Jim Spinks, director of All Across the Line and co-author of some of the most authoritative books on self-managing schools, educational leadership and system transformation, visited the University of Pretoria in February 2010 gave a series of lectures to students, staff and other interested parties. He has been studying dysfunctional systems and school in many parts of the world for the past ten years and shared some of the conclusions with his audiences:

• The national goal for a public education system should be success for all learners in all settings irrespective of circumstance
• 21^stcentury schools must save (not fail) all at risk students
• Some schools save some learners but all schools need to strive to save all learners and should believe that all learners can be successful – they can leave school with a platform of skills, knowledge and attitudes or values from which they can be successful participants in adult life
• There is persuasive evidence that this kind of education can be achieved at school and an system level
•  Leaders of 21^st century schools are:

1. Passionate, open and caring
2. Learners
3. Inspiring and able communicators
4. Ethical and principled
5. Persistent (many interventions are needed to save a child)
6. Pragmatic (stop doing things that do not work)

• The priorities of leaders of 21^st century schools seem to be:

1. Students
2.  Staff
3. Learning
4. Seeking respect
5. Celebrating success
6. Leadership depth
7. Team cohesion

• Leaders of 21^st century schools tend to use the following strategies:

1. Success for all is not negotiable
2. Ongoing search for talented staff
3. Innovation and risk taking
4. Evidence driven
5. Abandonment of failed processes
6. Reward endeavour and success
7. Optimise resource effectiveness

• Such principals show the following behaviours:

1. ‘Show the kids’. They are proud of the children of their schools and gladly show them to visitors
2. ‘Walk the talk’. They set examples.
3. Make tough decisions because the teaching and learning of the child is their number one priority.

• According to the McKinsey Investigation (2007) the experiences of top school systems suggest that three things matter most:

1. getting the right people to become teachers
2. developing them into effective instructors
3. ensuring that the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child.

Mr Spinks was impressed by the Department’s leadership preparation programmes and especially the ACE (Educational Leadership) which makes ample use of mentoring and site-based training and we will use his ideas to underpin and enhance the programmes.