Preparing to lead: Lessons in principal development from high-performing education systems
By Dr Ben Jensen, Phoebe Downing and Anna Clark
Published September 2017
About this reportThis report begins with an overview of the latest research in leadership, which is primarily focused on business leadership. It finds that the best business research programs have the same characteristics as school leadership programs in the top-performing countries: they are highly contextualized and engage leaders in addressing real problems. The report finds, in fact, that some education systems can provide leadership development programs that far surpass those for generalist or executive MBAs.
The programs explored here build into their cores the system’s strategies for how schools improve. While the programs have been designed to meet the needs of specific systems and therefore look very different in some respects, they nonetheless share common elements. These include attention to the complexity of schools and leadership practices, the use of effective adult learning practices, and action learning as a method of leadership development.
Executive summaryIt has become a truism in the field of education to observe that of all in-school influences on student learning, leadership is second only to teaching quality. Indeed, when it comes to whole-system improvement, some argue that improving the quality of school leadership is a higher strategic priority than improving the quality of individual teachers, due to a principal’s influence across a school.
While school leadership is routinely recognized as a key indicator for improving student achievement, there is less certainty around ways to develop outstanding school leaders at the scale required for whole-system improvements. Most systems of education have some form of training and development for school leaders.
The best systems, however, treat these programs within a leadership development continuum that includes recruitment of promising candidates, rigorous initial training and ongoing training and support with opportunities for advancement. This report focuses on how four high-performing systems of education designed and deliver high-quality leadership development programs for aspiring principals. While these systems have a strategic, system-wide approach that positions programs within the broader continuum of leadership development, this report focuses on programs that prepare aspiring principals for their future roles and responsibilities.
ChaptersSchool leadership development programs that deliver more than the best business schools
Instructional leadership varies between systems This matters for high-quality program design
Fundamentals of high-quality school leadership development programs
Conclusion