TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

JOCELYN D. BALUYUT

Creativity In leadership is a trend to consider in educating 21st century education. Current schools need principals who can deal with the challenging demands in nurturing the learners of today if we want to keep abreast with the fast-changing technological advancement.

The field of leadership is a complex task which requires school managers who are skilful, competent and value-laden individuals. Running schools may sound that manageable, but if the responsibilities attach to the job will be carefully scrutinized, it can be said that, it really takes a brilliant mind to provide a smooth path for teachers to exhaust their efforts to provide what learners truly deserve- quality learning.

Change is inevitable and change is a magnitude that should be approached if we want to realize reformed and improved schools in the coming years. Transformational leadership is a model that should be practiced effectively by capable school leaders.

The responsibilities of our school leaders nowadays should not be based on how to maintain the status quo. What is appropriate yesterday may no longer that ideal today. In his book Change Forces: Probing the Depths of Educational Reform, Fullan (1993) stated that the study of educational change “has brought us to the beginning of a new phase which will represent a quantum leap – a paradigm breakthrough – in how we think about and act in relation to change”. During these times of reform, what our schools need is new models of leadership to make sure that learning institutions are transforming and moving forward to respond to the call of times.

Current and future principals must be attuned to a wider scope of work. A transformational leader transforms culture which is about leading people and teams. In doing this, one has to develop trust to inspire staff and stakeholders to work on a shared vision and mission. Reform initiatives should be set out for implementation and good results should be coordinated well to make sure that all individuals in a learning community are part of the school’s thrusts and efforts in the development of young minds.

The value of strong line of communication matters in the change process in a school system. Stakeholders’voices need to be heard in the process of attaining consensus in the accomplishment of plans and actions based on the school targets.

The strong-willed person behind transformational leadership is the school principal. The characteristics of a school head as the “captain of the ship” count a lot in gaining the trust and the confidence of the people he work or deal with. To sum it up, Integrity, honesty and competence are the leader’s weapons to win people’s heart in transforming schools into haven of learning.

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The author is Principal II of Remedios High School