Good Day
I hope that Term 4 is progressing well. In this newsletter I will offer a brief reflection on leadership styles, provide some updates about the ACEL WA Branch Executive Team and highlight some of our upcoming events this term.
Leadership Styles
Much has been written and said about the impact of different styles of leadership in education. One of my favourite articles on the topic remains the 2008 paper by Viviane Robinson and colleagues who analysed the impact of different leadership types on student outcomes, drawing the conclusion that “the average effect of instructional leadership on student outcomes was three to four times that of transformational leadership” (Robinson et al., 2008, p.635). Another of my favourites is the Harvard Business Review article by Alex Hill and colleagues which explored the impact of five different educational leadership archetypes on the academic and financial performance of schools over time: the surgeon, soldier, accountant, philosopher and architect. Hill and his colleagues identified that only the architect has lasting positive impact on both academic and financial performance of schools, yet ironically architect leaders are “the ones we least reward, least recognise and rarely appoint”.
Another leadership style that is much lauded in education is that of the servant leader, first introduced by Robert Greenleaf in the late 1950s. Servant leadership is a powerful and transformative leadership philosophy that places the needs of others at the forefront of decision-making and actions, emphasising qualities like empathy, humility, and a deep commitment to serving the well-being and growth of those under one’s leadership.
In this newsletter I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to a group of dedicated school leaders for their exceptional servant-hearted attitude in serving the wider educational leadership community: the ACEL WA Executive Branch Team. One of the most unique features of ACEL is that, at branch level, it is fully run by educators, for educators. All Branch Executives are practicing education leaders who go above and beyond the call of duty to volunteer their time to serve the wider educational leadership community by creating opportunities for educational leaders across all systems and sectors to Grow, Connect, Lead and Reflect together.
Outgoing ACEL WA Branch Executive Team
I want to thank the outgoing members of the team who have served over the past three years. Your unwavering commitment to putting the needs and growth of others first has not only created a positive and inspiring example but has also had a profound impact on the broader educational landscape in WA, making the educational community stronger, more cohesive, and deeply connected. Thank you for your acts of service:
- Leonie Clelland, Principal, Karrinyup Primary School
- Nicola Davidson, Manager School Leadership & Teacher Quality, AISWA
- Kylie Day, Pedagogical Practice Coordinator, Catholic Education Western Australia
- Amie Fabry, Senior Researcher, Australian Education Research Association
- Sinan Kerimofski, Collegiate Principal, Department of Education
- Olivia Matthews, Deputy Principal, West Busselton Primary School
- Natalie Oddy, Principal, Kewdale Primary School
- Bruno Pileggi, Deputy Principal, Ballajura Community College
- Merrilee Wright, Principal, Malibu School
Incoming ACEL WA Branch Executive Team
I also want to warmly welcome the incoming ACEL WA Branch Executive Team who will serve their 3-year term from 1 October 2023. I look forward to working with this talented team of servant-hearted educational leaders.
Vince Bellini - Principal - Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College, Australind
Dr Ray Boyd - Principal - Dayton Primary School
Carol Daniels - Foundation Principal - Piara Waters Senior High School
Tamara Doig - Principal - Rostrata Primary School
Dr Daniel Groenewald - Leadership Consultant - Catholic Education Western Australia
Eleanor Hughes - Principal Advisor - Leadership Institute
Mathilda Joubert - Director of Excellence and Innovation - Sheridan Institute of Higher Education
Rachael Lehr - Associate Principal - Dayton Primary School
Krystal McKnight - Head of Department - Ballajura Community College
Kathryn Netherwood - Academic - Edith Cowan University
Gary Racey - Director of Learning and Teaching - Perth College
Maree Whiteley - Teaching and Learning Consultant - Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia
Events Update
Our 2023 ACEL WA Awards Ceremony will take place on the 8th of November, with Awards presented by The Hon Dr Tony Buti MLA, Minister for Education and Training; Aboriginal Affairs; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests. In our next newsletter I will share the news about our 2023 Award winners.
We have chosen our next book to read for our Educational Leadership Book Club. The date for our next book club meeting is still to be confirmed as soon as the new committee settle into their roles, but you may want to start reading so long. The book is “Virtuous Educational Leadership: Doing the Right Work the Right Way” by Viviane Robinson.
I hope you have a fruitful November.
Mathilda Joubert
ACEL WA Branch President