scholarly journals Leadership as Sustainability: Context and Primary School Principals in Jamaica

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-149
Author(s):  
Paul Miller ◽  
Veronica Gaynor ◽  
Collington Powell ◽  
Shernette Powell ◽  
Eugenie Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Parental Engagement ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
New Form

School leadership is as challenging as it is rewarding. And, in a fast paced educational policy environment, school leaders sometimes are having to play catchup with the latest government mandate. This challenge is exacerbated in environments where economic and social problems and lack of parental engagement in education are a daily occurrence and a significant risk to the effectiveness of schools. While we recognize the notion of sustainable school leadership is continuing its evolution, we also acknowledge it is not a single act and nor is it enacted by a single individual. Reporting findings from a qualitative study of primary school leaders in Jamaica, we argue that sustainable school leadership is not a new form of leadership, but rather a type of leadership that combines multiple practices to produce long-term impacts on members of a school community that are “now” and “futures” oriented.

Primary school principals in Ethiopia: Selection and preparation

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-681
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Gemechu Gurmu
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Training

The study is an explanatory qualitative research that seeks to investigate the processes of Ethiopian primary school principals’ selection and training for professionalising principals. The participants are seven faculty members, 11 school principals and five education officials. Data are collected through semi-structured interview, focus group discussion and document analysis that are analysed thematically. Findings of the study show that the denial of principalship to professional graduates and political affiliation lens are scenarios that inform principals’ selection for leadership positions. Selection criteria that give emphasis to university degree Grade Point Average (GPA), teaching experience and performance are deciding who is selected for postgraduate diploma in school leadership (PGDSL) training. These indicate the gap the selection processes have in selecting competent leaders for the training. The study also shows that the duration of the primary school principals’ training is short. Its curriculum lacks depth and breadth. Albeit the training helps trainees to be familiarised with school leading, it is deficient in informing principalship professionalisation. The Ministry of Education, therefore, needs to revisit the selection and training processes so that proper criteria and procedures, inform the selection and training of competent professionals needed in the area.

scholarly journals Towards a leadership programme for primary school principals as instructional leaders

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Parvathy Naidoo ◽  
Nadine Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Learner Outcomes ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Poor Learner

This study set out to explore primary school principals’ instructional leadership. The study addressed a key issue in the school improvement literature, pertaining to the curriculum leadership of principals. The literature is not entirely clear about which leadership characteristic is more likely to produce the most favourable outcomes in terms of improved learner outcomes, in other words, how the curriculum has been implemented and how leadership in this regard has been effected. The article argues that robust training and development in instructional leadership practices become necessary to support school leaders in this regard. In South Africa, based on numerous reports of poor learner outcomes in schools, we question whether principals possess the necessary skills required to lead and manage curriculum in schools. In this article, the views of five principals, who have completed the Advanced Certificate in Education: School Leadership and Management (ACESLM) programme, are examined. Findings indicate that not all principals who participated in the study are fully conversant with their roles and responsibilities as instructional leaders. They mainly interpret their functions to be purely managerial and to be leaders and administrators of schools. Thus, whilst some understanding of instructional leadership was apparent in some of the principals’ responses, it is the authors’ views that ACESLM, as a leadership development programme, needs to be redesigned to include greater focus on instructional leadership.

scholarly journals The Role of Transformational School Leadership in Promoting Teacher Commitment: An Antecedent for Sustainable Development in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Shuti Steph Khumalo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Teacher Commitment ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
National Governments

Abstract Promoting sustainable development is top on the agenda of many national governments. The provision of quality primary education is key in pursuing this agenda and relies heavily of committed teachers. This article explores the potential contribution of transformational leadership practices of primary school principals in promoting teacher commitment. It is argued that primary school principals who exhibit the transformational leadership feature of commitment motivate teachers towards commitment and thus contribute towards sustainable development. This study was quantitative in nature and out of the hundred and fifty teachers sampled, only ninety-five responded to the questionnaires. Drawing from the theory of transformational leadership and the findings from the Limpopo Province education district case study, it can be concluded that primary school principals promote the culture of commitment and therefore a foundation for sustainable development is laid.

Perspectives on principal instructional leadership in Vietnam: a preliminary model

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Allan Walker ◽  
Dao Thi Hong Nguyen ◽  
Thang Truong ◽  
Thi Thinh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Preliminary Model ◽  
Principal Instructional Leadership

Purpose Worldwide interest in principal instructional leadership has led to global dissemination of related research findings despite their concentration in a limited set of western cultural contexts. An urgent challenge in educational leadership and management lies in expanding the range of national settings for investigations of instructional leadership. The current study addressed this challenge in the context of Vietnam, a nation with a very limited formal knowledge base in school leadership (Hallinger and Bryant, 2013b; Hallinger and Truong, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to describe the perspectives of Vietnamese primary school principals toward their role as instructional leaders, illuminate instructional leadership practices perceived as important by the principals, and develop a preliminary model of instructional leadership within the Vietnamese education context. Design/methodology/approach This study was a qualitative inquiry that sought to illuminate the perspectives of Vietnamese principals toward their role as instructional leaders. The research employed semi-structured interviews with 27 primary school principals. Data analysis employed grounded theory in order to synthesize results gathered from the principals into a preliminary conceptual model. Findings The study yielded a preliminary model of principal instructional leadership in Vietnam. The authors’ model evidences similarities to western models of instructional leadership by including dimensions focusing on setting direction, managing curriculum and instruction and developing the school learning climate. Differences also emerged in terms of two additional constructs, building solidarity and managing external relationships. Other distinctive practices of Vietnamese instructional leaders also emerged in the findings which the authors suggest can be linked to the institutional, political and socio-cultural context of education in this society. Research limitations/implications Key limitations arise from the focus on primary schools, small size of the sample, absence of data from the Northern region of Vietnam, and lack of verification of principals’ perspectives with data from other stakeholders. Originality/value This study is one of the first empirical studies of Vietnamese school leadership submitted for publication in international refereed journals and the first study that has that sought to conceptualize the instructional leadership role of principals in Vietnam. Moreover, the study illustrates how conceptualizations of school leadership are shaped by features of specific societies. This lends credence to scholarly admonitions concerning the lack of universality of leadership theories.

scholarly journals The Leadership Practices of the South African Primary School Principals in Promoting Shared Decision Making

2020 ◽  
pp. 139-160
Author(s):  
Shuti Steph Khumalo ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Shared Decision Making ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Allocation Process ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Role Players

Decision-making is a very critical aspect of management in the schooling environment. The purpose of this chapter was to investigate the role of primary school principals in engaging role players (particularly teachers) in decision-making in South Africa. Before the democratic dispensation in South Africa, decision-making was predominantly top down. This means that school leadership and principals in particular, made most decisions on their own and teachers were expected to implement these decisions without asking questions. The current study was conducted in the Waterberg Education Department, which is one of the education districts in South Africa. A descriptive research method was used and one hundred and seventy questionnaires were administered to teachers. The study revealed that the majority of principals do promote shared decision-making. This is demonstrated by the fact that the findings further indicate that principals create opportunities for decision-making, they provide feedback and expect engagement of the feedback and allow the views of stakeholders in the work allocation process.

The future face of school guidance and counselling: what will it look like in 25 years?

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul C. Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
The Future ◽  
School Guidance

A total of 130 guidance counsellors and primary school principals completed a quantitative and qualitative survey which focused on perceptions of what school guidance and counselling would be like in 25 years. There were a few differences noted between the guidance counsellors' and the principals' responses but in general similar beliefs were held by all who participated. All respondents were bullish about the employment outlook for the future, with primary principals the most optimistic. There were a number of similarities between the quantitative and qualitative findings and these are outlined. These included noting the increased importance of technology, counselling, consultation, and professional development.

scholarly journals Women’s Leadership Experiences: A Study of Ivorian Women Primary School Principals

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Rassidy Oyeniran ◽  
Ishmael Bonjah Anchomese
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Female Principals ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Primary School Principals ◽  
Leadership Experiences

Concerns about women educational leaders, their performance within primary schools, their approaches to leadership, including the hindrances experienced in the school headship have received few if any attention in Côte d’Ivoire. This paper analyses how women principals lead their schools and contributed to schools’ advancement in challenging situations that stand in their ways. The authors used a qualitative approach to collect data through in-depth semi-structural interviews with five female principals in Ivorian elementary schools. Findings showed that women influence directly teachers’ commitment and indirectly students’ learning process as well, particularly those who have learning difficulties. Data also revealed that these female used to create an environment and academic support that gives attention to children, as these learning conditions are similar to that of their actual life at home. Based on the findings, we assumed that women leadership could be a significant contribution to students’ learning course, which in turn positively influence the school improvement. That is even consistent with the literature, which remains constant in the assertion that women leaders own some abilities, such as being caring, attentive, patient. In this regard, educational practitioners, policy makers and stakeholders should pay more attention to women primary school principals for empowering them to display their know-how, expertise and talent useful for the students’ learning process. That seems a possible backup for Ivorian education system to reduce the low academic achievement and enhance schools’ performance.

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