Imagine becoming a principal of a school with no prior training. This is more common than you might think. The 2024/5 GEM Report shows that nearly half of principals in high income countries receive no pre-service training, and only 31% of countries require induction for newcomers. Principals have often to ‘improvise’ to get up to […] The post Learning-by-doing is not enough: why principals need better training appeared first on World Education Blog.
Imagine becoming a principal of a school with no prior training. This is more common than you might think. The 2024/5 GEM Report shows that nearly half of principals in high income countries receive no pre-service training, and only 31% of countries require induction for newcomers.
Principals have often to ‘improvise’ to get up to speed. In interviews for a background paper on leadership competencies in sub-Saharan Africa for the GEM Report by Ann Lopez, Jocelyne Cyiza Kirezi and Jef Peeraer, one principal said. “When I became a principal, I did not receive training, instead I used my experience and knowledge which I gained from being a teacher”. Another said that he “attended courses on management at a university”.
Without prior training, principals have to rely on other school principals acting as peer mentors, ad-hoc workshops and whatsapp groups to plug the gaps
“We are left to find training and development opportunities for ourselves, given there is no [proper] training for School Principals” said a school Leader, Myanmar. Another school head in Ghana noted that they “created a WhatsApp group so they could interact with their colleagues and ask questions when needed”.
Momentum for training is building in some countries, however. At one extreme, 58% of principals in Croatia have never taken a school administration or principal training programme. In Finland, by contrast, 75% received training before appointments and every principal is fully qualified.
What’s taught in the training matters as much as whether it is taught.
A global review of training courses for the 2024/5 GEM Report, of 142 programmes in 92 countries , found that barely half touch on any of the four key dimensions of instructional leadership: expectations and vision, collaboration and alliances, and staff development – and only one-fifth cover all four.
Courses are often academic, ignore career stages and skip practical skills such as data use, finance and digital tools—areas where a quarter of principals in OECD countries feel unprepared “In our rural school, we need clear dialogue, active listening, collaborative work, and effective communication as essential pillars to provide quality education to our students,” said one school leader from Uruguay – needs rarely met by current training.
Induction, coaching and mentorship are critical for novice principals, yet they are frequently overlooked
“Being a principal involves much more than being a teacher. And we should have some training prior to being appointed or even, before being allowed to apply for the position, in my personal experience,” said Irena, a school principal in Croatia.
Only 3 in 10 countries mandate training upon appointment. Slovenia recognized the importance of such support with its ‘Mentoring for Newly Appointed Head Teachers programme’ which offers systematic support and assistance to novice principals, facilitating their collaboration with experienced mentors, providing practical guidance and fostering effective engagement in leadership processes. The programme includes five one-day meetings, intermediate activities, and ongoing individual collaboration between mentors and novice principals.
Effective principals’ preparation should combine theory with hands-on practice, guided by coaches and/or mentors Professional development programmes should fill gaps, especially for leaders whose previous training did not cover the four core dimensions. Competences that can be nurtured include a range of good observation, listening, social, emotional and analytical skills. Such training should also cover government priorities to support their implementation, and contribute to familiarizing school leaders with core legislation and regulations, and developing practical skills in data, financial, human resource and pedagogical management.
COVID-19 underscored the need for confident decision-makers. One-quarter of principals in upper-middle- and high-income countries say they still need training in these areas to make informed calls.
Specialized knowledge is needed to implement policies on inclusion, as our recent regional edition, Lead for inclusion highlighted, and on digital transformation, as a forthcoming regional edition on East Asia this August will show. Other education policy areas, such as greening and health and nutrition, will also require school leaders to develop capacity.
One important issue is that time remains a barrier to take up training. The 2018 TALIS found 46 % of lower-secondary heads cite clashes between professional development and day-to-day work—rising to 82 % in Japan and to 65% to 70% in Belgium, France, Iceland, Italy and the Republic of Korea. Rates fall below 20 % in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Designing programmes that blend theory, practice and socio-emotional skills makes busy principals more likely to sign up.
The post Learning-by-doing is not enough: why principals need better training appeared first on World Education Blog.
