Leadership for curriculum change : implementation of resource-based learning in Green Bay integrated school district

Quite often change initiatives fail to produce desired outcomes. Subsequently, educational leaders must look closely at past change efforts in order to uncover reasons for success or failure. In addition, leaders who wish to be successful at change need to be current in their thinking and find ways to practice the theories they espouse. -- Indeed, there exist a gulf between espoused theory and theory in practice. Leaders in today's ever changing field of education must gain an understanding of this 'gap' and find ways to connect current thinking with practice. In the words of Senge (1990), there needs to be a "shift of mind" within leaders, a shift from traditional top-down models of leadership to more current practices; a move towards building learning organizations. -- This paper folio provides a better understanding of this "shift of mind" through an examination of the literature in relation to principles and practices employed in the field. This is accomplished through an examination of the implementation of the Learning to Learn policy, in 1991 by the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Education, and a detailed account of the former Green Bay District's implementation of this policy. -- Chapter one provides an overview of the paper folio, outlining its purpose and contributions to the field of leadership for change. It also speaks to the uniqueness of Green Bay District's employment of itinerant teachers as teacher leaders in the change process. This was a new role for itinerants, one that was unique to Green Bay District's implementation of the Learning to Learn policy. -- Chapter two exposes the leader's role in the change process as it pertains to the implementation of change in a school setting. A case study approach is employed to help leaders see the pitfalls of inadequate leadership and the highs of success. This approach is a valued tool in educational studies (Ashbaugh and Kasten, 1991; Gorton and Snowden, 1993). It provides leaders with real-life problems of which current thinking can be applied. -- Chapter three uncovers some of the principles and practices employed within the change process that led to successful or unsuccessful implementation of the Learning to Learn policy at the provincial and district levels. It points to successes and failures as they relate to current thinking on leadership for change. -- Chapter four provides an actual account of an itinerant teacher's experiences as a teacher leader trying to implement the Learning to Learn policy at the school level. This personal account provides a window into the successes and failures which accompany any change process. It examines the problems encountered and the type of leadership employed to overcome the barriers to change. -- Collectively, this paper folio provides educational leaders with concrete examples of how current thinking fosters ‘real' change, and points to principles and practices employed at all levels of the education system, that are conducive to successful program implementation. As an added bonus, this folio fleshes out problems within the change process, such that leaders may become aware of these pitfalls in order to avoid them