I have been a teacher for 26 years, a Headteacher for 11 years and, at the age of 50, this much I know about the best thing school leaders can be doing, day-in, day-out.
Many times in my career research has confirmed what I know to be true from experience. A little cited but brilliant book, Student-Centred Leadership by Viviane Robinson centres on my favourite issue: the golden thread from school leadership to student outcomes. Robinson’s conclusion, having surveyed the research on how leaders make the most meaningful difference in schools, was proverbial music to my ears: The more leaders focus on their relationships, their work, and their learning on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater will be their influence on student outcomes. I maintain that Headteachers who are really doing their job effectively know this instinctively; what’s so great about Robinson’s book is the empirical evidence…
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The Echo Chamber 