The PIVOTAL Model: improving postgraduate leadership learning for practising school leaders

The Commonwealth Government of Australia OLT-funded PIVOTAL (Partnerships, Innovation and Vitality – Opportunities for Thriving Academic Leadership) cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional research confirmed the validity of the PIVOTAL model and its positive impact on the design of postgraduate leadership courses. An improvement in students’ satisfaction with the level and focus of knowledge and skills needed by school leaders who undertake Masters of Business and Masters of Education studies was identified. The research approach capitalised on developmental work informing the National Professional Standards for School Leaders which resulted in the Excellence in School Leadership model (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2011). The AITSL model was used as a framework to investigate school leadership requirements as perceived by practitioners in schools across the sectors (government and non-government) on the Sunshine Coast and in the Toowoomba region of Queensland Australia. The researchers tested the effective application of leadership theory and design of learning activities as well as perceived improvement in leadership performance within participants’ complex learning communities. Focus groups were undertaken with groups of local school principals and senior school leaders. The groups were characterised as potential students, current/graduate education students and current/graduate business students. The research highlighted specific learning needs of school leaders which were not addressed in the AITSL model or through the previous postgraduate leadership courses: the importance of retaining personal vitality whilst undertaking challenging leadership roles, peer mentoring and realistic simulated leadership projects for international school leaders. The second cycle of research extended the benefits of the initial study and forms the basis for partnerships with other tertiary providers of postgraduate Education Leadership programs who are open to adopting the model in the future. Since these findings will inform leadership education in postgraduate Education and Business programs, there are also a number of cross-disciplinary benefits. The study demonstrates how lecturers in two disciplines can collaborate to enhance their scholarship of teaching and learning. The study seeks to improve the delivery of Master of Education Leadership courses in two regional universities but also has the potential to benefit other universities and education providers by establishing an effective model of leadership and trialling a set of guidelines for effective leadership curriculum design. Our findings contribute to the design of innovative leadership programs at national and international level, through an initial investigation of the needs of school leaders undertaking postgraduate study in particular regional settings