Middle leaders are crucial for the successful leadership and management of primary, intermediate, secondary and early childhood education.

It is with great sadness that the educational leadership world acknowledges the passing of Emeritus Professor Wayne Edwards in Palmerston North on 28 October 2021.

How does one begin to build a school from the ground up - literally, during a worldwide pandemic? How do you navigate through the seas of building a team around you, resourcing, building a community and culture? Setting up and maintaining sustainable systems?

• Transformative change will also require transformative leadership.
• A collective leadership approach takes more time but goes deeper and is more sustainable.
• Collaborative leaders cannot be heroic. Collaborative leaders need to move from being good at their art to good at growing others.

Models for educational leadership unique to Aotearoa New Zealand.

As we continue to lead during the pandemic, it can be hard to sustain connections in meaningful ways, and to understand where to direct our attention. We are asked to draw on the strength within, to combat ‘compassion fatigue’ and to be hopeful.

Middle leaders navigate a challenging space, they have pressure from above and below in their educational settings. (Fullan 2010). Often middle leaders are selected for their role because they are excellent classroom teachers, but they are not prepared for the leadership complexities required to drive the strategic direction of the school.

Let’s all pull together for the next cohort of educational leaders.

This short workshop series offers insights into middle and senior leadership, and creates a platform for your own reading and reflections on leadership.