Education Publications
Meanings of success and successful leadership in Ontario, Canada, in neo-liberal time
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-14-2015
Journal
Journal of Educational Administration and History
Volume
48
Issue
1
First Page
19
Last Page
34
URL with Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2015.1040378
Abstract
The provincial government of Ontario, Canada, has committed itself to raising student achievement, closing achievement gaps, and increasing the public’s confidence in public education. It has introduced many policies, including the Ontario Leadership Strategy (OLS), to support these goals. Our study examined how teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents in three elementary schools in Ontario understand and enact school success and successful school leadership within this (neo-liberal) context. Findings of a comparative analysis of Ontario policy texts and data from interviews with administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents in the schools demonstrate that the school-based participants defined success as academic learning, a positive school climate, and students’ well-being. This definition differs from the definition prioritised by Ontario’s government: high scores on standardised provincial and international tests. However, principals in the schools enacted leadership practices advocated by OLS to support locally defined notions of success
Citation of this paper:
Winton, S., & Pollock, K. (2015). Meanings of success and successful leadership in Ontario, Canada, in neo-liberal times. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 48(1), 19–34. doi:10.1080/00220620.2015.1040378
