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Innovative School Leadership: Impacting Aboriginal Student Outcomes into the Future

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Assessing the Evidence in Indigenous Education Research

Part of the book series: Postcolonial Studies in Education ((PCSE))

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Abstract

This chapter investigates the Australian research evidence on the role of school leadership in supporting sustained change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student learning and examines the impacts of school policy, governance, and decision-making. The chapter describes the major findings of our review which acknowledges that the principal’s role in Indigenous schools is complex but must extend beyond the school gate to include the community as active partners in decision-making and problem-solving. Secondly, we note that collaborative or both-ways models of leadership, based on the knowledge of cultural context and tailored to meet the needs of individual communities, are essential. Our review suggests that school leaders can bring about positive change by establishing a framework for effective co-leadership with Indigenous communities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Karen Trimmer

  2. School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Roselyn Dixon

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  1. Karen Trimmer
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  2. Roselyn Dixon
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Correspondence to Karen Trimmer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nikki Moodie

  2. School of Education, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia

    Kevin Lowe

  3. School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Roselyn Dixon

  4. Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Karen Trimmer

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Trimmer, K., Dixon, R. (2023). Innovative School Leadership: Impacting Aboriginal Student Outcomes into the Future. In: Moodie, N., Lowe, K., Dixon, R., Trimmer, K. (eds) Assessing the Evidence in Indigenous Education Research. Postcolonial Studies in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14306-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14306-9_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

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