Developing Specialist Leaders of Education: a research engagement approach

ABSTRACT

There has been little research to date on the continuing professional development needs of the several thousand Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) now designated by the National College for Teaching and Leadership in England to work across schools as consultants on school-to-school support. This case study reports on the second and third stages of a four-stage research process designed to address these needs. The first stage reported on the creation of a professional development framework for SLE’s using consultancy research. These middle stages test out this framework with a stakeholder group of SLEs, headteachers and broker in a Teaching Schools Alliance. The fourth stage will track the implementation of professional development activities arising from these findings. Apart from the specific needs of SLE, this study will have wider relevance for all practitioners and researchers working in and with schools on leadership development using Research Engagement strategies and Joint Practice Development approaches in a so-called ‘self- improving’ school system.

Abbreviation: NCTL: National College for Teaching and Leadership; HEI: Higher Education Institution; SAT: is Standard Assessment Task; CPD: Continuing Professional Development.

KEYWORDS:

• Specialist Leaders of Education(SLE)
• consultancy development
• research engagement
• professional learning
• system leadership
• school to school support

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.