Category Archives: Project Organization

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UCEA 2011 – Conference Report

To all ISLDN Colleagues:

The International School Leadership Development Network took another significant step forward recently when members met during a four-hour workshop at the UCEA Convention in Pittsburgh. Following our meeting in BELMAS in July the network has now formed into two sub-groups, one focused on leadership in high need schools and the other on social justice leadership.

Clearly, not everyone who has expressed interest in the project was able to be present in Pittsburgh. Those there were mindful of this and have continued to develop the project in ways that remain open and flexible.  As coordinators, we recognise that not everybody will be able to attend all the conferences where we can meet – the challenge is to develop working practices that allow everyone to participate. The network is currently looking at a range of web 2.0 tools to help maintain communication between conferences.

However, we recognise that we are now at a point where we need to firm up the membership of the two sub-groups so that we can make sure we are able to communicate effectively. Some limited communication will go to everyone in the network, but we now believe that most communication from now on will be within sub-groups. Therefore, as the work of these groups is becoming more defined, we are now asking members to make a clear commitment to one of the two groups.  If you have not yet expressed an interest in a group, and you wish to do so, please can we ask you do this by 31st December 2011? Thereafter, membership of the groups will be based on those who have indicated their interest in working in these areas.

We apologise if this sounds somewhat bureaucratic, but we are now at a point where we need to develop clear group identities in order to make progress on the important issues we are focusing on. Although groups will almost certainly expand and develop in the future, we think that at this planning stage there are important benefits from each group having clear and stable memberships.

For your information, we have attached a fuller report of the outcomes of the conference session. Pittsburgh Report011211

Please get back to us if you have questions about any of the above. After Pittsburgh we have a clear sense that the project has taken a significant step forward and we are keen to maintain this momentum. We very much look forward to working with you over the coming months as both projects develop further.

Bruce Barnett (UCEA)
Howard Stevenson (BELMAS)

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Call for Expressions of Interest – closed

The deadline for submitting ‘Expressions of Interest’ for the UCEA-BELMAS International Collaborative Research Project has now passed.

If you submitted an EoI we thank you for submitting an application.

Interest in the project has been excellent and far exceeded our expectations – we have received 35 submissions, representing  90 scholars and covering a diverse range of national contexts.

Representatives from BELMAS and UCEA are now reviewing the submissions and following this process we will be reporting to our respective organisations. This will take place in early March.

We expect to be able to inform you of the outcomes of these discussions in mid-March. We will be back in touch with you then.

Thank you again for your interest

Bruce Barnett (UCEA)
Howard Stevenson (BELMAS)

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International Research Project – Call for Expressions of Interest

International Perspectives on School Leadership Preparation and Development:

A BELMAS-UCEA Collaborative Research Project

Call for Expressions of Interest

The project

In 2010 the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which committed the two organisations to work together more closely and to identify opportunities for engaging members in collaborative international work. The project outlined below is a direct consequence of the MoU.

BELMAS and UCEA have both agreed to support a collaborative research project that focuses on a significant issue of interest to members in both organisations, and that explores this issue from an international perspective.  A key aim of the project is to make a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of educational leadership and administration. The focus of the project has been identified following extensive member discussions at UCEA and BELMAS conferences (in 2009 and 2010 respectively), combined with a survey of all members in both organisations in September/October 2010.  From this survey of members the following provisional title is presented: International Perspectives on School Leadership Preparation and Development

The intention is to facilitate an international comparative study of how those involved in school leadership are supported in their preparation and development as leaders.  This may include how leadership development is supported through both formal and informal networks, succession planning, teacher leadership, as well as exploring the policy context which seeks to shape leadership preparation and development in different national settings.  At this stage no further detail is provided, as it is important that those involved in the project have the opportunity to sharpen its focus and determine its design.

Further project details are available at https://uceabelmasjointproject.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/

Why become involved?

  • An opportunity to participate in a substantial research project likely to contribute to furthering knowledge in an important area of the educational leadership field.
  • An opportunity to work internationally across a broad range of countries.
  • An opportunity to build an international network of colleagues, conducting research collaboratively and generating associated outputs such as publications and conference papers.

Application process and project details

BELMAS and UCEA are committed to supporting the project for three years, allowing time for a project group to be convened, to agree on a project design, to collect and analyse data and to begin to generate and disseminate findings.  Given the flexible nature of the project, participants will decide if they wish to extend their involvement beyond this timeframe, and in what form.

The project will be overseen by Bruce Barnett (Associate Director of International Affairs, UCEA) and Howard Stevenson (Co-Research Coordinator, National Council, BELMAS).  Bruce and Howard will take a role in establishing the project, providing initial coordination and reporting progress to their respective bodies.

Anyone wishing to participate in the project needs to make a formal submission addressing the issues identified in this call for Expressions of Interest. Submissions will be reviewed by a group drawn from representatives from UCEA and BELMAS. The review group will then contact those who have submitted to clarify the nature of their involvement.

Applications can be from individuals or groups of people. Where a group submission is made a group co-ordinator should be identified as a point of contact.  Within the USA participants should be based within UCEA member institutions (where a group submission is presented, the group co-ordinator should be based within a UCEA institution); outside of the USA priority will be given to members of BELMAS and its linked organisations.

Note – the project is conceived very flexibly, allowing it to develop to reflect the interests of participants. This flexibility includes various modes of participation and engagement in the project.  It is envisaged that people may participate in a wide range of different ways, such as conducting research, serving as a project consultant, or supporting networks of colleagues across projects.  If you have specific ideas about your potential involvement in the project, please outline these in the Expression of Interest.

Support for the project

This is NOT a funded research project.  It is not possible to fund project members for their time on the project, and there can be no guarantee of covering expenses.  Those interested in participating in the project need to be aware of this.  However, UCEA and BELMAS are committed to supporting the project in several important ways:

  • Leadership support – through the UCEA Associate Director of International Affairs and the BELMAS Co-Research Co-ordinator.
  • Networking and collaboration support – given the international nature of the project, BELMAS and UCEA will provide resourcing to support communication, such as the hosting of discussion forums and blogs.
  • Dissemination support – both organisations are committed to making space available at their respective conferences for the project group to meet and report work in progress.  UCEA and BELMAS journals will also be available as outlets for project dissemination.
  • Financial support – some limited financial support will be available.  This may be used to contribute to costs of equipment, data collection and travel.  Applications for financial support can be made once the project is established and the resource implications become clearer.

Submission process and deadline

Expressions of interest should be addressed to Bruce Barnett at bruce.barnett@utsa.edu or Howard Stevenson at hstevenson@lincoln.ac.uk by 31st January 2011 (please include ‘Expression of Interest’ in the email title).  Informal enquiries or points of clarification can also be addressed to Bruce or Howard at any time.

Expressions of interest should be a maximum 1000 words and address these issues:

  • Reasons for interest in the project – International Perspectives on School Leadership Preparation and Development
  • Thoughts on project design
  • Role you envision in the project (e.g., researcher, consultant, cross-project networking)
  • Evidence of previous work in relevant areas dealing with school leadership preparation and development, especially from an international perspective
  • Evidence of ability to access potential data sources (e.g., contacts with potential case-studies, links to relevant organisations)
  • Full contact details for all those named in the submission, which may be accompanied by a short Curriculum Vitae for each individual (these details not included in the 1000 words)
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UCEA Convention, New Orleans, 2010

Many thanks to all those who made the session we had at the UCEA Convention in New Orleans such a success. A particular thanks to Charlie Slater, Paula Cordeiro and Philip Woods for their contributions as panellists at the session.  The aim was to move forward our thinking for the project, and many of the excellent ideas raised have helped us refine project details.

At the session we were able to report that both UCEA and BELMAS have formally endorsed the project and we anticipate a formal launch in mid November.  A call for ‘Expressions of Interest’ is currently being finalised and this will be issued shortly. Once issued we encourage colleagues to consider becoming involved, and/or to pass details to anyone who may be  interested in potentiallyparticipating.

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Undertaking international collaborative research: providing support and identifying opportunities

Our session at the BELMAS conference is now being planned. Details of the Conference (9th – 11th July 2010) and how to register are available here.

The session represents a further development in an on-going project between UCEA and BELMAS.  At the UCEA Convention in 2009 a panel of BELMAS and UCEA colleagues shared experiences of developing international school leadership research projects and networks.  This session moves the discussion forward by exploring in more detail how international research projects might be established and supported.  If you have participated in international research projects previously, or you would like to do so in the future, this session will prove both interesting and useful.  The session aims to both inform and enthuse, identifying practical opportunities for networking and possible research projects.

The session will once again feature a UCEA / BELMAS panel (Charles Slater, Michelle Young, Alison Taysum, Philip Wood) and will be chaired by Bruce Barnett and Howard Stevenson.

Further details of the session will be available here as and when they are finalised.

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Developing an International Research Collaboration between BELMAS and UCEA – Symposium Report

Below is a report of the symposium at UCEA Convention in Anaheim. It will appear in UCEA Review and Management in Education. We welcome your comments . . .

Recently, colleagues in the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) have been discussing how the two organisations might work together more closely.  Whilst many individual members of the two organisations have long and well-established links, in the recent past there has been little formal collaboration between BELMAS and UCEA.  One tangible manifestation of this new relationship has been the commitment to a Memorandum of Understanding between BELMAS and UCEA that identifies a number of ways in which co-operation can be developed, and in the coming years it is to be hoped that a number of exciting initiatives will emerge from this agreement.  One early indication of the potential is a small but significant project that seeks to promote international research links, and build capacity within each organisation to undertake international comparative projects.

Research undertaken within UCEA (previously reported in UCEA Review 50(1) indicated a strong desire amongst members to undertake international research projects; however, it was clear that networks do not always exist that can facilitate this international collaboration.  From this initial research, members in UCEA and BELMAS committed to developing a small project, from which it was hoped more significant and longer term initiatives would flow.

The project conceived by the two organisations was launched formally at a symposium at UCEA’s annual convention in Anaheim in November.  At this session a panel of five scholars with considerable experience in undertaking international collaborative research spoke briefly about their experiences conducting such work, with a particular focus on what had helped and hindered them in their research.  The panel comprised colleagues from UCEA (Margaret Grogan, Paula Cordeiro and Charlie Slater) and BELMAS (Philip Woods and Alison Taysum).  The panel’s contributions proved very thought provoking and were used to develop further discussion amongst the participating delegates who were asked to consider what steps UCEA and BELMAS might take to promote and develop international collaborative research.  The session benefitted greatly from having a variety of participants from many countries, and this diversity of perspective was also reflected in the quality of ideas and suggestions reported in the symposium’s plenary.

Specific ideas proposed by the discussion groups included:

  • The need for UCEA and BELMAS to act as clearinghouses to promote international networking.  In particular it was considered important to establish a database of international projects, and those involved them – highlighting resources that support international collaborative work.  There was recognition that websites could be used more effectively to promote international issues, for example, publicising each other’s conferences and deadlines for submissions of proposals.
  • Support for assistance with internationalising our curricula.  Some colleagues particularly wanted to enrich their curricula through a range of international inputs.  It was proposed that UCEA convene a workshop at its Convention for those interested in this work, where colleagues with success in this area would discuss their work and how they made progress in this area.
  • Collaboration between UCEA Centres.  UCEA has a number of Centres focused on specific issues related to educational leadership. It was acknowledged that these Centres play a vital role in the life of UCEA, and that they might become more international in scope.  It was suggested that Centres might learn from each other about internationalising their work.  For instance, the Centre for the Study of Leadership and Ethics at Pennsylvania State University has created leadership development courses with assistance from colleagues from Sweden, Fiji, Australia, Denmark, and Hong Kong.  Their work might be particularly relevant to assisting other centres in beginning to internationalise their curricular and instructional materials.
  • Promote international research projects. It was suggested that UCEA and BELMAS might identify issues of common interest, perhaps by analysing dominant themes of recent conferences, and promote collaborative research in these priority areas.  Project participants would then provide their research results at future conferences and in written documents and publications.

Throughout all these discussions, and in the planning prior to the session, there was recognition that this UCEA-BELMAS collaboration needs to be only the first step in a new phase of working together.  Colleagues were keen to extend the network beyond its current US-UK beginnings and embrace a much broader constituency, for example, working with the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) to ensure that so-called developing nations are an integral part of the projects that develop.  Several colleagues highlighted the particular problems faced by our fellow researchers in other countries, ranging from a limited access to resources, through to the denial of visas permitting access to countries such as the USA.

The ideas that emerged from these discussions set out a substantial agenda for both UCEA and BELMAS to develop our joint efforts by working within and beyond our two own organisations.  Each organisation is committed to moving this project forward.  However, the symposium in Anaheim was always conceived as the start, not the end, of a dynamic, member-driven conversation about further internationalising our work.  To this end the conversation will continue with a second symposium, which will be hosted at the BELMAS Conference in Reading, England 9th-11th July 2010.  At this event we hope that our original panel will re-visit the issues raised in Anaheim, and we can discuss progress on moving our ideas forward.  In the meantime, and crucial to the project’s commitment to dialogue and member engagement, a blog has been established to continue the conversations from Anaheim to Reading, and beyond.  The blog is available at https://uceabelmasjointproject.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/. Here you will find details of the project, the people involved in it, and podcasts of the presentations made in Anaheim.  We very much hope the blog will provide a space in which anyone interested in the issues raised by this project can see what has been done to date, and can contribute to shaping how the project develops in the future.

 

The project organisers have always said that we do not have preconceived ideas about where this project will lead.  It was established in response to a need identified by UCEA’s initial research, and has very broad objectives: (1) to develop networks of researchers across national boundaries and (2) to create the conditions in which international collaborative research projects may flourish.  How the project develops, and what practical outcomes it generates are very much in the hands of members who seek to become involved.  The symposium in Anaheim was a promising beginning in this process.  We now hope that members within and beyond both organisations will take it forward in new and exciting ways.

For more information about this project, please contact:

Howard Stevenson, University of Lincoln (hstevenson@lincoln.ac.uk)

Bruce Barnett, University of Texas at San Antonio (bruce.barnett@utsa.edu)