The role of ICT for school leadership and management activities: an international comparison

PurposeInformation and communication technologies (ICT) has an increasing impact on schools. School leaders play a key role in this context as drivers of innovation including those related to ICT. Against this background, the study presented in this article focuses on school leadership and management activities with ICT and related challenges. It sought to analyze how frequently German school principals use ICT compared to principals in other countries, what distinct clusters of German principals could be identified in terms of ICT usage and how principals viewed ICT in schools and related challenges.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach was chosen, using quantitative data from both the international comparative large-scale assessment study ICILS 2018 and the explorative qualitative data from Germany. For the international comparison, the school principal data sets of the 12 international participants of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2018 were taken into account: Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Portugal, Uruguay and the United States. To look beyond averaged frequencies, a latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify possible clusters of school leaders with distinct usage patterns of ICT for leadership and management activities.FindingsThe results indicate that, in general, German principals use ICT for leadership and management activities on a similar level as their international colleagues. However, they seem to communicate with education authorities significantly more often than their international colleagues, whereas representative activities (presentations, home page) are rather infrequent. The qualitative data point to significant barriers to fully harnessing the potential of using ICT for leadership, management and school improvement such as lack of competencies and lack of adequate support.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on school leadership and management activities using ICT with such a data set. The results provide insights into how German principals use ICT to lead and manage their schools compared to their international counterparts. The qualitative data offers additional insights into possible reasons hindering a more effective use of ICT.

Leading with humour and its effect on resilience in the workplace: The perspectives of principals in Kuwaiti secondary schools

This study aimed to explore the extent to which the principals of secondary schools in the State of Kuwait said they practiced leadership with humour and if it impacts on their level of resilience in the workplace. The study sample consisted of 121 male and female secondary school principals from six educational districts in Kuwait who were selected using the random stratified method. The study findings showed that the perceptions of school principals regarding the extent to which they practice leadership with a sense of humour were moderate in all fields. The study also found that school principals enjoy high resilience in their workplace, especially when solving a problem. Finally, the results showed that the more a school principal used humour the more resilient he/she would be in the workplace. The study concluded that humour should be considered as one factor in effective leadership and that leadership training programmes should include this dimension. The level of resilience can be clearly predicted by identifying the extent to which school principals claim to practice leading with humour.

Exploring how authoritarian leadership affects commitment: the mediating roles of trust in the school principal and silence

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationship between authoritarian leadership and commitment and the mediating roles of silence and trust in school principals.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a cross-sectional design to illustrate the relationships among authoritarian leadership, trust in the principal, silence and affective commitment using path analysis evidence provided by 409 K–12 teachers.FindingsThe findings revealed that authoritarian leadership indirectly affected teacher commitment through trust in the principal and acquiescent silence. Furthermore, trust in the principal played a partial mediating role between authoritarian leadership and defensive silence. Authoritarian leadership behaviours decreased teachers' affective commitment by decreasing trust in the principal and increasing organisational silence.Originality/valueAlthough leadership and culture have been studied intensively in recent years, authoritarian leadership, which is more commonly seen in Eastern societies, has been less studied in school contexts in the Middle East and Asia. Thus, this study contributes to the literature by examining the factors that might influence affective commitment in schools in an urban setting: authoritarian leadership, silence and trust in school principals.

Aktualisasi Nilai-Nilai Kepemimpinan Astha Brata Untuk Mewujudukan Profil Pelajar Pancasila Melalui Sekolah Penggerak

<p><em>To realize the Pancasila Student Profile, the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology issued one of the Independent Learning Program policies, namely the "Sekolah Penggerak". "Sekolah Penggerak" is implemented by strengthening the capacity roles of principals and driving teachers. The principal is a learning leader in each academic unit who is expected to move the school by collaborating with stakeholders to realize a student-centred school. "Guru Penggerak" are learning leaders who apply independent learning and move the entire educational ecosystem to realize learner-centred education. Becoming a learning leader as a "Sekolah Penggerak" Principal or "Guru Penggerak" requires a new paradigm shift. There is one Javanese local wisdom that can be actualized as a leadership model, namely Astha Brata . This research is a descriptive study by examining the actualization of Astha Brata 's leadership to realize the Pancasila Student Profile in the "Sekolah Penggerak". The method used is literature study through books, journals related documents and news/online. Study results show that Astha Brata 's leadership values are still relevant and can be actualized to answer the challenges of being a school principal and "Guru Penggerak", who is expected to become a learning leader to realize the Pancasila Student Profile.</em></p>

Unconscious Bias Towards African American Women in the Education Workforce

The number of African American women who become school principals is low per national and local statistics. An unconscious bias towards African American women may have contributed to these low statistics. The process of applying for a school principal's position has not been consistent for over a century. It seems that for job openings in which the dominant culture is not African American, the likelihood of being the school principal is doubtful. Unveiling and examining these biases may lead to determining how to include more African American women in educational administration. This chapter will describe 10 African American women who encountered unconscious bias as they sought and procured public-school principalship.

SYCLE ONE SCHOOL PRINCIPLES’TEACHER JOB SATISFACTION IN NORTH AL BATINAH IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

The study aimed to identify the leadership patterns practiced by the female principals of the first circle schools as seen by the teachers of the first field in the province of North Al Batina, and to identify the level of job satisfaction of the teachers of the first field, and to reveal the correlation between the leadership patterns of the female principals of the first circle and the job satisfaction of the teachers of the first field. The researcher used the descriptive correlation method, and designed two questionnaires: the questionnaire measuring the leadership patterns of the female school principals of the first episode in North Al-Batina, and the other the questionnaire of the measurement of job satisfaction in the teachers of the first field in The North Al-Batina, each questionnaire contained 30 paragraphs, and included three axes. The results of the study showed that the democratic leadership style came first, with a mathematical average of 4.45,which is the most practiced pattern among the principals of the first circle schools in the province of North Al-Batina, followed by the autocratic leadership pattern, the leadership pattern, asindicated by the results of the study to the high level of job satisfaction in all axes with a mathematical average of 4.52, and came first the center of job satisfaction related to satisfaction with the nature of work, with a mathematical average of 4.62, followed by the axis of satisfaction of school mates, and came in third place the focus of satisfaction for the school principal, and also indicated the results of the study indicated the existence of a positive medium statistically function between the practice of the female principals of the first circle schools in the province of North Al-Batina of the democratic leadership style and the job satisfaction of the teachers of the first field, where the correlation reached the coefficient r =0.61. Based on the results of the current study, the researcher recommends: maintaining the level of active practice of the democratic leadership style of the female teachers of the first circle schools in North Al-Batina, because of its importance in achieving a good level of job satisfaction, and maintaining the level of high job satisfaction among the teachers of the first field in North Al-Batina, because of its role in achieving.

A University-Based Reading Clinic and the Pivot to Online Instruction

This chapter describes the conversion of a face-to-face reading clinic held on a university campus to one implemented fully online. Two faculty members, in different disciplines, worked collaboratively with a local elementary school principal to transition the program to the new format. Teacher candidates from several certification areas worked together in pairs to tutor a shared tutee. The transition to virtual instruction involved rethinking ways to prepare candidates to conduct assessments, plan and implement engaging instruction, and monitor progress in a virtual environment. This chapter will provide a description of this model, along with the logistical and pedagogical decisions made and the lessons learned along the way.

THE POLISH SAFETY MODEL FOR CHILD AND YOUTH TOURISM – LEGAL ASPECTS

Purpose. Analysis of the legal solutions adopted in Poland relating to the ensuring safe practice of various forms of tourism during the school year when the school acts as a tour operator and in the period free from classes, when recreation is organised by entities conducting economic activity. Method. The implemented methods is critical analysis of legal acts and literature on the subject. Results. In the study, the necessity is shown to modify the adopted legal solutions in order to clarify the responsibilities of the school headmaster, in terms of ensuring the safety of school trip participants by teachers, depending on the type of tourist activity, especially in relation to active tourism. On the other hand, the recreation of children and adolescents is based on the provision of appropriate staff with the appropriate authorisation, and on the control activities of state bodies and relevant services. Research and conclusion limitations. Analysis of specific legal regulations and selected general regulations, which indirectly relate to the safety of organizing activities when it comes to children and youth tourism. Practical implications. In the research, it has been shown that the school principal, as the entity responsible for ensuring the safety of students during events and excursions organised by the school, has to rely on too general provisions of the legislation, especially with reference to the number of teachers in relation to the number of students under their direct care, without taking into account the particular form of excursion within the framework of active tourism. Originality. The article is an attempt to synthesize the problem of the model of safety adopted in Poland for school tourism and recreation of children and adolescents in the period free from classes. Type of work. In the article, the results of theoretical research are presented.

ICT in prison during the Covid-19 pandemic: a case study

In the presented case study we deepen the results of an international comparative research concerning the section of the survey carried out in Italy, going into detail about the situation related to the use of ICT in prison in our country during the Covid-19 pandemic. By proposing large excerpts of the interviews collected from four privileged witnesses (a prison manager, a school principal and two teachers), the article, through the examination of the practices told and the reflections collected, intends to probe the existing imaginaries on the use of ICT in the prison context, comparing points of view of different roles and examining the diachronic perspectives: pre/post pandemic and the prospects of future development. Le TIC in carcere durante la pandemia da Covid-19: uno studio di caso. Nello studio di caso presentato approfondiamo i risultati di una ricerca comparativa internazionale che riguardano la sezione dell’indagine svolta in Italia, scendendo nel dettaglio della situazione relativa agli utilizzi delle TIC in carcere nel nostro Paese durante la pandemia da Covid-19. Proponendo ampi stralci delle interviste raccolte da quattro testimoni privilegiati (un dirigente carcerario, un dirigente scolastico e due docenti), l’articolo, attraverso l’esame delle pratiche raccontate e delle riflessioni raccolte, intende sondare gli immaginari esistenti sull’utilizzo delle TIC in contesto penitenziario, confrontando punti di vista di ruoli differenti ed esaminandone lo svolgimento diacronico pre/post pandemia e le prospettive di sviluppo futuro.