Possibility to Engage in Pedagogical Leadership as Experienced by Finnish Newly Appointed Principals (original) (raw)

The Theory of Pedagogical Leadership: Enhancing High-Quality Education

Educational governance research, 2023

In this chapter, we introduce the pedagogical leadership theory of Finnish scholars Fonsén and Lahtero and provide ideas and tools to enhance understanding about the foundation of pedagogical leadership in the background of high-quality comprehensive education and early childhood education. Dimensions that influence the success of pedagogical leadership are Value, Context, Organisational culture, Professionalism and Management of substance. From the viewpoint of the principal's work, it is also essential to examine one of the organisational culture's sub-cultures, leadership culture. The work of principal constitutes many tasks and duties, which can be defined as the indirect and direct pedagogical leadership using the idea of the broad-based pedagogical leadership. The four aspects of human capital that leaders need for pedagogical leadership are: The dimensions of increased knowledge, awareness of the quality of the implemented pedagogy, Skills to lead development, and Ability to argue for pedagogy. In addition, we introduce Leadership competence model for leading pedagogy and curriculum implementation, and model for early childhood education teachers' professional development towards pedagogical leadership.

Current Challenges in School Leadership in Estonia and Finland: A Multiple-Case Study among Exemplary Principals

Education Research International

The purpose of this study was to find out what current challenges successful principals in Estonia and Finland identify in developing their schools. The strategies used in dealing with these challenges were also analyzed within the framework of “growth-mindset pedagogy” as an educational approach to school leadership. The principals were interviewed, and the resulting data were analyzed by means of both inductive and deductive content analysis. The similarities among and differences between principals from Estonia and Finland were compared and discussed in the context of high-achievement-oriented but culturally different educational systems. According to the results, the challenges are similar in both countries, relating to the principals’ professional development, as well as developments in the curriculum and the learning community. The Estonian principals identified more challenges related to developments in the learning community than their Finnish peers, although in both countri...

Exploring enhanced pedagogical leadership: an action research study involving Swedish principals

Educational Action Research

This article reports on a joint action research study about principals' pedagogical leadership and what happens when principals explore pedagogical leading. In this study, the theory of practice architectures interacts with the method chosen for analysing the processes and results. Partnerships between universities and practitioners are seen as an important arena for professional development, and the results of this study illustrate how cooperation between scholars and practitioners can promote professional learning and capacity building amongst both parties. The findings show how trustworthy relationships are necessary in order to change the practice and evolve a critical and emancipatory approach among the participants. Student learning and development appear to be important components of the principals' pedagogical leading. Pedagogical leading is about arranging the conditions for teachers so that they are given the opportunity to improve their teaching. Pedagogical leaders do not only talk about changes but also call for concrete actions in schools' internal work. Principals' pedagogical leading involves orchestrating the surrounding arrangements in such a way that they enable school's learning and collaborative practices. Part of this orchestration involves supporting forms of cooperation so that good norms and a culture that nurtures development are established.

Increasing leadership capacity and implementing pedagogical leadership in Finland

2019

This paper discusses recent developments in school leadership practices in Finland. The focus is on what effects the major changes of education paradigms had in educational leadership. The theoretical discussion is based on several research findings. A meta analysis of 30 PhD studies was done by Alava, Halttunen & Risku (2012) in a research commissioned by the Finnish National Board of Education. Some of the key findings in this study were the need for stronger future orientation, the importance of broad pedagogical leadership, and understanding leadership as a resource with emphasis on shared leadership, change leadership and values leadership. The empirical examples in this paper are from two municipalities, Åland and Mäntsälä, where extensive development efforts were carried out in 2005-2018. The development in Åland was instigated by the rather poor results the students got in mathematics in the PISA 2003 assessment (Uljens, Sundqvist & Smeds-Nylund, 2016). In Mäntsälä the devel...

National strategy for supporting school principal’s instructional leadership

Journal of Educational Administration, 2019

Purpose A number of empirical studies and evaluations in Norway and Sweden shows variabilities in the degree to which the municipalities succeed in their endeavors to support school principals’ instructional leadership practices. In response to this situation, the Norwegian and Swedish directorates of education have developed a joint collaborative design for practice learning of instructional leadership. Based on findings from two separate studies, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to theory development and improved practice for school district administrators and their subordinated school leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on the data from participants who completed the program in June 2015, June 2016 and June 2017, respectively. The data are based on individual reflection documents from students on their learning and new leadership practices 4 months, 16 months and 28 months after the end of the program. Findings The project subjected to this study, label...

The School Principal as an Educational Leader

Konteksty pedagogiczne, 2020

The article focuses on the educational leadership of the school principal. This issue is particularly important in an era of intense changes in the world that create new challenges that modern schools must face. The currently observed social, economic and cultural phenomena and processes affect new expectations towards the teacher, related to their openness to these changes and the readiness to face them. This will only be possible under appropriate conditions created by the school principal, whose roles and tasks have also evolved. The main direction of these changes is the transition from the administrative management of the school-institution to the model of the principal as an educational leader. The process of educational leadership is particularly important in school practice, where the main task is to create conditions for the development and operation of teachers and build the culture of a learning organization.

Finnish principals: Leadership training and views on distributed leadership

Educational Research and Reviews, 2019

This study looks at the views of Finnish comprehensive school principals on distributed leadership and presents discussion on the leadership training required by principals and looks at it in relation to the views of principals. In Finland the qualification requirements for principals are based on their experience as teachers, and studies in educational administration. In general, studies in leadership are not mandatory. In terms of distributed leadership, one relevant question is the way distribution happens. Is it based on delegation of tasks or does it happen in interaction between teachers and principal? The data were principals' responses to an electronic survey (n=71). The respondents represented 71 schools around Finland. The results showed that principals viewed distributed leadership differently depending on the type of question. In the Likert-scale questions they (n=71) emphasised distributed leadership as an interaction between principal and teachers and their situations, whereas in open-ended answers (n=44) the delegation had a bigger role. In terms of training background, the results indicate that principals (n=13) having university studies in educational leadership and administration emphasised more distributed leadership as an interaction than principals having other types of training. This paper poses questions concerning the content and structure of educational leadership training. Further, this study implies that there is a growing need to examine educational leadership in terms of training, and views concerning leadership structures and practices in schools.

Principal Leadership in the Development of Teacher Pedagogical Competence

Journal of Social Work and Science Education, 2021

This study described the principal's leadership in guiding teacher pedagogic competence at SMP Negeri 1 Ogan Komering Ulu. This study used a qualitative method where observation, interviews, and documentation used as instruments. The research subjects were principals, teachers and staff. The results of this study indicate that the principal has two leadership styles in empowering and mobilizing teachers and staff. The two styles are charismatic and democratic leadership style. The principal used four models of pedagogical competency development for teachers were supervision, workshops, regular meetings, and the principal directs teachers to participate in educational trainings and seminars. The obstacles were the lack of teacher preparation in making learning tools such as lesson plans and syllabus, the schedule of the principal's activities impromptu so that the implementation of supervision, meetings, or workshops is delayed. There are some teachers who cannot attend meeti...

Educational Leadership - A Perspective Beyond Managerial Processes

2023

There is a growing concern amongst critical theories of leadership that school leaders are placed somewhere between system policies or procedures and some ethical concerns about supporting and caring for the well-being of teachers and students. On the one hand, the newly developed theories of leadership emphasise the principal's abilities to empower teachers in school improvement, but also to share roles and responsibilities in data management, school network development, and vocational learning. On the other hand, system procedures that dictate managerial approaches to institutional development aim to increase the accountability of the school principal. Therefore, the moral ontology of leaders, their reflective abilities and their desires for creative and transformative actions challenge the side effects and intentions dictated by system procedures. A review of current research on educational leadership highlights the relative limitations of management when it comes to addressing expectations and requirements that do not meet human and social dimensions. Indeed, the relationships between in-school and out-of-school educators are instilled in ethics and values, key elements for school principals in developing skills and improving their school.

School Principal Leadership and Learning

2018

The purpose of the paper is to contribute to the literature on leadership, innovation and learning for quality of school education. The special attention is paid to the role of school principal leadership in creating and sustaining the innovative learning environments that support the development of critical practitioner research. It is assumed that practitioner research can promote creative partnerships between those institutions in which teachers and academics work in order to support knowledge creation and quality of teaching. This paper presents chosen findings of a study that involved interviews with a number of focus groups involving school leaders in a number of Polish state schools. The main aim of this research was to recognize the experiences and the needs of school principals concerning practitioner research, their perceptions 152 Joanna Madalińska-Michalak on the role of school leaders in supporting culture for quality improvements in practitioner research, and on the co...