Overview 

The paper draws on national and international evidence demonstrating that when school leaders are equipped with the skills they need to lead effectively, teachers are better able to deliver great teaching in their classrooms and contribute to teaching excellence across their school.

Importantly, leaders’ ability to engage with parents and the community can be a key factor driving choice in schooling.

The paper also found that developing leadership capability across the system can be a cost-effective and impactful way to lift outcomes.

Methodology 

This paper synthesises insights from key research papers from the educational leadership literature on the impact of effective school leadership.

Why effective leadership in every school matters

The paper explores the importance of effective leadership for students, teachers and the community.

For teachers

School leaders have an important influence on how teaching and learning is delivered. Effective leaders support professional growth of teachers, develop a positive working environment, provide clear directions and expectations, and foster supportive and collaborative relationships with staff. When these conditions are in place teachers feel empowered and supported. This has a positive effect on teaching quality, learning outcomes and staff retention.

For students

The research shows that increased leadership effectiveness can help improve student outcomes. Some research has shown that effective leadership can make a difference of up to 3 months progress in numeracy and reading over a school year.

For the community

Effective leadership has a positive impact on how schools are viewed by parents and the wider community. Leaders’ engagement with the community can be a key factor when parents and carers are choosing a school for their child. Developing effective leadership also has an important role to play in delivering equity across the public school system.

Next steps

This research paper is a companion document to the NSW Public Schools Leadership Excellence Action Plan.  It affirms that investing in leadership can be a cost-effective and impactful way of driving improvement at a system level. These insights will be used by the SLI and other Education teams to continue to deliver world-class, evidence-informed leadership development programs and resources.