ABSTRACT
Flipping the system is not as simple as upending the current decision-making tower in education; it is about eking out, listening to, and elevating the voices of those on the ground in our schools. Often, the subjective voices and intricate identities of teachers and school leaders are absent, marginalised, or simplified in educational research, practice, and policymaking.
This chapter analyses interview data from an empirical study of one Australian school in order to interrogate the nexus between teacher, school leadership, and school as organisation, from the perspective of those working in classrooms and schools.
The chapter advocates for considering the identities, voices, and professional autonomy of teachers, and also considering the complex, unpredictable work of school leaders as they navigate fluid and multiple identities, and competing pressures. It argues that the system has the potential to be an inclusive and collaborative crucible in which those working in schools are given platforms to speak, in which teacher and school leader experience and professionalism is trusted, and in which we seek to understand and grow, rather than to blame.
