Chapter 1: The Demand for Rapid Change

In this book we describe how leaders can be successful in bringing about rapid change in their schools, particularly in contemporary and complex situations. The evidence for this assertion is both research-based and experiential. The research foundation encompasses three main studies: first, the author’s doctoral research (Dudar, 2013), second, insights related to leading change from the International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP), and third, data related to leaders’ change agency from the Alberta Student Assessment Study (ASAS).

The first study, Dudar’s doctoral research, was undertaken in Alberta, Canada, and explored how school leaders could be successful in establishing complex change within three years or less. The rationale for the doctoral research was underpinned by the fact that increasingly school leaders are expected to bring about faster-paced change in order to meet the ever-changing demands of their educational system and the needs of society. This research was a mixed methodology study encompassing a leadership questionnaire, in-depth interviews with leaders, and focus groups with stakeholders. A total of 111 participated in this study including principals, teachers, students, parents, and superintendents and it spanned four Alberta school districts representing urban, rural, and remote elementary and secondary school contexts. Even though 39 principals participated in the study there were eight schools where there was representation from each stakeholder group to provide a 360° in-depth account of the change phenomenon. These eight schools and principal interviews served as a large part of the foundation material for the “change stories” in this book.