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!

deborah.nusche@oecd.org

www.oecd.org/edu/schoolleadership