| ESHA top 5 issues under Schoolleader assocations |
| 25 februari 2011 |
In the Februar newsletter of ESHA, they present the outcome of the top 5 under national associations, quite recognisable for the ECNAIS associations to: 1 Administrative work load Many associations reported that their school leaders have to deal with too many administrative tasks. School leaders feel overburdened with administrative tasks and have less time to concentrate on essential matters, such as the quality of learning, the curriculum, pedagogical issues and staff performance, motivation and development. 2 School leadership skills Effective school leadership is a major factor in shaping the overall teaching and learning environment, raising aspirations and providing support for pupils, parents and staff, and thus in fostering higher achievement levels. It is therefore of key importance to ensure that school leaders have, or are able to develop, the capacities and qualities needed to assume the increasing number of tasks with which they are confronted. 3 Reduced or too low budgets Many school leaders face reduced budgets due to the economic recession. Although The European Commission and Mc Kinsey stress that investing in education and training is of crucial importance for both the economy, many colleagues will face lowered budgets making it almost impossible to improve the standards of education 4 Autonomy of schools The levels of autonomy of schools vary in Europe. Some associations reported that individual school leaders can only spend very limited time on school leadership tasks and some cannot even hire the teachers they prefer. The obvious question is: how can school leaders be accountable for achieving high academic results, if they cannot even hire their own staff? 5 Quality of education Teacher education programs need to be of high quality, relevant to needs and based on a well-balanced combination of solid academic research and extensive practical experience for preparing teachers and school leaders to carry out their responsibilities and ensuring school leaders’ continuing professional development you can download the februar newsletter here. or look at www.eshamagazine.org |
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