Educational leadership in Singapore: Tight coupling, sustainability, scalability, and succession

Journal of Educational Administration

Volumn 51, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 320-340

  Dimmock, Clive ^a   Tan, Cheng Yong ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER   (United Kingdom)

^b NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY   (Singapore)

Author keywords

Confucian; Critical success factors; Education; Leadership; Scalability; School leadership; Singapore; Succession; Sustainability

Indexed keywords

EID: 84878215345     PISSN: 09578234     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/09578231311311492     Document Type: Review

References (74)

1. Barber, M., Mourshed, M. (2007), How the World's Best-Performing School Systems Come Out On Top, McKinsey&Company, London, available at:.
2. Barber, M., Whelan, F., Clark, M. (2010), Capturing the Leadership Premium: How the World's Top School Systems are Building Leadership Capacity for the Future, McKinsey&Company, London, available at:.
3. Bond, M.H., Hwang, K. (1986), "The social psychology of Chinese people" in Bond, M.H. (Ed.), The Psychology of the Chinese People, Oxford University Press, Hong Kong, pp. 213-266.
4. Boyd, W.L., Crowson, R.L. (2002), "The quest for a new hierarchy in education: from loose coupling back to tight?" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 521-533.
5. Chan, D., Tan, J. (2008), "Privatization and the rise of direct subsidy scheme schools and independent schools in Hong Kong and Singapore" in International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 464-487.
6. Chen, C.C., Farh, J.L. (2010), "Developments in understanding Chinese leadership: paternalism and its elaborations, moderations, and alternatives" in Bond, M.H. (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, pp. 599-622.
7. Clammer, J. (1985), Singapore: Ideology, Society and Culture, Chopman Publishers, Singapore.
8. Davis, S., Darling-Hammond, L., LaPointe, M., Meyerson, D. (2005), School Leadership Study: Developing Successful Principals (Review of Research), Stanford Educational Leadership Institute, Stanford, CA.
9. Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., Harris, A., Qing, G., Brown, E. (2010), Ten Strong Claims About Successful School Leadership, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services, Nottingham.
10. Department of Statistics, Singapore (2011), "Singapore in figures 2011", available at:.
11. Dimmock, C. (2012), Leadership, Capacity Building and School Improvement: Concepts, Themes and Impact, Routledge, London.
12. Dimmock, C., Goh, J.W.P. (2011), "Transformative pedagogy, leadership and school organisation for the twenty-first-century knowledge-based economy: the case of Singapore" in School Leadership & Management, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 215-234.
13. Dinham, S., Crowther, F. (2011), "Guest editorial: sustainable school capacity building - one step back, two steps forward?" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 49, No. 6, pp. 616-623.
14. Elmore, R.F. (2006), "Getting to scale with good educational practice" in Harvard Educational Review, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 1-27.
15. Farh, J.L., Cheng, B.S. (2000), "A cultural analysis of paternalistic leadership in Chinese organizations" in Li, J.T., Tsui, A.S. and Weldon, E. (Eds.), Management and Organizations in the Chinese Context, Macmillan, London, pp. 94-127.
16. Farh, J.L., Cheng, B.S., Chou, L.F., Chu, X.P. (2006), "Authority and benevolence: employees' responses to paternalistic leadership in China" in Tsui, A.S., Bian, Y. and Cheng, L. (Eds.), China's Domestic Private Firms: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Management and Performance, M. E. Sharpe, New York, NY, pp. 230-260.
17. Fidler, B., Jones, J., Makori, A. (2009), "Extending the career of the English primary school headteacher: a second headship" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 47, No. 4, pp. 435-451.
18. Fink, D. (2011), "Pipelines, pools and reservoirs: building leadership capacity for sustained improvement" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 49, No. 6, pp. 670-684.
19. Frick, W.C. (2009), "Principals' value-informed decision making, intrapersonal moral discord, and pathways to resolution: the complexities of moral leadership praxis" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 50-74.
20. Fusarelli, L.D. (2002), "Tightly coupled policy in loosely coupled systems: institutional capacity and organizational change" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 561-575.
21. Goh, C.T. (1997), "Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the opening of the 7th International Conference on Thinking", Monday, June 2, 1997, at 9.00 am at the Suntec City Convention Centre Ballroom, available at:.
22. Goh, J.W.P. (2009), ""Parallel leadership in an 'unparallel' world" - cultural constraints on the transferability of Western educational leadership theories across cultures" in International Journal of Leadership in Education, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 319-345.
23. Gopinathan, S. (1985), "Education in Singapore: progress and prospect" in Quah, J.S.T., Chan, H.C. and Seah, C.M. (Eds.), Government and Politics of Singapore, Oxford University Press, Singapore, pp. 197-232.
24. Gopinathan, S., Deng, Z. (2006), "Fostering school-based curriculum development in the context of new educational initiatives in Singapore" in Planning & Changing, Vol. 37, Nos 1-2, pp. 93-110.
25. Gopinathan, S., Wong, B., Tang, N. (2008), "The evolution of school leadership policy and practice in Singapore: responses to changing socio-economic and political contexts ('insurgents,' 'implementers,' 'innovators')" in Journal of Educational Administration and History, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 235-249.
26. Hairon, S., Dimmock, C. (2012), "Singapore schools and professional learning communities: teacher professional development and school leadership in an Asian hierarchical system" in Educational Review, Vol. 64, No. 4, pp. 405-424.
27. Hallinger, P. (2010), "Making education reform happen: is there an 'Asian' way?" in School Leadership & Management, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 401-418.
28. Hargreaves, D.H. (2011), "System redesign for system capacity building" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 49, No. 6, pp. 685-700.
29. Hattie, J. (2009), Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement, Routledge, London and New York, NY.
30. Heck, R.H., Hallinger, P. (2009), "Assessing the contribution of distributed leadership to school improvement and growth in math achievement" in American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 659-689.
31. Heck, R.H., Hallinger, P. (2010), "Collaborative leadership effects on school improvement: integrating unidirectional- and reciprocal-effects models" in The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 111, No. 2, pp. 226-252.
32. Heck, R.H., Moriyama, K. (2010), "Examining relationships among elementary schools' contexts, leadership, instructional practices, and added-year outcomes: a regression discontinuity approach" in School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 377-408.
33. Ho, K.L. (2003), Shared Responsibilities, Unshared Power: The Politics of Policy-Making in Singapore, Eastern Universities Press, Singapore.
34. Hogan, D., Gopinathan, S. (2008), "Knowledge management, sustainable innovation, and pre-service teacher education in Singapore" in Teachers & Teaching, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 369-384.
35. Hogan, D., Teh, L.W., Dimmock, C. (2013), "Knowledge mobilization and utilization in the Singapore education system: the nexus between researchers, policy makers and practitioners" Levin, B., Qi, J. and Edelstein, H. (Eds.), The Impact of Research in Education: An International Perspective, University of Bristol, Policy Press, University of Bristol, Bristol.
36. Hogan, D. (2009), "PowerPoint presentation to MOE", OER/NIE, Ministry of Education Research Seminar, Singapore, August 5.
37. Jiang, D.-Y., Cheng, B.-S. (2008), "Affect- and role-based loyalty to supervisors in Chinese organizations" in Asian Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 214-221.
38. King, A.Y.C., Bond, M.H. (1985), "The Confucian paradigm of man: a sociological view" in Tseng, W. and Wu, D.Y.H. (Eds.), Chinese Culture and Mental Health, Academic Press, Orlando, FL, pp. 29-45.
39. Kuo, E.C.Y. (1987), Confucianism and the Chinese Family in Singapore: Continuities and Changes, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
40. Law, W.-W. (2009), "Culture and school leadership in China: exploring school leaders' views of relationship- and rule-based governance" in Wiseman, A.W. (Ed.), Educational Leadership: Global Contexts and International Comparisons, Emerald, Bingley, pp. 303-341.
41. Leithwood, K., Patten, S., Jantzi, D. (2010), "Testing a conception of how school leadership influences student learning" in Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 46, No. 5, pp. 671-706.
42. Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A., Hopkins, D. (2006), Seven Strong Claims About School Leadership, National College of School Leadership, Nottingham.
43. Lim, L.H. (2007), "Illuminating the core of Singapore school leadership preparation: two decades of in-service experience" in International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 433-439.
44. Mercer, J., Barker, B., Bird., R. (2010), Human Resource Management in Education: Contexts, Themes and Impact, Routledge, London.
45. Meyer, H.-D. (2002), "From 'loose coupling' to 'tight management'? Making sense of the changing landscape in management and organization theory" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 515-520.
46. Ministry of Education (MOE) (1987), Towards Excellence in Schools, MOE, Singapore.
47. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2003), "Speech by RADM (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence at the Senior Education Officer promotion ceremony 2003", Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 am at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, available at:.
48. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2007), "Mission and vision statement", available at:.
49. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2008), Anchored in Values and Purpose: Philosophy for Educational Leadership in Singapore, MOE, Singapore.
50. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2011a), "Desired outcomes of education", available at:.
51. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2011b), Education Statistics Digest 2011, MOE, Singapore.
52. Ministry of Education (MOE) (2011c), "Ministry of Education appoints 47 principals in 2011", available at:.
53. Mourshed, M., Chijioke, C., Barber, M. (2010), How the World's Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better, McKinsey&Company, London, available at:.
54. Ng, P.T. (2003), "The Singapore school and the school excellence model" in Educational Research for Policy and Practice, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 27-39.
55. Ng, P.T. (2007), "Quality assurance in the Singapore education system in an era of diversity and innovation" in Educational Research for Policy and Practice, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 235-247.
56. Ng, P.T. (2008a), "Developing forward-looking and innovative school leaders: the Singapore leaders in education programme" in Journal of In-Service Education, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 237-255.
57. Ng, P.T. (2008b), "Thinking schools, learning nation" in Tan, J. and Ng, P.T. (Eds.), Thinking Schools, Learning Nation: Contemporary Issues and Challenges, Prentice Hall, Singapore, pp. 1-6.
58. Ng, P.T. (2010), "The evolution and nature of school accountability in the Singapore education system" in Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 275-292.
59. NIE (2012), "NIE council", available at:.
60. Norton, J., O'Neill, K., Fry, B., Hill, D. (2002), Universities in the Lead: Redesigning Leadership Preparation for Student Achievement, Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA.
61. OECD (2010), Education at a Glance 2010: OECD Indicators, Eurostat Education Database, Paris, available at:.
62. OECD (2011), Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for the United States, OECD Publishing, Paris, available at:.
63. Orton, J.D., Weick, K.E. (1990), "Loosely coupled systems: a reconceptualization" in The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 203-223.
64. Quah, S.R. (1999), Study on the Singapore Family, Singapore Ministry of Community Development, Singapore.
65. Rowan, B. (2002), "Rationality and reality in organizational management: using the coupling metaphor to understand educational (and other) organizations - a concluding comment" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 604-611.
66. Sharpe, L., Gopinathan, S. (2002), "After effectiveness: new directions in the Singapore school system?" in Journal of Education Policy, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 151-166.
67. Tan, C. (2011), "Philosophical perspectives on educational reforms in Singapore" in Choy, W. and Tan, C. (Eds.), Education Reform in Singapore: Critical Perspectives, Prentice Hall, Singapore, pp. 13-27.
68. Tan, C.Y. (2012), "Instructional leadership: toward a contextualised knowledge creation model" in School Leadership & Management, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 183-194.
69. Tan, C.Y., Dimmock, C. (in press), "How a 'top-performing' Asian school system formulates and implements policy: the case of Singapore", Educational Management Administration & Leadership.
70. Tong, C.K., Ho, K.C., Lin, T.K. (2004), "Traditional Chinese customs in modern Singapore" in Yong, M.C. (Ed.), Asian Traditions and Modernization: Perspectives from Singapore, Marshall Cavendish (International), Singapore, pp. 67-88.
71. Walker, A., Kwan, P. (2012), "Principal selection panels: strategies, preferences and perceptions" in Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 188-205.
72. Weick, K.E. (1976), "Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems" in Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 1-19.
73. Witziers, B., Bosker, R.J., Kruger, M.L. (2003), "Educational leadership and student achievement: the elusive search for an association" in Educational Administration Quarterly, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 398-425.
74. Zhang, Y. (1994), "Leadership attributes in a cultural setting in Singapore" in The International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 16-18.