Improving School Leadership
1st Workshop of Participating
Countries
Beatriz Pont
Education and Training Policy Division
Workshop of National Coordinators
July 5, 2006
Purpose of the meeting
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Share information on progress in the activity,
from OECD and countries perspective
Clarify methodology and calendar
Raise common issues of concern
Explore other relevant work in this field
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Agenda
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Improving School leadership: Update on the
activity
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Objectives
Content
Methodology
Timeline
Outputs
Who we are
High priority in OECD Education work
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OECD Teacher Policy Thematic Review (Teachers
Matter, OECD, 2005)
Education Chief Executives’ Meeting, Copenhagen,
Sept. 2005
Ranked #3 out of 20 Education Directorate
activities in the recent Education Committee
meeting (March 2006)
High priority in OECD Education work:
20 participating countries/regions (June 2006)
Australia
Austria
Belgium (Flanders)
Chile
Denmark
Finland
France
Hungary
Ireland
Israel
Korea
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom (England)
United Kingdom (Scotland)
Why is it important?
Rising expectations of schools and schooling (knowledge
economy, globalisation, migration, decentralisation…)
From teachers with additional responsibilities to full time
managers of human and financial resources:
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Instructional leadership
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Staff evaluation
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Budget management
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Performance assessment
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Community relations
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Held accountable for results
THE SUPER PRINCIPAL
Changing responsibilities of school leadership
But, principals’ development has not been a priority in school reform
agendas until recently:
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Shortages of high-qualified school leader candidates.
Australia: 92% of principals expected to retire/resign more than five
years before they 'have to'. (Grady et al’s (1994))
Ontario, Canada: 75% of principals and > 40% vice principals expect to
retire by 2007 (Williams, 2001)
England: 4/10 deputy/assistant principals: no plans to become a principal;
4/10 principals considering early retirement (Earley et al, 2002).
Quality school leadership: find ways to make school leadership an
attractive career (incentive structure to attract and retain those
on the job)
The objective of the activity
To provide information and analysis to help policy
makers in formulating and implementing school
leadership policies leading to improved teaching and
learning.
Objectives:
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to synthesise research on issues related to improving
leadership in schools;
to identify innovative and successful policy initiatives
and practices;
to facilitate exchanges of lessons and policy options
among countries;
to identify policy options for governments to consider.
Key Issues to respond to
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What are the roles and responsibilities of school
leadership
How to best develop effective school leadership
Roles of school leadership
Role of school leadership under different governance
structures
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Demands on school leaders
Different roles and responsibilities of school
leaders under different governance
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Types of skills required
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Is there a set of core competencies?
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Promising policies and conditions for linking school
leadership with improving school outcomes
Developing school leadership
How can effective school leadership be best
developed and supported?
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Should it be a career path? Types of profiles –
pedagogical or other
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Employment conditions
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support structures
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Type of training (pre-service, on the job, further
training)
Types of institutions to develop school leaders
The methodology
Analytical strand
Country Background Reports : Policies and
structures that impact on the role and
development of effective school leadership
Innovative practices strand: Case studies of
innovative practices to complement analytical
strand
1) New models of school organisation and management
that distribute leadership roles and responsibilities in
innovative ways
2) Promising programmes and practices to prepare and
develop school leaders
The methodology
Additional research
PISA data analysis: explore PISA questionnaire
for school principals in collaboration with
Indicators and Analysis Division.
Links school principals questionnaire to students
variables (school engagement, motivation and
attitudes and performance) in 2000-2006.
The timeline
Calendar
Tasks
1-4q 2006
Participating countries prepare Country
Background Reports
2q 2006
Activity workshop and international conference
n. 1
3-4q 2006
Organisation of 1st set of case studies and
visits
1-2q 2007
Organisation of 2nd set of case studies and
visits
3 q 2007
Activity workshop and international seminar n. 2
4 q 2007
Final international conference
1q 2008
Delivery of comparative report
Outputs of the Activity
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Country Background Reports (2006)
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International workshops (2006 and 2007)
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Expert papers/reports
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Selected case studies (2006-2007)
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A final international conference (2008)
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A final comparative report (2008)
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An activity website:
http://www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership
The staff
Beatriz Pont – Education and Training Policy Division
beatriz.pont@oecd.org
Fani Stylianidou – OECD Consultant,
fani@fani-stylianidou.org
Hunter Moorman – OECD Consultant,
hunter.moorman@oecd.org
Ross Wilkins - Assistant
ross.wilkins@oecd.org
Thank you very much.
Beatriz.pont@oecd.org