IMPROVING SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP:
LESSONS FROM
OECD COUNTRIES
UNESCO MEETING, 12 JANUARY 2013
Beatriz Pont, Sr. Policy Analyst
Policy Advice and Implementation Division
2
Key levers for change and improvement
How adequate are our policy
implementation strategies?
How do we ensure
student
achievement and
engagement
throughout their
education?
How can we
attract and craft
excellent
teaching at
schools?
Education
Students
Quality instructures
Are they conducive to
quality and equity?
education
Teachers
Schools
How can our
school leaders
ensure adequate
learning
environments?
3
School leadership is key
Leadership: In OECD countries, tasks that include instructional
leadership and human resource and financial management. It is
not only exercised by 1 person.
• In schools, leadership can
School
Local
System
improve
teaching and learning by developing
the right school climate.
• At the local level, it can improve
results through sharing of experience
and collaboration and by ensuring
more equity across schools.
•For the system, they are essential for
the success of education reforms.
3
School leadership: the reality
The role of school leaders has changed dramatically
School autonomy
• “Running a small business”
• Managing human and financial resources
• Adapting the teaching programme
Accountability for
outcomes
• A new culture of evaluation
• Strategic planning, assessment, monitoring
• Use of data for improvement
Learning-centred
leadership
• New approaches to teaching and learning
• Supporting collaborative teaching practice
• Raising achievement and dealing with diversity
The super principal ?
School leaders express their challenges to
good teaching, TALIS, 2009
% of teachers whose school principal reported that the following teacher behaviours
hindered the provision of instruction in their school a lot or to some extent (2007-08)
80
%
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Lack of pedagogical preparation
Arriving late at school
Absenteeism
School leadership: the challenges
Determining teachers' salary increases
Selecting teachers for hire
Establishing teachers' starting salaries
Firing teachers
Slovenia
Poland
Norway
Iceland
Estonia
Denmark
Bulgaria
Hungary
Lithuania
Belgium (Fl.)
Slovak Republic
Ireland
Portugal
Australia
TALIS Average
Austria
Korea
Malta
Spain
Brazil
Mexico
Turkey
Italy
Malaysia
%
100
6
80
60
40
20
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
School leadership: the practices
Index of schools principal’s leadership based on school principals’ report
(PISA)
Canada
OECD average
Finland
Japan
Korea
Professional development activities of teachers in
accordance with the teaching goals of the school
I ensure that teachers work according to the
school’s educational goals
I observe instruction in classrooms
I use student performance results to develop the
school’s educational goals
I give teachers suggestions as to how they can
improve their teaching
I monitor students’ work
When a teacher has problems in his/her
classroom, I take the initiative to discuss matters
0
25
50
75
100
School leadership: the challenges
Role expansion and lack of clarity as to
responsibilities focused on improving
student outcomes
The role of only one individual
Insufficient preparation and training
throughout their careers
Unatractive working conditions
Improving school leadership: The
policies
(Re)define school leadership responsibilities
Distribute school leadership
Develop the knowledge and skills of school
leaders
Make school leadership a more attractive
profession
School leadership: the policy
1) Redefine school leadership
roles and responsibilities
• Provide autonomy coupled with support and clear definition of
core responsibilities
• Develop leadership frameworks for improved policy and
practice
• Frameworks should define the main tasks of leadership for
improved learning:
• Support, monitor and develop teacher quality
• Goal setting, assessment and accountability
• Strategic financial/HR management
• Collaborate with other schools and institutions (system
leadership)
School leadership: the policy
2) Distributing school
leadership responsibilities
• Adopt a broader concept of leadership
• Distribution as a strategy for succession
planning
• Extend leadership training to leadership teams
and middle management
• Recognise and reward distributed leadership
School leadership: the policy
3) Developing knowledge and
skills for effective school
leadership
• Provide ongoing and career-staged training
(preparation, induction, in-service)
• Ensure coherence and quality of provision by
different institutions
• Connect training to experience: combination
of learning and coaching and practice
School leadership: the policy
4) Making school leadership
a more attractive profession
• Plan for leadership succession
• Professionalise recruitment
• Provide adequate remuneration: salaries
should reflect the high level of responsibility
• Provide opportunities for career development
Two OECD reports
A toolkit for self assessment
The toolkit: for self assessment
Toolkit modules
Module 1: Understanding and analysis
• Summary of ISL report with questions for reflection and dialogue
Module 2: Self diagnosis and auditing
• Gap analysis questionnaire: where we are? Where we would like to be?
Space for common reflection
Module 3: Prioritising and taking action
• A diamond nine exercise to decide on priorities and how to achieve
them
Module 4: Communicating and connecting
• 1 day facilitated workshop that brings together 3 modules.
For more information
www.oecd.org/edu/improvingschools
www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership
Beatriz Pont : beatriz.pont@oecd.org