An investigation of the linkages between leadership, learning and student engagement

Education, or specifically, the nature of the learning experiences occurring in the classrooms of today, has been a fertile area for researchers and commentators as the discourse engages with the need to provide authentic learning experiences for students of the 21st century. This study explored the experiences of participants in a change project conducted in a Catholic secondary and primary school. The project entitled InteL, (an abbreviation of Integrated Learning), was part of a larger venture involving the Australian Catholic University and a further eight schools in four Catholic Dioceses across New South Wales. This venture was called Leaders Transforming Learning and Learners (LTLL). Using InteL as its base, this study examined the linkages between leadership and learning as it affected student engagement in two schools. The research is significant because it explored the relationship between leadership, learning and student engagement. This study looked at a broader definition of leadership which moved beyond the formal school leadership of the Principal or the Assistant Principal to leadership that was both distributed and transformative in nature (Crowther, 2004; Fullan, 2003b; Harris, 2005, 2008, 2009a; Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005a). It explored the impact of leadership on authentic learning experiences and student engagement. The focus was on leadership for learning. The emphasis was on an investigation of leadership that had an impact on and increased the engagement of students through authentic learning experiences...