The distributed leadership role of the vice-principal in supporting the evolving role of the principal in Gauteng schools

Abstract

The 21st century has brought about rapid changes in many fields, including education. The educational landscape is often complex and closely connected to societal demands, experiences, and influences. Global trends and educational reform driven by external and internal forces result in change for schools. Schools mirror society, and consequently, they must remain relevant in their offering of educational programmes and operational requirements. As schools shift and transform to meet the modern-day demands of the school community, the principal’s role must evolve to accommodate the additional focus areas and demands of the job. To meet the demand of a 21st-Century school, the job description and school principal’s expectations have altered over time. The principal’s role has expanded and become multifaceted; therefore, principals have started to rely more heavily on their vice-principals to assist them with the leadership and running of the school. This research investigates the vice-principal’s distributed leadership role in supporting the principal’s evolving role in Gauteng schools. A qualitative research design embedded in the constructivist paradigm was chosen as a research method. Using semi-structured and in-depth interviews, the researcher tried to capture the essence of the job description and role of the principal and vice-principal while seeking to understand the principal’s evolving role. The researcher used purposeful sampling to select participants with the most significant insight and experience in these two specific management roles. Trustworthiness was ensured in data collection and interpretation. The researcher transcribed the collected data, which was later analysed. Once examined, the data was interpreted and arranged under the research objectives. The data revealed that the principal’s role is evolving, and they are leaning more heavily on vice-principals for support. Typical external and internal forces driving change within schools that have impacted the principal’s evolving role were identified. Although the researcher discovered varied job descriptions for both leadership roles, a common focus area identified by the vice-principals interviewed was to support the principal’s evolving role through a distributed leadership approach. The findings show that the principal and vice-principal’s roles have been impacted by external and internal forces bringing change to schools. By following a distributed leadership framework, many schools have adapted to the new demands being placed on school management. While the principal remains focused on the broader aspects of the school, the vice-principals have become more operational within their schools. Accountability levels and decision-making capacity have increased for vice-principals, increasing their responsibilities. It was further established that the two roles are closely interconnected and that strong levels of trust must be in place for the distributed leadership model to work. While principals remain involved with the instructional leadership and general governance of their schools, they have become more reliant on the distributed leadership framework to strengthen and deepen the skill set of their team so that there can be a shared sense of responsibility within school leadership.