Leading Better Learning: School Leadership and Quality in the Education 2030 Agenda

223 Pages·2016·1.51 MB·English

Leading better learning: School leadership and quality in
the Education 2030 agenda

Regional reviews of policies and practices

This is a preliminary version, not for quotation

UNESCO Education Sector
Division for Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems (ED/PLS)
Section of Education Policy (ED/PLS/EDP)

January 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................. 5
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................. 9
PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION: WHY A FOCUS SHOULD BE PUT ON SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN THE 2030
EDUCATION AGENDA ............................................................................................................................. 12
CHAPTER 2 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN THE ARAB STATES ......................................... 25
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 27
2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 29
2.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT: DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES .............................................. 31
2.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES:
PROFILES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................... 35
2.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ........ 38
2.5 EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ............................................. 40
2.6 KEYS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 41
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 43
CHAPTER 3 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN EAST ASIA: AN ANALYSIS OF FIVE SOCIETIES . 50
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 54
3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 55
3.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT: DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES .............................................. 57
3.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATION CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUTURES: PROFILES,
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ................................................................................................................ 59
3.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ........ 68
3.5 EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ............................................. 71
3.6 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................ 73
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 75
CHAPTER 4 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN SOUTH AND WEST ASIA ................................ 86
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 89
4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 90
4.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT: DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES ............................................... 91
4.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES:
PROFILES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................... 93
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4.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ........ 97
4.5 EMERGING ISSUES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE .................................................... 101
4.6 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 102
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 105
CHAPTER 5 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA ................................ 110
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 113
5.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 114
5.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT: DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES ............................................. 116
5.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES:
PROFILES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................. 118
5.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OF THE REGION ..... 121
5.5 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 126
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 128
CHAPTER 6 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA ........ 137
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 141
6.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 142
6.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT: DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES ............................................. 144
6.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES:
PROFILES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................. 147
6.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ......................................................................... 151
6.5 EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ........................................... 155
6.6 KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................... 157
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 160
CHAPTER 7 - POLICY REVIEW OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ........ 165
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 168
7.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 169
7.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT, CHALLENGES AND PRIORITIES ...................................................................... 170
7.3 SCHOOL LEADERS IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES:
PROFILES, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES .............................................................................................. 175
7.4 POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN THE REGION ...................................................................................... 178
7.5 EMERGING ISSUES, TRENDS AND PATTERNS .................................................................................. 181
7.6 KEYS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................... 183
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 185
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CHAPTER 8 – SYNTHESIS OF REGIONAL REVIEWS ................................................................................. 188
8.1 MAIN FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................. 189
8.2 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................... 210
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 218

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List of acronyms
ACE Advanced Certificate in Education
ADEA Association for the Development of Education in Africa
ADEC Abu Dhabi Education Council
ADEM Agency for the Development of Education and Management
AEO African Economic Outlook
AEW Africa Education Watch
AfDB African Development Bank
AS Arab states
AU African Union
BANBEIS Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information & Statistics
BG Bulgaria
CA Central Asia
CapEFA Capacity Development for Education for All
CARICOM Caribbean Community
CCEM Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers
CfBT Centre for British Teachers
CommSec Commonwealth Secretariat
CSF Central Square Foundation
CZ Czech Republic
DE Distance Education
DfID Department for International Development
DoSE Department of State for Education
DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
DSIB Dubai School Inspection Bureau
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
EE Eastern Europe
EI Estonia
EEDP Enhancing Education Development Project
EFA Education for All
EIT Eritrea Institute of Technology
EMIS Education Management and Information Systems
ESP Education Sector Plan
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EU European Union
FFr French Franc
FPE Free Primary Education
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GEMS Global Education Management Systems
GER Gross Enrolment Ratios
GES Ghana Education Service
GILO Girls’ Improved Learning Outcomes
GLOBE Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness
GOP Government of Pakistan
GPI Gender Parity Index
GTZ German Technical Cooperation Agency
HDI Human Development Index
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HR Croatia
HU Hungary
I/NGOs International / Non-Government Organization
IBE UNESCO International Bureau of Education
ICT Information and Communications Technology
IICBA International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa
IIE Institute of International Education
IIEP International Institute for Educational Planning
ILO International Labour Organisation
IMF International Monetary Fund
IRFOL International Research Foundation for Open Learning
ISIS Islamic State of Iraq and Sham
KHDA Knowledge Human Development Authority
LDC Least Developed Countries
LfL Leadership for Learning
LINS LUI’s International Service
LRS Leadership Reflective Space
LT Lithuania
LTD Leadership and Teacher Development
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LV Latvia
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
MLJ Ministry of Law and Justice
MoE Ministry of Education
MoET Ministry of Education and Training
MPME Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
NAHT National Association of Head Teachers
NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations
NPM New Public Management
NPQP National Professional Qualification for Principals
NQF National Qualifications Framework
NUEPA National University of Educational Planning and Administration
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
OEI Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la
Cultura
OREALC Oficina Regional de Educación para América Latina y el Caribe
PD Professional Development
PEDP III Primary Education Development Project III
PISA Program for International Student Assessment
PL Poland
PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
PSI Program on School Improvement
PTA Parent Teacher Association
RBM Result Based Management
RESAFAD African Network for Education at a Distance
RO Romania
SAPs Structural Adjustment Programs
SAQA South Africa Qualifications Authority
SBM School-Based Management
SDB School Development Board
SEC Supreme Education Council
SERCE Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study
SGB School Governing Boards
SI Slovenia
SIDA Swedish International Development Agency
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SITEAL Sistema de Información de Tendencias Educativas en América Latina
SK Slovakia
SMB School Management Board
SMC School Management Committee
SSA Sub-Saharan Africa
SSRP School Sector Reform Program
STI Science, Technology and Innovation
SWA South and West Asia
TALIS Teaching and Learning International Study
TI Transparency International
TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
TR Turkey
UAE United Arab Emirates
UIS UNESCO Institute for Statistics
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNESCWA United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USD United States Dollars
USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
VSO Volunteer Service Overseas
VVOB Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance
WB Word Bank
WTO World Trade Organization

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Acknowledgments
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Preface
In today’s schools, strong and effective leadership is considered to be the critical
ingredient in driving change and strategic innovation. Leadership is seen to be at
the hub of transforming: values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into
innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards (Kouzes and
Postner, 2007).
The current focus on school leadership is the result of a combination of three factors:
evidence from research, changing and complex expectations about the school system,
and the imperative to improve quality, as expressed in 2015’s national Education for All
(EFA) assessment reports. School leadership has emerged as a key policy priority in line
with the new vision for education articulated in the fourth Sustainable Development
Goal, to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all’.
The twenty-five years of the EFA movement have been marked by a shift in focus from
quantity (access, enrolment and retention) to quality, as most countries have reached or
are approaching universal enrolment at the level of primary or basic education. In their
search for quality, countries have invested in teacher training, learning materials,
equipment and facilities, but few have attempted to tap the potential of school
leadership as a lever for improving teaching and learning outcomes. The latest EFA
global assessment (Incheon, 2015), however, suggested that this was beginning to
change, with many countries emphasizing school governance, management and
leadership in their pursuit of better quality, effectiveness and efficiency in education
delivery.
Nevertheless, school leadership development is a new challenge for many countries,
particularly developing ones, where school principals, whose role has traditionally been
an administrative one, are required to become instructional leaders. This implies a need
not only for appropriate preparation for the role, but also for relevant in-service
professional development and support for serving principals and managers.
Policymakers must draw on research and examples of best practice to deliver successful
reform in this area.
With its mandate to champion education development, particularly with regard to the
challenges of the Education 2030 agenda, UNESCO is committed to supporting member
states in addressing these issues. A first step in this process is knowledge production and
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