WHY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MATTERS

Linden Salcedo Manebog

School leadership has become a main concern in education policy agendas globally. It plays a vital role in improving school outcomes by shaping the motivations and abilities of teachers, as well as the school climate and environment. Effective school leadership is crucial to enhance the efficiency and equity of schooling. As countries are pursuing to adapt their education systems to the needs of contemporary society, hopes for schools and school leaders are changing. Many countries have moved towards decentralization, making schools more autonomous in their decision making and holding them more responsible for results. Simultaneously, the requirement to improve overall student performance while helping more diverse student

populations is putting schools under pressure to use more evidence-based teaching practices.

As a result of these developments, the role of school leadership across countries is now increasingly defined by a demanding set of traits which include financial and human resource management and leadership for learning. There are concerns across the world that the functions of principal as determined for needs of the past is no longer suitable. In many countries, principals have heavy workloads; many are reaching retirement and it is getting harder to replace them. Prospective candidates often hesitate to apply, because of burdened roles, inadequate preparation and training, limited career prospects and insufficient support and rewards. These developments have made school leadership a main concern in education systems across the world. Policy makers need to improve the quality of school leadership and make it viable.

The author is Teacher

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III at Eduardo Cojuangco National Vocational High School