How strong is your professional leadership network?

Whether navigating new curriculum developments or focusing on wellbeing, strong professional networks offer invaluable support. Many principals connect through local principal associations or Kāhui Ako, but there are also additional opportunities to extend these connections and share learning with colleagues.

Principal professional learning groups (PLG) – what are they and why should I join?

Education is undergoing significant review and development. The demands on school leaders to navigate an increasingly complex environment, and the intensity of day-to-day principalship can leave little time for thinking about, and development of, your leadership.

Since early 2017, Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga has been providing opportunities for principals to join professional learning groups (PLG). These groups foster a collegial and collaborative environment where principals can develop their leadership capabilities and focus on their wellbeing. By learning together in a safe, high-trust space, participants broaden their thinking about leadership and develop practical strategies to support their schools and kura.

How do PLG operate?

PLG meet once or twice per term, and sessions are underpinned by reciprocal coaching (Ako), focusing on behaviours that promote effective learning. Principals reflect on their interactions to ensure that:

• relationships are mutually respectful, honest, and growth-oriented

• the group maintains focus throughout the session

• everyone, including the facilitator, has sufficient opportunity to contribute

• ideas and thinking are challenged respectfully

• contributions are offered constructively, without assuming relevance.

This approach ensures the group evolves to meet participants’ needs while retaining enough structure to support meaningful learning. Principal Advisors play a key role in establishing norms that encourage trust and commitment, which are essential when tackling complex issues.

What happens in a PLG?

Each PLG session is shaped by its participants, with learner agency as a central feature. Collaborative inquiry drives the agenda and might include:

• discussions on relevant issues or areas of focus

• shared problems of practice

• leadership inquiries or projects principals are working on

• readings, articles, or research presentations

• provocations to stimulate thinking.

Typically, sessions last about two and a half hours, with frequency and location determined by the group. Some groups rotate meeting locations between schools, while others prefer a consistent off-site venue. Groups may be organised by school size, type, or a mix to suit participants’ preferences.

What are principals saying about their PLG?

Here’s what principals value most about their PLG:

• “The rich conversation with a high level of trust – fantastic support for hauora.”

• “I feel less alone after sharing dilemmas and discussing provocations.”

• “Hearing others’ perspectives and sharing approaches is invaluable.”

• “I value the time to reflect on aspects of my role I don’t always prioritise.”

• “Sharing my ‘what’s on top’ and hearing colleagues’ insights is hugely beneficial.”

This feedback highlights the diversity of experiences principals bring to the group and the importance of learning from each other within high-trust relationships.

Why join a PLG?

The outcome of effective leadership learning is the development of confidence and capabilities that directly improve teaching and learning. Principal PLG provide a bridge between theory and practice, enabling principals to explore leadership in the context of their own schools.

Where agreed to by the PLG members the PLG can be the key network for the principal's professional growth cycle with the board-agreed endorser coming from within the PLG.

At Evaluation Associates | Te Huinga Kākākura Mātauranga, we believe theory should inform practice—and practice should inform theory. So, what are you waiting for? Ready to strengthen your professional network and leadership? Contact us to find a PLG near you or start your own!

Professional learning groups for principals

Want to join a principal PLG? Contact Sue today

Contact Sue Ngārimu