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Leadership in the Reform Era
Paula Y.K. Kwan
by Professor

Associate Professor
Department of Educational Administration and Policy

bodies. Research findings revealed that hiring bodies that transformational leadership and instructional
tend to view principal applicants from the same leadership are complementary practices in Hong
school or the same sponsoring body more favourably, Kong schools rather than incongruent practices
presuming a better match between the candidate as that commonly depicted in the international
and the school. Prevalence of such a belief appears literature. School leadership that leads to student
to reinforce the importance of affiliation, loyalty performance amalgamates a transformational and
and long service in a particular school or school developmental orientation as well as an instructional
sponsoring body, and discourages other applicants. and supervisory orientation. In their transformational
and developmental role, efficacious principals seek
The second theme centres on school vice-principals to elicit higher levels of commitment from all teachers
(VP). The CUHK team has undertaken many pioneer and to develop organisational capacity for school
studies, covering VP job responsibilities, role strains, improvement; whereas in their instructional and
career development, and socialisation. The results supervisory role principals set the learning goals and
suggest that VPs are seldom tasked with financial standards and make available a school structure
responsibilities; and they perceive their scant guiding teachers to accomplish their teaching goals.
involvement in money matters affects their taking up The findings highlight the central role played by
of the principal’s roles upon promotion. The findings instructional leadership in improving student academic
also reveal that VPs who are more concerned about outcomes. However, the effect of instructional
The past few decades have seen more educational collegial relationships in schools are less predisposed leadership can only be materialised in schools in
47 policy reforms, both internationally and locally, toward becoming principals, perceiving that the role which the principals have developed a moderate 48
than in the previous hundreds years. Hong Kong of a principal to implement changes in the reform to high level of trust through transformational
has not only been introducing a number of reform era are at odds with the preservation of harmony leadership. In these schools, principals’ intense focus
initiatives following the international trend for in schools. A more recent study targeting at new on curricular monitoring and strict implementation of
decentralisation and accountability, but has also aspiring principals found that female VPs and those various quality assurance measures can elicit a higher
introduced changes in a unique politically transitional VPs working in bigger schools felt less efficacious level of concern towards student learning effectiveness
environment alongside its returning to the Chinese than their counterparts in adjusting to the new amongst teachers. When teachers have trust in their
sovereignty. The unprecedented and unpredicted roles. The findings also revealed that acceptance principals, they believe that the quality checkpoints
changes seen in the political, cultural, technological by colleagues and school feedback mechanisms are aimed to help them effectively discharge the
and economic environments in recent years have contributed significantly to the smooth transition of teaching responsibilities rather than to put their work
further placed school leaders in the limelight on the VPs when they first moved from the teaching role to under surveillance. With this belief, teachers would
agenda of theorists, policymakers, and practitioners. the administrative role. However, the importance of be committed to follow school policies and quality
The proposition that great leadership is based on feedback mechanisms appears to fade out as they procedures and readily undertake the assigned
immutable truths is apparently no longer held, giving progressively settle into their new role in later years. responsibilities. Teachers in low trust schools lack
way to a quest for effective leadership in the local On the contrary, the importance of acceptance by motivation and commitment to follow complicated
school context. colleagues appears to increase as VPs moved to their school policies.
third year of office. In a cultural context in which
The research team in the area of school leadership harmonious working relationships are highly valued In addition to these major themes, the team has also
and administration at CUHK has undertaken various and staff mobility is relatively low, it is imperative for attended to the development of professional learning
projects with a view to improving school leadership policy-makers and practitioners to develop a fair and communities in schools and the effectiveness of school
and student performance. Given below are some transparent succession plan with a view to helping IMCs.
recent research highlights. newly appointed VPs adjust to their role in schools.

There have been significant attempts to understand The third theme focuses on the effect of instructional
the shortage of school principals in Hong Kong, from leadership on student academic and non-academic
the perspectives of both job applicants and hiring performance. The findings of a recent study reveal