Why School Leaders? Lessons from the world

– From the Research Desk

Picture this: Countless students are walking through the open gates of a school. A mere glance at their faces is enough to catch their joy and curiosity for their new day. Now, imagine this sight unfolding across 1.5 billion schools across India. While we are all moving towards that imagination, The Wallace Foundation’s (2020) research has dropped a finding that will help us get there sooner: A school leader/head is one of the most important factors that contribute to student learning. This blog post explores school leadership practices worldwide, drawing comparisons to the Indian context and advocating for the adoption of best practices.

To explore effective approaches, we conducted an analysis of school leader practices across the globe, focusing on countries with varying income levels. The following segment showcases some of the practices of Finland and Kazakhstan.

Finland: The country that works less and learns more

Have you ever wondered what makes Finland stand out as a global exemplar in quality education? According to HDI 2021, in this country, every individual has an average of 12.9 years of education. Taking their current trends of growth into account, it is expected that the average years of education would rise to 19.1. Both the indicators are suggestively 50% higher than the world average.

A quick peek into their public education system suggested that every educator worked towards a social and educational vision. Agencies such as the National Board of Finland have created guidelines that direct educators towards a shared purpose. This essentially binds them to work collectively. Education serves as a medium to realise greater social good.

This shared consciousness extends beyond educators\’ perspectives on education. In some municipalities, it encompasses shared school management practices. This means School Leaders take on the responsibility not only for their own schools but also for their peers. They collaboratively plan, supervise, and evaluate each other\’s schools to ensure a unified delivery of education. 

The idea of uniformity in schools and its quality is engraved in their public education system. They do not have standard mechanisms to evaluate schools, as they believe that all schools must be good enough.

To enable this, laws reinforce cooperation and capacity building for both school leaders and teachers. They create formal and continuous learning opportunities, that allow decentralisation of leadership. Furthermore, this has fostered a sense of shared ownership in leading the schools, or as they to refer to as leading learning organizations.

Kazakhstan: A country that strives to educate every citizen

In Kazakhstan, the recruitment of school leaders involves eligible candidates competing for the position through a comprehensive selection process conducted by the local educational authority. The selection committee consists of representatives from the local educational authority, trade unions, teachers, and parents. This process typically includes assessments and interviews to evaluate the candidates\’ suitability for the role.

To support the development of school leaders, formal professional courses focused on leadership and management are offered by the National Centre for Professional Development, known as \’Orleu\’. They have the flexibility to choose courses that align with their specific needs and qualifications, enabling them to increase their skills and knowledge in relevant areas.

Similar to their counterpart, Finland, the value of collectivism is visible in Kazakhstan school leadership practices. They take up the ownership of sharing their newfound knowledge with their staff. This fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement at different levels of the school. Furthermore, school leaders in Kazakhstan also engage in workshops and experiential learning activities. This helps them gain practical insights and exchange experiences with their peers.

Side note: We recognize that Finland and Kazakhstan are smaller countries in comparison to the vast and diverse nation of India. We encourage readers to make connections between the example countries and various states within India for a more relevant and relatable perspective.

Who are school leaders?

School leaders, also referred to as Head Teachers, and Principals, are simply architects, who could build the learning journeys of their students. School leaders, through their vision of creating learner-friendly spaces and collaborative efforts with teachers, parents, and communities, can become enablers of quality education. Recent bodies of research reiterate their role in transforming the delivery of education.

Principals really matter. Indeed, it is difficult to envision an investment with a higher ceiling on its potential return than a successful effort to improve principal leadership.”

Wallace Foundation (2020)

Further, UNESCO (2021) recognises strengthening school leadership as an avenue to pave ways to achieving improved teaching and learning and school organisational development. It emphasises on school leaders’ role in attaining four targets of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- 4, which focuses on inclusive and quality education.

Is India prioritising school leadership, though?

The public education system\’s priorities for school leaders can be observed in their budgetary allocations, opportunities for capacity building and professional development, and the resources available for their growth. Further, conducting intensive research on school leadership and establishing standard structures and processes also reflects priority.

Figure 2 presents a visual representation of how school leadership can be transformed when given priority, as outlined in UNESCO\’s (2021) knowledge briefs on education.

An analysis of Indian data on school leadership, focusing on the priority areas outlined, provides valuable insights specific to the country\’s context.

1. Structures and processes in selecting school leaders

The process of selecting principals for secondary schools in India needs to place more emphasis on experience, training, and development in educational administration and management. It is not appropriate to assume that a proficient teacher who is promoted to the role of a school manager or principal will automatically possess the same level of effectiveness in administration (Saravanabhavan et al., 2016). 

1. Capacity enhancement opportunities for school leaders in India

According to Gafoor and Shareeja (2009), there is a lack of sufficient knowledge and practice to develop the skills of the present generation of educational leaders.

1. Extent of research on school leadership in India

National agencies such as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), along with certain civil society organizations and individual researchers, have researched school leadership. Despite central agencies conducting research in this area, it is notable that NIEPA\’s leadership briefs rely on references where only 12.5% of the articles are cited from Indian sources that are at least 5 years old. Further, a body to regulate purposeful research on school leadership at the state level is not evident.

What are some efforts that could be taken towards School Leadership in India?

Standard structures and processes for school leadership are essential for promoting effective education systems in India. Drawing lessons from Finland and Kazakhstan, it becomes evident that standardized approaches lead to numerous benefits. In Finland, the establishment of shared guidelines and a collective vision for education has fostered collaboration among educators. Similarly, Kazakhstan\’s comprehensive selection process ensures that school leaders are qualified and competent for their roles. This creates a compelling case for us to adopt this practice in our own context.

Adopting standardization practices in India can help educators align their priorities and ensure equal education for all students, regardless of their schools. The implementation of standardized approaches promotes consistency and equity in the learning experience. It also incentivizes school leaders, making them feel valued and motivated in their roles.

Many civil society organizations like Kaivalya Education, Alokit, Mantra4Change, Shikshalokam, Leadership for Equity, Global School Leaders etc., work towards the improvement of school leadership in India. One of the organisations that work towards this cause is also Vidhya Vidhai Foundation. We act as a strategic partner to state public education systems to strengthen K-12 schools. We enable education leaders at different tiers: at the state, district and school levels to drive sustainable change toward creating learner-friendly schools. Our approach involves crafting effective leadership training, strengthening practices of education leaders, and engineering innovations for child-centered education. Learn more about us here. 

References:

1. UNESCO. (2021). School leadership. School leadership | Unesco IIEP Learning Portal. https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/en/issue-briefs/improve-learning/school-leadership
2. Hub, I. S. K. (2016). UNESCO explores school leadership, governance in achieving 2030 targets: News: SDG knowledge hub: IISD. SDG Knowledge Hub. http://sdg.iisd.org/news/unesco-explores-school-leadership-governance-in-achieving-2030-targets/ 
3. Report 2021/2022 – human development reports. (2021). https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2021-22
4. OECD reviews of School Resources: Kazakhstan 2015. (2015). OECD Reviews of School Resources. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264245891-en 
5. Yakavets, N. (2016). Negotiating the principles and practice of School Leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45(3), 445–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143216628537 
6. Nurmukhanova, D. (2020). School leaders in Kazakhstan: Perspectives, roles and challenges. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, 5(2), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.31578/jebs.v5i2.199 
7. Saravanabhavan, R., Pushpanadham, K., & Saravanabhavan, S. (2016). India: School Leadership, India at the Crossroads. A Decade of Research on School Principals, 471–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23027-6_22 
8. Jantunen, A., Ahtiainen, R., Lahtero, T., & Kallioniemi, A. (2022). Finnish comprehensive school principals’ descriptions of diversity in their school communities. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2022.2117416 
9. Hargreaves, A., Halász, G. and Pont, B. (2008) The Finnish approach to system leadership [Preprint]. doi:10.1787/9789264039551-5-en.