at how community leadership in networks involves:
- sharing leadership with a focus on 'bridging' rather than 'bonding' relationships, processes and actions
- collaborative working which builds social capital and coheres around a shared focus which is child-centred
- joint planning and dialogue which promotes active participation in decision-making-for-action by all
- designing local strategies for long term system-wide change.
The following points are taken from What are we learning about...? Community leadership in networks
Leading your school's involvement in the community
- Share leadership by focusing on 'bridging' rather than 'bonding' relationships.
- Bridging leaders are characterised by a focus on student leadership, families, leading a range of people and growing leaders from a range of contexts.
- Who we are is a stronger point of connection than what we do. We need to get out from behind our professional roles.
- Celebrate the small wins. Nothing builds success like success.
- Work collaboratively around a shared child-centred focus.
- Joint planning and dialogue promotes active participation in decision-making by all.
- Develop and distribute leadership which allows people to say "I'll do that" and know that they have the responsibility, authority and support to get it done.
- Start with people, relationships and trust, not systems and structures, which allows for developing aspirations and moves to action.
- Look for 'learnable moments' that demonstrate leadership. Constantly ask: "What are we learning from this?", "What is this telling us?", "What are the hidden messages?"
- Model the giving and receiving of feedback at every opportunity and remain genuinely open to the critical appraisal of others.
Download the publications below.
top
|
