Leaders and leadership matters. But how? Why? And what type of leadership most effectively brings out the best in others? Thinking hard about leadership matters deeply at Scots, as we seek 'to inspire boys to learn, lead, and serve as they strive for excellence together'.

Building on his extensive research into transformational leadership, cognitive information-processing systems and coaching, Dr Tom Cerni, Head of Counselling Services at the College and Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney, has been studying the relationship between the way school leaders think and the attitude and performance of their students and staff. In a recent article in the Journal of School Leadership, Dr Cerni, along with Dr Susan Colmar (Sydney University) and Dr Guy Curtis (Murdoch University), shared the fruits of a survey of 88 school principals across Sydney. The survey explored the way leaders process information, using both the rational and experiential systems, and how these systems can assist in solving complex problems. These answers were compared with HSC results and teacher absenteeism to explore the link between the way leaders think, the academic performance of students and the commitment of staff.

Dr Cerni and his colleagues found that school leaders who experienced satisfaction in their role and who demonstrated conscientiousness in the face of complexity had a significant positive impact on student learning outcomes. Leaders who enjoy what they do while being focused on doing things better seem to inspire others to do more than they originally intended and often more than they thought possible. Conversely, leaders who adopted a laissez faire style - avoiding making important decisions and abdicating responsibility - had a demonstrably negative effect on the enthusiasm and commitment of teachers. Their findings seem to support major longitudinal studies in Australia and the United States which link school leadership to teacher recruitment and retention and improved student learning outcomes. Understanding the way leaders think - at whatever level they lead - is a key element in improving student learning outcomes and developing cultures of excellence.

Click here for more on Dr Cerni's research.

Scots staff were privileged to have their professional focus in Term 2 launched with a full day seminar on developing a consistent learning culture - one where thinking and learning is valued, visible and actively and consistently promoted.

Under the direction of Dr Ron Ritchhart, a Principal Investigator and Senior Research Associate for Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education, staff worked together to refine our learning culture and practice as one that considers education to be a social and cultural endeavor whose goal is the development of both the individual and the group as effective learners and thinkers able to engage with and adapt to a changing world. Within this context the most important assessment questions we can ask ourselves as educators is: who are our students becoming as thinkers and learners as a result of their time with us?

Since 2000, the Cultures of Thinking project has worked with hundreds of public, independent, and international schools and museums across North America, Australia, and Europe to help transform schools, classrooms, and museums into places where thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the regular day-to-day experience of all group members.

Our thinking and learning initiative will work to achieve its goals by working systemically in our classrooms. This includes the formation of ongoing professional learning communities whose attention is focused in exploring and understanding group culture and how it is shaped by the 'Eight Cultural Forces': modeling, opportunities, routines, expectations, language, interactions, time, and environment. By paying attention to how these eight forces send messages about what learning is, what kind of thinking is valued, and what it means to be smart; educators can reshape schools and classrooms into powerful learning environments in which students can achieve at the highest levels. The documentation of learning and the integration of thinking routines - simple structures to scaffold, support, and direct students' thinking - are also core practices.