(Un)Stuck in the middle with you...

Middle leadership in international schools is a fundamental piece of improving, maintaining teaching and learning whilst simultaneously driving innovation and initiative development. Whether it be as subject leaders, heads of year, curriculum coordinators or associate principals, it is a unique orientation that demands the ability to translate whole-school priorities and mission into practice.?

??With that being said it’s a complicated role and often can veer into ambiguity if the proper structures, guard rails, support and development aren’t put into place and adhered to. This article will explore some of these aspects as well as providing some researched best practices to help.?

“Middle Leaders play a crucial role in developing and maintaining the nature and quality of pupils’ learning experience” (Bennet et al. 2003)

??At its core middle leaders work intimately with teachers to study, observe and improve curriculum, instruction and assessment so that the learning experience (and teaching for that matter) is as engaging and effective as possible. I like to think of it as an authentic, research-driven cheerleader. One of the crucial aspects of the job is to work with diverse teaching teams to define, identify, codify and improve what is happening inside the classroom. It’s a very growth-mindset type of position. And whilst, sure, that’s one of those buzz words that gets tossed around alot, it really holds true for middle leaders. You want to model and exemplify the attitude and approach of finding unified pathways towards better and better student learning and your teachers who facilitate that experience.?

??As senior leadership look more and more to middle leaders to help enact and model school-wide initiatives the role of the middle leader has taken on increasingly more importance both strategically and practically. Brown et al. (2000) explains that middle leaders have an increasingly ‘pivotal role’ in school improvement with the potential to be the ‘power house of change’ when given the right direction and support.?

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Why Middle Leaders Are So Important and What They Bring

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?1. Codifying, harnessing and positively exploiting teacher expertise

Because of the intrinsic diversity of backgrounds, talents, specializations, philosophies, training and experience of an international schools faculty, it is very important for middle leaders to understand, identify and mobilize this wealth and diversity of teacher talent towards the best student learning experience conceivable. It means leaning into the soft-skillset of authentically getting to know those working under you, finding multiple ways to recognize where strengths (and weaknesses) lie.?

?2. The transient nature of international education

Most international schools face higher than average rates of teacher and leadership turnover. When a middle leadership team is solid and stable it provides an important aspect of continuity and stability. “Subject leaders who actively championed their subject area were more highly regarded by their colleagues than more reactive subject leaders, who often ‘retired into administration” (Wise 1999). In many ways the effective middle leader is the one who understands how to advocate for the teacher through the strength of practice. That only happens when they have built that knowledge framework and professional relationships.

?3. The development of people through professional relationships

?In many ways, middle leaders lead through effective modeling, transparency and influence as opposed to vague notions of authority. Effective middle leaders are forward facing, participatory in the learning environment, get to know students and teachers through a variety of contexts and actively listen to what they receive. Being good at this isn’t a magic trick- it’s just about making the time to be present, and finding new and innovative ways in which to do it. It can’t all be classroom observations- think forming new exciting committees, informal coffee hours, celebration share-outs, being a student for a day- the ideas and inspirations are endless. Work on the soft-skill relationship building so that tough talks and redirections feel less punitive and part of that growth mindset for all.

4. De-siloing and Collaborative Structures

?Finding that all elusive time in which to meaningfully collaborate is a forever challenge for all PLCs and teacher teams. Middle leaders therefore have to be super intentional about ‘separating maintenance and development’ in meetings and guaranteeing shared time for collaborative work (Leading Edge seminars pg. 25). Think beyond just teacher or subject teams- find ways to find meaningful universality on certain aspects of goal-setting and practice so that PLCs etc. can be as diverse and equitable as possible. When done right it represents baked-in professional development as well as a more inclusive school.?

5. It’s The Data Right?

??Yes…and it depends. Whilst inquiry and data is of course essential for tracking and guiding efficacy many schools suffer from what’s known as data overload- where reams of data exist- so much so that it overwhelms and is under or mis-utilized. Whatever the initiative or learning goal is, make sure that aligns with your school and learning mission and then make sure that whatever data is being gathered is essential to what your goals are. In many ways the UBD philosophies of backwards by design can prove useful for a lot of this. Know what you want to learn or get before you begin the collection process. And then share data wide; if you and your teams can find connections in data to broader trends it helps with more systematic and effective progress.?

Support and Sustenance for Middle Leaders

It’s not a secret that middle leadership positions are demanding, sometimes draining jobs. And interestingly from a PD perspective it was found that whilst ‘professional needs reported by subject leaders was extensive, spanning from provision for diversity, to timetabling, to HR management; notably absent from most middle leaders’ training was a focus on leadership itself’ (Adey 2000). As another leader confided, ‘Very little work was found that focused on professional development for middle leaders as leaders! Even less discussed was the lack of data of the effectiveness of particular approaches’ (Bennet et al. 2003).?

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?This suggests that training, coaching and mentoring is needed for the leaders themselves in more codified and consistent ways.?

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?A few working strategies for this include:

-Leadership programs tailored to middle leadership in international schools with focus on skill-building thru intercultural competency, talent management and systems thinking.

-Effective and active peer-coaching networks across international schools set up to help exchange best practices and share successes and failures with others in the field.

-Formal and informal mentoring structures that pair new and more experienced middle leaders to build up and keep veterans fresh as well.

-Increased opportunities for middle leaders to have a meaningful stake in informing whole-school decision making and help grapple with larger leadership challenges in lower-stakes settings.?

??Senior leadership must have a concerted and articulated methodology to help examine and enable conditions for middle leadership success. They must ask have positive answers to questions like:

??How much positional power does middle leadership have to enact change?

?Does middle leadership feel empowered to enact positive change?

?Are there effective job descriptions in place to ensure efficacy?

?Are job descriptions adhered to as closely as possible?

?Am I acting as leader-coach to my middle leadership team? How??

?What resources do they have and are trained on to support their teams?

?Are there clear processes for upwards feedback?

?Is the overall leadership structure more hierarchical? More collaborative? What is our organizational sweet spot? Why?

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?The list goes on…

??And so, middle leadership really is that linchpin to so many aspects of school and learning improvement. When put in clear positions to lead they help bridge the gap between aspirations and reality, policy and practice, senior leaders and classroom teachers. As one leader stressed, ‘I have to ensure every member of my team is seen as crucial to the success of the department and school’ (Leading Edge).?

??That same commitment of recognition and follow-thru must be given back to middle leaders themselves. When we build a support network, it wants to work for all.?

Works Cited

Adey, K. (2000). Professional development priorities: The views of middle managers in secondary schools. Educational Management & Administration, 28(4), 419-431.

Bennett, N., Newton, W., Wise, C., Woods, P. A., & Economou, A. (2003). The role and purpose of middle leaders in schools. National College for School Leadership.

Brown, M., Rutherford, D., & Boyle, B. (2000). Leadership for school improvement: The role of the head of department in UK secondary schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 11(2), 237-258.

Gleeson, D., & Shain, F. (1999). Managing ambiguity: Between markets and managerialism – a case study of 'middle' managers in further education. The Sociological Review, 47(3), 461-490.

Leading Edge Seminars. (n.d.). The heart of the matter: A practical guide to what middle leaders can do to improve learning in secondary schools. National College for School Leadership.?

Wise, C. (2001). The monitoring role of the academic middle manager in secondary schools. Educational Management & Administration, 29(3), 333-341.

Wise, C., & Bush, T. (1999). From teacher to manager: The role of the academic middle manager in secondary schools. Educational Research, 41(2), 183-195.