Strategic leadership

Strategic leadership refers to the ability to pursue valued goals with, and through, others.

The core work of the strategic leader is to:

• Work with stakeholders to build an overarching vision of what kind of organisation is sought
• Articulate broad strategic goals
• Convert them to measurable annual goals (targets) and strategies to reach them
• Monitor and manage the progress towards them

Strategic leadership involves setting the direction of the school, identifying challenges and areas of need, establishing goals and a plan to achieve these, and bring the school community along. It is important that schools are engaged in continual improvement, and it is the strategic leader’s job to drive this work.  

There is a range of research from both the school and the organisational literature on the importance of and attributes of strategic leadership. The school-based research evidence would suggest that while strategic leadership is important, its effect on student learning outcomes I not as great as pedagogical leadership. 

Strategic leadership involves setting the direction for the school, establishing annual goals that are centred on the students and their learning, establishing targets, and then taking action in relation to the goals. It also is important that strategic leaders are monitoring their progress towards their goals and targets.

• How are our students progressing and how do we know?
• Where do we need to concentrate our efforts as a school?
• What do we as a school want to achieve and what are the best ways to achieve it?
• How have I involved the different stakeholders of the school community in these processes?