On vulnerability and transformative leadership: an imperative for leaders of supervision

Abstract

Supervision as a field, in the main, remains susceptible and thus vulnerable to various forces, ideological and otherwise, that constrain its ability to play a significant role in instructional improvement and thus in educational leadership. Adherence to inspectional and faultfinding supervision under the guise of standards‐based and other practices has serious consequences for the improvement of teaching and student achievement. Unless those of us who are committed to the study of supervision in higher education, as well as school administrators and other practitioners who supervise teachers, are ready, willing and able to assert responsibilities for best practice in supervision through transformational leadership the educational landscape will remain in its transitory and vulnerable state, inconsequential at best, destructive at worst. Relying on the social and educational critiques of Robert Goldhammer and Jules Henry, this article seeks to raise the consciousness of those committed to instructional excellence by offering insights into ways supervision can serve to enhance teachers’ dignity, impact student learning and transform our work, and even schools themselves, so that vulnerability turns into possibilities and stagnation into transformation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeffrey Glanz

Jeffrey Glanz, former Dean of Graduate Studies, is currently Chair of Education at Wagner College, One Campus Road, Staten Island, NY 10301, USA. Email: [email protected]. His most recent books are The Principal Leadership Series: The 7 Book Collection (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press). His website is http://ww1.wagner.edu/faculty/jglanz/.