Special Journal Issue

Special Journal Issue - School Leadership and Change in East Asia: Building Capacity for Education Reform Volume 87, Issue 2, 2012 Papers From Asia Leadership Roundtable 2010 Peabody Journal of Education

Rationale	In recent decades the Asia-Pacific region has made some of the most spectacular efforts and gains in social, economic, and educational development (Hallak, 2000). However, this vast and greatly diverse region still faces significant challenges in achieving educational equity and quality. School leadership development is imperative to initiating and sustaining change as schools at all levels coping with new reform policy in the region. The belief that there are general and common elements in contemporary international educational policy (Ball, 1998; Carnoy, 2006) has brought growing interest in sharing leadership theories and successful models of effective schools cross-culturally. Such interests have been particularly strong from countries in the Asia-Pacific that are at the beginning stage of establishing a knowledgebase both theoretically and empirically (Chu, 2003; Hallinger, Walker, & Bajunid, 2005). The interest is no longer one-way, however. Growing global competitiveness of countries in Asia have also prompted reciprocal interest of “East” and “West” in each other’s school systems (Dimmock & Walker, 2000). With concerns in recent decades over education quality in the United States and other developed countries, international benchmarking has impelled curiosity and exploration into teaching and learning models that may be perceived to feature effective pedagogy and curriculum structure, especially in East Asia (National Governors Association, 2008). It is in this context that we bring forth this special issue of school leadership and change in the Asia-Pacific region. The issue aims at highlighting research-based knowledge on the practices of leading change, innovation, and school improvement. Specifically, the articles will (a) e xamine the geographic, cultural, and political terrain of the current knowledgebase in educational leadership and management; (b) assess the relevance of the global knowledge base in the field for the Asia-Pacific Region; (c) consider the current practices of university-based education and research culture in the region; and (d) offer strategies for accelerating the development of the field of educational leadership and management in the region.

Issue Co-editors		Dr. Xiu Chen Cravens Associate Professor of the Practice Associate Dean for International Affairs Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University. U.S.A. Research Fellow Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change The Education University of Hong Kong China : xiu.cravens@vanderbilt.edu	Professor Philip Hallinger TSDF Chair Professor of Leadership College of Management, Mahidol University Thailand Senior Research Fellow Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change The Education University of Hong Kong China : hallinger@gmail.com

Contributors	Dr. Xiu Chen Cravens Associate Professor of the Practice Vanderbilt University. U.S.A. Research Fellow Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change The Education University of Hong Kong China : xiu.cravens@vanderbilt.edu Professor Philip Hallinger TSDF Chair Professor of Leadership College of Management, Mahidol University Thailand Senior Research Fellow Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change The Education University of Hong Kong China : hallinger@gmail.com School Leadership and Change in East Asia: Building Capacity for Education Reform DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664461 In recent decades the East Asia region has demonstrated some of the most dramatic gains in social and economic development. This applies to the region's education systems as well, which have undergone rapid transformation in an effort to reshape and align educational practices with new goals. Nonetheless, this diverse region still faces significant challenges in achieving educational equity and quality.
	Professor Allan Walker Dr. Haiyan Qian The Education University of Hong Kong China Reform Disconnection in China DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664462 This article examines many of the frustrations associated with implementing education reforms in mainland Chinese schools. Our basic argument is that when taken individually, many of the recent reforms are beneficial, but when parceled together and thrust hastily at schools, they are unwieldy and disconnected. We suggest that the inability of the reforms to impact schools is due in large part to their lack of sufficient connection to the reality of school life, to each other, to educative and public perceptions, and to the political and cultural context of China. We discuss and illustrate these issues under headings of instrumental, intellectual, political, cultural, and communicative disconnections.
	Dr. Hongqi Chu Beijing Normal University China Dr. Xiu Chen Cravens Vanderbilt University & The Education University of Hong Kong USA & China Principal Professional Development in China: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664463 This article examines the essential role of school principals in China's “Quality-Oriented Education” national reform movement. Keeping China's cultural and historical context in mind, and taking into consideration the impact of political and societal forces on the nation, we discuss the major challenges faced by Chinese schools, specifically the rising demand for a new generation of school leaders. To address this issue we conduct a critical review of the existing principal evaluation and training systems in China. From this data we then propose a framework of strategic directions for systemic professional development for school leaders.
	Professor Ming-dih Lin National Chengchi University Taiwan Cultivating an Environment That Contributes to Teaching and Learning in Schools: High School Principals’ Actions DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664467 Improving principal leadership is a vital component to the success of educational reform initiatives that seek to improve whole-school performance, as principal leadership often exercises positive but indirect effects on student learning. Because of the importance of principals within the field of school improvement, this article focuses on investigating the actions taken by principals working to cultivate an environment that contributes to effective teaching and learning. Utilizing data from 183 high school principals in Taiwan, this article finds that principals contribute to the healthy environment through personal, organizational, professional, and communal approaches. This article proposes that a respectful and caring learning community is the ideal environment for teaching and learning. This article also provides suggestions for principal leadership development that will help facilitate such an environment.
	Dr. James Ko The Education University of Hong Kong China Professor Philip Hallinger Mahidol University & The Education University of Hong Kong Thailand & China Professor Allan Walker The Education University of Hong Kong China Exploring School Improvement in Hong Kong Secondary Schools DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664474 Scholars have increasingly sought to understand how the process of school improvement differs among schools operating in different school levels, conditions, and contexts. Using Rosenholtz's (198552. Rosenholtz , S. 1985 . Effective schools: Interpreting the evidence . American Journal of Education , 93 : 352 – 388 . [CrossRef], [Web of Science ®], [CSA] View all references) conception of “moving” and “stuck” schools as a framework for thinking about school improvement, this study examines the learning outcomes of 39 Hong Kong secondary schools over a 3-year period. We examine whether features of leadership and school capacity differed with respect to these learning outcomes within the sample of moving and stuck schools. This research in Hong Kong has identified several factors that appear to synergistically contribute to differences in patterns of improvement in learning across different subjects in both moving and stuck schools. These factors include resource management of principals and school capacity in terms of professional learning community; workload of teachers; alignment, coherence, and structure; and resource capacity. This study extends the research on leadership and capacity building as a means of school improvement, in the process elaborating on their impact within a non-Western society.
	Dr. David Ng National Institute of Education Singapore Dr. Jeanne Ho National Institute of Education Singapore *Distributed Leadership for ICT Reform in Singapore* DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664478 This study examines distributed leadership in Information Communication Technology reform in a government school in Singapore. The study adopts a naturalistic inquiry approach, drawing upon a case study of the aforementioned school for much of its data. The study found that leadership for Information Communication Technology reform is distributed according to functions of transformational leadership, instructional leadership, emotional leadership, and the strategic management of resources. The key enabling factors are an official leadership position, access to expertise, support by senior management, and interpersonal synergies among the leaders. Senior management consistently performs transformational leadership, whereas middle management generally performs instructional leadership. Both senior and middle management provide emotional leadership.
	Dr. Dora Ho The Education University of Hong Kong China *The Paradox of Power in Leadership in Early Childhood Education* DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664479 Western frameworks for school improvement, including the stakeholder model and the model of decentralized leadership, have recently been promoted as solutions for school improvement. Using early childhood education in Hong Kong as an illustrative case, this article focuses on the power and authority of leadership in school decision making. The interview data collected from the two case study schools reveal a paradox of power in leadership that is characterized by tensions between centralization and decentralization in the change process, where decentralization is advocated by policymakers but traditional hierarchical cultures remain. The relationship between the leaders and school stakeholders incorporates a concept of harmony that functions to defuse the potential power struggle embedded in decision making.
	Dr. Yee Han Peter Joong University of the West Indies Jamaica Understanding the Ecologies of Education Reforms: Comparing the Perceptions of Parents and Secondary Teachers and Students in China DOI:10.1080/0161956X.2012.664481 This study examines how secondary school teachers have implemented educational reforms in China. To examine the implementation process, we conducted teacher, student, and parent surveys. Teachers and students surveys asked questions on how often a teaching or evaluation strategy was used in a given course. The survey concluded that teachers and parents liked the reform initiatives, although some teachers still struggle with the transition to the new reforms, most were able to make the necessary changes to include some student-centred lessons. However, students claimed that teacher-directed lessons still dominate most classrooms and tests, class work, homework, and exams are still the most common evaluation systems. The surveys also revealed that classroom management needs increased attention as a result of the reforms. The largest problem, however, lies with the examination systems, as there is currently little room for introducing activity-based learning. Parents and society need to change their mind-sets of valuing examination achievements.