Conference Agenda

The World School Leadership Study (WSLS) has three aims. First, it aims to gain empirical insights into compulsory education school leaders’ leadership work and their professional health in around 40 countries. Second, based on the national data gathered in each country, comparative analysis will be conducted to identify similarities and differences across countries. Third, the WSLS aims to generate knowledge which can support policy formulation and implementation for the professionalization of school leaders and their work environment. Hence, this study contributes to the knowledge base of different human resource management aspects, e.g. attracting, recruiting, training and developing school leaders. The WSLS also has implications for institutions to provide professional support infrastructures for school leaders. The data will be analyzed and reported nationally with an ideographical perspective and internationally with a comparative perspective. The WSLS draws on several strands of literature originated in different positions in the field of educational leadership. This is necessary to understand the challenges of leadership related to shifting policy contexts and governing regimes where perspectives on leadership roles and core practices may differ over time and across countries.

The WSLS intends to answer the following research questions:

1. What are school leaders´ roles and functions?
2. How do school leaders’ work settings and conditions look like and how are they experienced by school leaders?
3. How do school leaders practice their leadership, what are preferences and strains, how do they experience their competences as to professional challenges?
4. What programs exist for preparation of school leaders?
5. What programs exist for introduction of newly appointed school leaders and what programs exist for established and experienced school leaders in the different countries?
6. Which are the particularities and challenges of these programs?

Corresponding to the above research questions, particular research design, methods and instruments are designed to support the researchers from the participating countries to collect data. The aim of the symposium is to develop the research design and methodology further as well as examining theoretical models which will be used as frameworks for the project. A further aim is to provide insights into educational systems, role of school leadership and state of research on school leadership from different continents and stimulate discussion with the international audience.

 Data for the WSLS will be collected using a mixed-methods approach. The mandatory part of the study comprises a country report (document analysis and expert interviews) and an online survey. The optional part of the study includes an end-of-day log and in-depth follow-up interviews. Each contribution presents findings but also some critical key questions about the profession of school leadership. First results will be presented based on the findings of the country reports from various countries including Sweden, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Australia, Kenya, India, and Russia

Sweden has a long tradition in educating school principals. As early as the 1960s, state involvement in the training of school leaders was introduced, with courses in a number of pedagogical and administrative areas. In 1976, the Swedish government decided on a two-year national training program for all principals in the school system. Today´s 3-year national in-service principal training program is administered by seven universities and compulsory for all newly appointed principals. Besides that, universities offer a one-year recruitment course for teachers as aspiring principals, as well as courses in various topics to experienced principals. The municipalities and school owners offer in-service training in cooperation with universities and consultants mostly with the aim to increase organizational quality. A new government initiative wants to promote professional development programs to increase the possibility to individual professional development in addition to courses to provide organizational development. There is a widespread belief that learning is crucial for development and quality among all professions. At the same time there is a challenge how to transform the new insights into action. Another challenge is that the various actors within the governing body do not agree on what topics or learning should be prioritized. While in Ireland the spectrum of professional supports available for educational leaders has often been regarded as ad-hoc, in more recent times, become central in the practical preparation and development of individuals in leadership roles (CSL Report, 2015). Current requirements for principal leadership in Ireland do not include mandatory leadership qualifications or previous experience. In an attempt to respond to the urgent need of more diverse supports, newly developed programmes for the induction of newly appointed principals (Misneach) and a developmental programme for school leadership teams (Forbairt) are provided for principals by Oide, a new service organisation which integrated previous professional learning support services into one body since September 2023. Oide also provide learning opportunities and supports throughout the academic school year where school leaders can choose to participate from the wide range of services available that include mentoring, coaching, induction, curriculum, pedagogy, leadership practice and school improvement. Other formalised school leadership development programmes available in Ireland include a postgraduate programme in school leadership (PDSL) and a master’s in educational leadership at third level Universities. Both postgraduate programmes are available for principal leaders or aspiring school leaders.

1. Johansson, O, Guest Editor: Democracy and leadership, In Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 42 No. 6, 2004. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. 2. Johansson, O. “Introduction - Democracy and leadership – or training for democratic leadership” in Journal of Educational Administration; Guest editor Olof Johansson, Vol 42, Number 6, 2004. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, England, pp 620 - 624 3. Johansson, O,. “A Democratic, learning and communicative leadership” in Journal of Educational Administration; Guest editor Olof Johansson, Vol 42, Number 6, 2004. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, England, pp 697 – 707 4. Helene Ärlestig, Christopher Day & Olof Johansson, Editors (2016) A Decade of Research on School Principals – Cases from 24 countries. Dordrecht: Springer. 5. Petros Pashardis & Olof Johansson, Editors (2016) Successful School Leadership: International Perspectives. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 6. Sigurdardottir, S., Skedsmo, G. & Ärlestig, H. (2023). Principals’ preparation and professional development in Nordic countries. In: AE Gunnulfsen, H. Ärlestig & M. Stoorgard(Ed.) Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries. Springer.

Since 2014, the main requirement for Spanish school principals to be recruited consist of an initial training course of at least 120 hours. While its goals and content are stablished by a nation-wide order, the course is implemented by the Departments of Education of the 17 regions plus 2 autonomous cities. A variety of education professionals are eligible for teaching its content, including supervisors, experienced school principals, university lecturers and researchers. Additionally, other institutions like universities or private companies can obtain the permission from the regional authorities to organize the course. Such pre-service training is considered by consulted experts as scarce, too theoretical, and too focused on bureaucracy. Besides, induction for newly appointed principals is almost inexistent. There is also a wide margin of improving principals’ in-service education, as it is mainly based on traditional methodologies and very few courses keep a focus on the analysis of the practice. Activities like participation in colleagues’ networks for professional development, or peer observation and orientation under formal structures are clearly below OECD average, according to TALIS 2018 report. However, we are in the way of improving leaders’ professionalization, fuelled by an increasing claim for better results to the schools and their management teams. The aim of the presentation is to give overview of the educational governing system in Iceland and historically map the existing research trends on governance and leadership in upper secondary and compulsory education to identify research opportunities. In doing so we focus on the six topics stipulated by the World School Leadership group (hereafter WSLS). The preliminary findings reveal a growing field and a hidden treasure of research in the area. We found studies that fall under all the six topics set by WSLS. Some fields are still weakly represented, such as values and professional understanding. The available topics are highly depended on the manpower within the academia, educational opportunities, political interventions, and other development. The study suggests the importance of filling the gaps we identified and highlights the important role of the universities to uphold and renew academics and educational opportunities within the field to construct more diverse knowledge.

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In Australia the preparation and development of school leaders is important for school success and there is now interest in the leadership demands of early career teachers, teacher leaders, middle leaders, senior leader and principals (Gurr et al., in press). Australia is an example of a country where there has been considerable interest and research on school leadership preparation (Watterston, 2015), but there is little in the way of formal requirements, with, for example, across the many systems (government, Catholic and independent schools) there being no general mandatory certification process for school principals (Drysdale & Gurr, 2021). Despite many systems now having leadership institutions of some form, generally aspirant leaders must navigate their own career pathway and self-identify as a leadership candidate (Gurr & Drysdale, 2015). Unfortunately, the self -managed process offers little guidance to judge preparedness for middle leader and principal/senior leadership roles. Despite a variety of leadership preparation and development programs being available only a third of principals will report having formal leadership qualifications (McKenzie, et al., 2014). School leadership management in Kenya falls under the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC). This is the singular body mandated to managing the teaching workforce in Kenya’s schools. It hires teachers and principals for public schools, but those in private schools also have to register with it. In 2018, the TSC introduced the Career Progression Guidelines. This document outlines promotion criteria for principals and deputy principals. To serve as a deputy principal, one needs to be at the level of Senior Master III T-Scale 10 for a minimum of 3 years. The deputy principal position consists of three levels: level III (T-Scale 11), level II (T-Scale 12) and level I (T-Scale 13). These are promotional levels that involves transitioning form level III to level II to level I. Upon competition, the individual can apply for promotion as a Principal. The three promotional grades for secondary school Principals include: Principal (T- Scale 13), Senior Principal (T- Scale 14), and Chief Principal (T- Scale 15). In all these levels, there is a requirement to have a master’s degree in a relevant area. However, there is no specification of it being in school leadership.

Drysdale, L. & Gurr, D. (2021). Finding and Promoting Effective Leaders, in F.W. English (Ed.) The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Leadership and Management Discourse, (London, UK: Palgrave). Gurr, D., Gurr, A., Gurr, Z., Jarni, B. & Major, E. (in press) Leadership demands on four early career teachers. Liu, P. & Thien, L.M. (Eds) Understanding Teacher Leadership in education change: An International Perspective, (London: Routledge). Gurr, D. & Drysdale, L. (2015). An Australian Perspective on School Leadership Preparation and Development: Credentials or self-management?, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 35(3), pp. 377-391. McKenzie, P., Weldon, P., Rowley, G., Murphy, M., & McMillan, J. (2014). Staff in Australia’s schools 2013: Main report of the survey. Camberwell: Australian Council for Educational Research. Prikaz ot 26 avgusta 2010 goda N 761n (red. 31.05.2011) «Ob otsenke Yedinogo kvalifikatsionnogo spravochnika dolzhnostey bukhgalterov, spetsialistov i sluzhashchikh, razdel “Kvalifikatsionnyye

Improving schools is at the heart of all reform measures in recent years in India. The National Education Policy 2020 has highlighted the importance of professionalizing school leadership by providing various opportunities for in-service principals to avail themselves of professional development in diverse areas. It has been emphasized in the policy that school Improvement is a developmental trajectory leading to long-term and sustainable changes in school processes, practices, and outcomes. It includes but is not limited to, better management and utilization of resources, progressive changes in teaching-learning processes, staff participation in decision-making, strengthening school-community ties, and most importantly, enhancing student learning and outcomes. This paper addresses the current educational reforms, ground realities, School leadership programs, and future directions in India with research on evidence-based challenges of school principals in India. The research focus revolves around the changes in the requirements for the position of a principal in the Russian educational system. The unified qualifying directory, the certification itself created a system, where the professional training and education for principals is not homogeneous. Moreover, a candidate could become a principal having no experience in the educational field at all (Order dated August 26, 2010 N 761n (red. 31.05.2011). With the endorsement of the law, the majority of principals urgently completed a master’s degree or a professional retraining in the required fields which were not always related to the educational field (Bysik & Kasprzhak, 2016; TALIS, 2018). TALIS revealed that the majority of school principals (88% of those polled) undergo the required managerial training only after they have already taken up their positions (TALIS, 2018). Moreover, few of the candidates for school principal in Russia are aware of their impending promotion and are able to prepare for the position in advance (Bysik et al., 2015). Despite the fact that Russia has the unified qualifying directory, there is no information on the required skills for the position (Order dated August 26, 2010 N 761n (red. 31.05.2011). The striking point of the Russian education system is that no unified principal certification system, no professional standards for principals, no national qualification exists in the Russian education system. The first professional standards for principals were elaborated and adapted only in March 2022. As a consequence, the definition of the school leader’s profession is becoming more multifaceted.

Bysik, N., Evstigneeva, N., Isaeva, N., Kukso, K., Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2015). A missing link? Contemporary insights into principal preparation and training in Russia. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 35(3), 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2015.1056588 Bysik, N., & Kasprzhak, A. (2016). Direktor sovremennoy rossiyskoy shkoly: Statisticheskiy portret, sistema podgotovki, praktika upravleniya [Principal of a modern Russian school: statistical portrait, training system, management practice]. Fakty Obrazovaniya, 5, 17. kharakteristiki dolzhnostey rabotnikov obrazovaniya”». (2010). [Order dated August 26, 2010 N 761n “On the evaluation of the Unified Qualification Directory for the Positions of Leaders, experts and civil servants, section “Qualification Characteristics of the Positions of Educational Workers”»]. (in Russian). https://docs.cntd.ru/document/902233423 TALIS. (2018). The OECD teaching and learning international survey. Watterston, B (2015a). Environmental Scan: Principal Preparation Programs, prepared for the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (Melbourne: AITSL). Watterston, B. (2015b) Preparing Future Leaders: Effective preparation for aspiring school principals (Melbourne: AITSL).