Social ties offer alternative approach to developing school leaders

School systems use several different approaches to develop their educational leaders.

In an article in the National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, CEHD Assistant Professor Yinying Wang considers how schools can develop school leadership from what she calls a "social network perspective."

This approach takes into account teachers' and leaders' social ties, their school's culture and social networks, and school leaders' social influence to chart a path forward for successful leadership.

"School leaders build a sturdy social infrastructure that allows them to emerge as strong leaders who exert the positive influence on people and nurture a positive school culture. To that end, leadership is less about working the system, but more about working with the people," she wrote.

For example, school leaders who not only build social ties with their teachers but also encourage teachers to forge social ties among themselves can have a major impact on the school as a whole.

"Specifically, the teachers' social ties and their social networks are positively associated with innovative school climate, collective actions on organizational change, diffusion of research-based evidence, organizational learning on the Common Core State Standards, trust in schools and school performance," Wang wrote.

More information:
Yinying Wang. It All Starts With Forging Social Ties: Developing School Leadership From the Social Network Perspectives, NASSP Bulletin (2018). DOI: 10.1177/0192636518812714

Provided by Georgia State University