What is it about?

This chapter focuses on the leading of community/ heritage languages schools. It contributes to the pan overview of the Community/Heritage languages school sector by examining some of the research concerned with their leadership, governance and management as well as suggesting what research needs to be done to, amongst other things, sustain the sector and support their contribution to community development and languages education. Seeing these schools as ‘mainstream’ due to their essential contribution to the education of a nation’s children, rather than as complementary or supplementary to a jurisdiction’s education system, provides a new perspective from which to appreciate the importance of their leadership, management and governance in terms of research, policy and practice.

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Why is it important?

There has been little attention explicitly paid to the leading, management and governance of community/ heritage language schools. A greater understanding and appreciation of these practices in schools can help to support their flourishing as well as having insights to offer to leaders, managers and governors in other sectors of education.

Perspectives

My argument is that it is crucial to know more about how these schools are led, administered and governed because these practices, and their practitioners, have an important influence on the success of these schools. Whilst the issues and challenges confronting these schools are sometimes similar to those faced by public/ mainstream state and private school leaders, there are significant differences in the context that influence how leaders of community/ heritage languages schools experience them.

Dr Anthony R Thorpe
University of Roehampton

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This page is a summary of: Leading community/heritage languages schools, October 2023, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.4324/9781003302704-6.
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