More than ever before, the
wellbeing of students, staff and the school community is a priority for
principals and school leaders. New research forms the basis of a new handbook
for school leaders who are aspiring to improve the wellbeing of their school
communities.
Drawing
on 30 years of research, and backed by a wealth of evidence, case studies, step-by-step
plans and checklists, Emeritus Professor Donna Cross and Dr Leanne Lester have
developed an effective framework that outlines how to strategically select and successfully
implement a particular wellbeing practice within a school.
“School leadership is an increasingly
complex, highly demanding role. In establishing short-and long-term goals for
improving outcomes for students, school leaders must turn their minds not only
to performance indicators and targets but to the methods, approaches and
strategies through which those targets can be achieved,” said Dr Lester,
Research Manager at the Centre for Social Impact UWA.
“The research outlines the tools school leaders need to develop insights into
what’s working, what needs to change and where schools can go next with
supporting and improving the wellbeing of their students, teachers and broader
school communities,” said Emeritus Professor Cross.
“Evidence tells us that
schools and school systems that adopt evidence-based practice models are those
most likely to achieve their goals of improving outcomes for children and young
people. It also tells us that it is school leaders who play a critical role in
identifying, implementing, embedding and leading evidence-based practice, said
Emeritus Professor Cross.”
“In addition to improving
the quality of teaching and learning, school leadership teams can really have a
powerful impact in shaping the wellbeing of all members of the school
community,” said Dr Lester.
A
summary of the research can be found in a new handbook , authored by Emeritus Professor Donna Cross and Dr
Leanne Lester, titled Leading improvement in school community wellbeing.
