Distributed Leadership

Origins of Student Leadership: Distributed Leadership

Student leadership has roots tracing back to distributed leadership theory (Harris, 2009). While scholars and practitioners have only recently started to embrace distributed leadership, its origins date back to 1250 BC, making it one of the oldest leadership concepts recommended for achieving organizational goals (Oduro, 2004, p.4). The conceptualization of distributed leadership, as a theory, didn’t occur until the 1920’s (Harris, p.3). Gronn (2000) cites Gibb (1954) as declaring, “leadership is probably best conceived as a group quality…” Despite early interests in distributed leadership, scholars paid minimal attention to the topic for decades until Brown and Hosking (1986). Modern works of scholarship pertaining to topics such as “transformational” and “charismatic” leadership have given rise to a continued interest in distributed leadership amongst prominent researchers of the 1980’s and 1990’s. (e.g. Beck & Peters, 1981, Barry, 1996, Senge 1993,

York-Barr and Duke (2004) suggested there is no correlation between distributive leadership practices and student learning outcomes. Mayrowetz (2008, p.424) proposed that there is not a correlation between the practice of distributive leadership, school improvement or leadership development. However, recent research refutes the idea that distributed leadership doesn’t have positive implications for leadership practices or student learning outcomes. Day et al (2009) concluded that through a mediated relationship, distributed leadership led to positive outcomes such as improved morale of staff, which led to positive implications for students such as improved behavior and student learning outcomes. Moreover, conclusions from Leithwood et al. (2009) assert nuanced relationships between individuals may have an impact on the extent to which distributed leadership practices are