Improving School Leadership
Policy and Practice,
North and South
Deborah Nusche
OECD Education Directorate
SCoTENS Annual Conference
Belfast, 9-10 October 2008
• School leadership can improve teaching and learning, by influencing the motivation and capacities of teachers, as well as the school climate and environment
• OECD countries face pressing issues of attracting, training and developing the next generation of school leaders
• Priority: Improving School Leadership activity ranked 3/29 activities for the OECD Education Committee Programme of Work (2007-2008).
School leadership: a policy priority
Today’s presentation
Background: The OECD Improving School Leadership activity (2006-08)
AustraliaAustriaBelgium (French)Belgium (Flanders)ChileDenmarkEnglandFinlandFranceHungaryIreland
IsraelKorea The NetherlandsNew ZealandNorthern IrelandNorwayPortugalScotlandSloveniaSpainSweden
Network of experts
International organisations
An international perspective on school leadership policy and practice
To provide policy-makers and others with timely analysis to help formulate school leadership policies leading to improved teaching and learning:
Background: Activity objectives
School leadership: the challenges
The role of school leaders has changed dramatically
The super principal ?
More and more tasks have been added to school leaders’ workload.
Most of the leadership tasks are carried out by one individual
School leadership: the challenges
Role expansion & intensification
Need to define and prioritise core tasks
Need to distribute tasks
School leadership: the challenges
Approaches to leadership training and development (2006)
Insufficient preparation and training
School leadership: the challenges
Unattractive working conditions
Difference between maximum principal and teacher salaries (2003)
• Inflexible and hierarchical career structures
• Few opportunities for career development
• Principal burnout
• Lack of opportunities to move up to new tasks
School leadership: the challenges
Unattractive working conditions
Few people are interested in moving up to leadership
Application numbers are decreasing
15 out of 22 participating countries report difficulties in finding a sufficient number of qualified candidates
School leadership: the challenges
Shortages in leadership personnel
School leadership: the challenges
Lack of diversity in the workforce
Percentage of female principals (2006)
School leadership: the challenges
Percentage of principals aged over 50 (2006)
A “retirement boom”
The main challenges to be addressed
• Role intensification
• Insufficient preparation and training
• Unattractive working conditions
• Concerns about the recruitment of future leaders
School leadership: the policy
School leadership: The policy
School leadership: The policy
School leadership: The policy
School leadership: The policy
School leadership: the policy
A ‘Toolkit’ for Policy Makers and Practitioners
• Facilitate interpretation of OECD findings• Move from recommendations to policy
formulation and practice development• Make connections between OECD
findings and users’ own experience and context
Next steps: How can we make it happen?
Thank you!
www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership