<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Driven by international trends and government policy, it is a requirement for all newly built schools in New Zealand to be designed as innovative learning environments (ILEs) with flexible learning spaces. These environments, celebrated by some for the “transformational” educational opportunities they may provide, also raise questions about whether the anticipated pedagogical value of these “non-traditional” spaces is based on idealised visions of teaching and learning rather than empirically derived evidence. Before such complex issues can be efficiently addressed, evidence of the actual “state of play” of ILEs is required. Drawing on New Zealand specific data from a large Australasian research project, this paper triangulates principals’ opinions, teachers’ perspectives, and the literature on some key preliminary issues: what types of learning spaces can be found in New Zealand schools; what teaching styles are evident in these spaces; what pedagogical beliefs are driving ILE teaching practices; and what types of learning activities are occurring in ILEs? The paper provides an evidencebased platform for further discussion about the opportunities and challenges surrounding the use and practice of ILEs in New Zealand.
</abstract>

The “state of play” concerning New Zealand’s transition to innovative learning environments: Preliminary results from phase one of the ILETC project

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This article is based on an ethnography conducted over a six year period that used participant observation, photography, focus groups, and interviews to discover and describe the emergent school culture and the lived experiences of female secondary students in an all-girls college preparatory school. This article shares the story of a group of women educators who created a novel school culture, and the female students who meet them there, to disrupt and transform the dailiness of sexism, racism, and classism. Through a commitment to building a supportive school culture that includes developing robust relationships and forefronting the voices of women, this community of learners is working in a very socially just way so as to confront the past and interrupt the present, and revolutionize future trajectories of historically minoritized peoples.
</abstract>

The importance of safe space and student voice in schools that serve minoritized learners

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Leadership within the early childhood education (ECE) sector in New Zealand is both positionally assigned and a required practice of all teachers. Within this context, distributed leadership – where all team members have the opportunity to lead – is increasingly seen as an effective leadership model. This article reports on a study whose aim was to discover practices of effective positional leaders in facilitating distributed leadership. A nationwide survey was carried out in Aotearoa New Zealand to capture a picture of current perceptions of ECE teachers and positional leaders about distributed leadership for professional learning. Subsequently, leadership practices for distributed leadership in three previously-identified high quality ECE services were investigated through individual and group interviews. The analysis of literature, survey and interview findings from this study led to a framework of effective leadership practice, consisting of: mentoring and coaching; fostering relational trust; and creating vision and designing supportive structures.
</abstract>

Effective leadership practices leading to distributed leadership

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
<italic>In our organisation’s research project, “Leaders Growing Leaders” (Ryder, Davitt, Higginson, Smorti, Smith &amp; Carroll-Lind, 2017), which investigated effective ECE leadership in Aotearoa/New Zealand, leadership dispositions were identified as one means of making sense of the complexities of leadership within early childhood education. The New Zealand early childhood curriculum</italic> Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early Childhood Curriculum <italic>(Ministry of Education, 2017) highlights the importance of kaiako (teacher) responsibilities. Similarly, this article argues that the six specific leadership dispositions of an early childhood education leader, identified in our research, can act as a framework to explore leadership responsibilities. Participant voices are drawn on to exemplify and articulate the specific leadership dispositions of being: a communicator; relationship focused; caring and supportive; and a leader of growth and change, whilst also acting as a critical friend. We argue that responsible leadership must be purposefully grown, developed and sustained across the culture of the ECE setting. Underpinning this understanding is the need for dedicated leadership professional development that supports emerging and current leaders, and their teams, to engage in robust collegial dialogue and reflective practice in terms of what it means to be a responsible leader</italic>.
</abstract>

Dispositions of a responsible early childhood education leader: Voices from the field

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Effective leadership within early childhood settings is aligned with the perceived successful implementation of high quality care and education programmes (Thornton, Tamati, Clarkin-Philips, Aitken &amp; Wansbrough, 2009). With growing attention on the role early childhood education (ECE) plays in preparing children to be successful in their lives, it is not surprising that there is increased focus on the work and impact of educational leaders in this endeavour. An expanding body of research specifically exploring leadership within ECE settings illustrates how much of the educational leadership theory corpus lacks contextual relevance and fails to recognise the complexities and realities of leading in early years contexts (Rodd, 2013). The qualitative research reported on in this article examines the leadership understandings and perceptions of five qualified, registered early childhood leaders. The findings illustrated that whilst participants were cognisant of the role effective leadership plays in providing quality care and education, there was much confusion about what leadership entailed and how leadership differentiated from management in this context. The contextual complexities of the ECE sector were a significant influence on each participant’s opportunity to learn about, and practise leadership. Findings also revealed a need for contextually relevant and progressive approaches to leadership learning to support early childhood leaders and teachers in their leadership work.
</abstract>

Making sense of leadership in early childhood education: Tensions and complexities between concepts and practices

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The New Zealand Ministry of Education is requiring that all primary school “new builds” and renovations be Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs), and within these spaces there is an expectation that personalised learning is to be implemented. This qualitative study involved an investigation ofpractice in three Auckland primary schools where an innovative learning environment existed and personalised learning was being implemented. In each setting, a school leader and a teacher were interviewed, and national and school level documents were analysed. A key finding was that leaders and teachers had confused and often disparate understandings of the term personalised learning. A further finding showed that both shallow and deep personalisation was evident. Yet another key finding revealed that all participants were challenged by the changes required. The study concludes that leaders must take certain actions to ensure the effective implementation of deep personalised learning including clarifying how personalised learning is understood and practised and sharing this with all stakeholders.
</abstract>

New spaces – new pedagogies: Implementing personalised learning in primary school innovative learning environments

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The purpose of this study is to examine the network effect of school principals as it relates to school improvement. Network practices of school principals are compared to an innovative practice for improving networking practices. Through descriptive statistics and chi-square goodness of fit, we illustrate the difference between what school principals do concerning their networking practices for school improvement compared to an innovative ideal approach for using network working for school improvement. Findings indicate there is a statistically significant difference between school principals’ networking practices in comparison to ideal networking practices for school improvement. There are also differences between who school principals seek out for ideas and who they seek out for feedback concerning their school improvements. Further discussion informs how the next generation of school principals can be equipped with innovative skills for tackling 21st-century school improvement issues.
</abstract>

Pathways to school improvement: Discovering network patterns of school principals

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
A network professional learning community (PLC) is characterised by a non-hierarchical approach to professional learning. Members are supported to engage and to learn when leadership is distributed across a network PLC. The mixed methods study reported here was designed to examine how a network PLC could effectively improve visual arts pedagogy in early childhood education (ECE) settings. The design and analysis were considered through a lens of distributed leadership. The research had two main stages, a nationwide survey and an embedded case study. The case study findings demonstrated the possibilities of a network PLC approach to foster distributed leadership across PLC members, the facilitator, ECE teams and leaders; participants successfully shared and applied new learning and improved pedagogy for visual arts learning. Overall, this study suggests that leadership is a critical aspect of the network PLC approach, and that attention should be paid to distributed leadership and to the role of the positional leaders in supporting the application of learning from a network PLC to education settings.
</abstract>

Distributed leadership across a network professional learning community

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Research into leadership in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand is in its infancy. At this early stage, distributed leadership has been identified as the most common style of leadership used in teacher-led early childhood education and care services. However, as a parent-led early childhood education service, Playcentre uses emergent leadership. Currently, professional development opportunities on leadership in early childhood education are geared towards teacher-led services. Therefore, how can a parent who has experienced emergent leadership identify the leadership skills gained that will form part of their professional practice when they return to paid work? This enquiry uses Te Whāriki as a leadership framework for reflecting on leadership skills gained through Playcentre. An autoethnographic case study method was employed to explore this framework in the context of the leadership skills that I gained while working at Playcentre over a 16–year period. The enquiry concluded that combining Te Whāriki with the early childhood education assessment for learning framework provides a matrix for examining leadership practice, as well as a way of developing insights into personal leadership practices. The use of the matrix provides scope for Playcentre leaders and other early childhood education leaders to reflect and gain insight into their leadership and for developing their own leadership framework of practice.
</abstract>

A Playcentre learning story: Te Whāriki as a framework for reflecting on emergent leadership

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This qualitative study focuses on the intersectionality of race and rurality by looking at the responses of Wyoming principals and superintendents to the issues of diversity and social justice within Wyoming. The responses are presented and analyzed through a new framework called Cowboy Epistemology, and the Cultural Competency Continuum (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_jelpp-2023-0003_ref_018">Lindsey et al., 2009</xref>). It appears that despite double-digit increases in diversity between 2010 and 2018, some Wyoming school and district administrators continue to demonstrate actions and practices congruent with the demographic divide, cultural homophily, and Whiteness along with cultural worldviews that suggest a failure to: (1) value diversity, (2) engage political organizations and individuals in a manner that advocates for the needs of diverse students, (3) implement multicultural instruction beyond superficial means, and (4) engage the community in tolerance for others who are different from the traditional White Wyoming ranching, conservative, materials extraction, isolationist way of life. While outliers and standards for social justice and diversity exist in Wyoming among and for administrators, more needs to be done to prepare and train administrators to engage in culturally proficient and sustaining instructional leadership so that administrators can serve all students, engage in community leadership, and resist the negative influences of Cowboy Epistemology, demographic divide, cultural homophily, and Whiteness. Chief among the more needs to be done for Wyoming administrators is the adoption of culturally responsive school and culturally sustaining instructional leadership practices and training on the culturally proficient continuum.
</abstract>

Cowboy epistemology: Rural school and district leadership for diversity and social justice

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Recent data shows a continuing trend of gender disparity in leadership positions in tertiary education in New Zealand with men dominating higher levels of employment and advancing at faster rates than women. This study explored the experiences of six academic women who have advanced to leadership roles in New Zealand to examine the role that gender plays in their career progression. It found a range of gendered experiences including negative incidents of sexism and obstacles to advancing. There were also stories of positive experiences of supportive work environments and initiatives such as mentoring that have aided them to gain leadership positions. Participants recognised the complexity of gender issues acknowledging the range of factors and perceptions that influence their experiences in academia.
</abstract>

Breaking through the glass ceiling: Experiences of academic women who have advanced to leadership roles in tertiary education in New Zealand

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Informed by an adaption of the tri-level reform framework, we collaborated with a First Nation district student assessment committee, school principals, and district personnel to develop a student assessment policy. Through a series of workshops and meetings with school administrators and classroom teachers from Tsuut’ina Nation, located in southern Alberta, Canada, we created an assessment, evaluation, and reporting policy aligned to Tsuut’ina fundamental values, provincial priorities, and best practices in student assessment. Teaching practices that are aligned to the three educational pillars of learner outcomes, instruction, and assessment, as well as the Tsuut’ina fundamental values, have the potential to impact the Nation’s student educational success. We discuss implications of this work in relation to collaboration, Indigenous world view, and outcome-based reporting.
</abstract>

Culturally responsive policy development: Co-constructing assessment and reporting practices with First Nation educators in Alberta

<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>Throughout their K-12 educational experience, students should have access to resources, educators, counselors, and specialists to help meet their academic, social, emotional, college, and career needs. When school leaders or principals work in collaboration with school counselors, often school climate is more positive for students, faculty, and stakeholders. However, many school leaders do not receive proper training to evaluate school counselors. The purpose of the study is to explore school leaders’ perspectives of processes, policies, and trends in school counselor evaluation. The amount and type of support school counselors receive from their school leaders is important in developing and maintaining a progressive comprehensive school counseling (CSC) program for all students, but leaders must be familiar with CSC in order to appropriately evaluate school counselors. The results indicate that while delivery of a CSC program may be important, the evaluation process may be limited in its utility to help school counselors adhere to and implement the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, which includes foundation, management, accountability, and delivery components. More research is needed regarding what content should be included in a school counselor evaluation.</abstract>

School leaders’ perceptions on comprehensive school counseling (CSC) evaluation processes: Adherence and implementation of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
De-privatising teaching and working collaboratively with fellow teachers in purposively designed school buildings requires effective leadership. The principal is situated amongst those closely affiliated to their school such as teachers, parents and students, and yet they need to work alongside the wider school community, the school’s governing Board of Trustee members and national educational policy-makers and administrators. This article uses a single case study of a school leadership team who changed the school culture from traditional one teacher per classroom settings to four to five teachers with approximately 105 students in flexible learning spaces. The principal and three members of the governing Board of Trustees of the school were interviewed. The study found that the leadership team had invested considerable time into sustained professional development in ways to effectively develop collaborative teaching communities within flexible learning spaces. The professional development, led by the principal, was underpinned by the principal spending time seeking a clear understanding of research-based practices that supported the change. This explicit knowledge of the principal allowed teachers, Board of Trustee members and parents to have confidence in the changes to teaching strategies in flexible learning spaces.
</abstract>

A New Zealand case study: What is happening to lead changes to effective co-teaching in flexible learning spaces?

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Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice

The peer-reviewed Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice (established 1986) presents the work of new and established scholars and practitioners. The journal aims...

The peer-reviewed Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice (established 1986) presents the work of new and established...