Module Information

System leadership within and across educational organisations is increasingly important to build the necessary professional capital and professional capacity for improvement. There is international evidence that when properly deployed, system leaders/ship can be a positive force for change
This module will focus on the leadership roles, functions, and responsibilities of those acting as system leaders, at different levels. The international evidence about system leaders/ship, however, consistently points to the need for clarity about:
• The definition, role, and functions of system leaders.
• The criteria for selection and the process of appointment.
• Core responsibilities and the expectations placed upon system leaders.
• The accountability structures and evaluative processes that surround their role as a system leader.
• Gauging the impact of system leaders/ship through agreed monitoring and evaluation processes.
Hence the 4 core strands of this module will cover the micro and macro aspects of leading within, across and between systems.

This module aims to enable students to critically:

• examine the concept of system leadership and the role of system leaders.
• appraise the way policy impacts on leading system change and improvement.
• reflect on the ways in which teachers can be system leaders and how different forms of professional collaboration can build the capacity for change at the system level.

The module will be divided into four core strands as follows:

Core Strand 1 Macro level interpretations of system leaders/ship
This core strand will include theories of systems thinking, system change and system learning. A macro focus emphasises the collective impact of system leaders/ship to change, transform or improve the system. At the macro level, system leaders/ship is presented as broad set of expectations and leadership practices focused on change and improvement at scale.
Core Strand 2 Exploring change within education systems, and sub-systems internationally
This core strand will look at examples of system level change and the policies that have framed school and system improvement. It will look specifically at the processes of educational change and the system leader/ship roles.
Core Strand 3 Micro level interpretations of system leaders/ship. This core strand will focus on the specific roles, responsibilities, and functions of individual system leaders (including teachers, school leaders and other educational experts) within a specific educational context or setting. These roles and responsibilities include:
a) advocacy
b) activism
c) facilitation
d) change agentry
e) gatekeeping
f) mobilisation
g) improvement
i) subsidiarity

Core Strand 4 Teachers Leading System Change – this core strand will focus on the specific ways in which teachers within a system can contribute to change and improvement. This core strand will consider how different forms of teacher collaboration can create the capacity for change and improvement. It will also consider the barriers to system leadership in practice.
Leading for equity and excellence is at the core of this specialist leadership pathway where equity is viewed as the central policy driver that aligns and adheres all other education policies in Wales. All too often, equity is seen as a bolt on issue, a project or a sub-set of policy priorities dealing separately with race, gender, sexuality etc. Policy alignment is critical if the equity is to be more than an aspiration or an afterthought. As the high performing education systems show, equity is a precursor to excellence not a byproduct of excellence. Hence all leaders within, between and across the system need to converge their practice around equity and excellence and this pathway will focus on the skills and aptitudes necessary to achieve system transformation.