Globalisation and Models of Leadership in Schools

One of the major effects of economic forces of globalisationGlobalisation is that schools and school leaders, like other educational organisations, having modelled its goals and strategies on the entrepreneurial business model, are compelled to embrace the corporate ethos of the efficiency, accountability, performance, and profit-driven managerialism. Hence, the politics of education reforms, governance and school leadership in the twenty-first century reflect this new emerging paradigm of standards-driven and outcomes-defined educational policyOutcomes-defined educational policy change (ZajdaZajda, J. in Globalisation and education reforms: creating effective learning. Springer, 2021b). This corporate ethos of performance has affected the nature and the role of school leadership in the twenty-first century, and emerging educational challenges and strategies. Academic achievement, standards, and educational results overall, depend on the nature and quality of school leadership, teachers and school’s culture. Another emerging change affecting school leadership is autonomy in schools in designing curricula and managing resources, where the role of the school leader has grown far beyond that of administrator. School autonomySchool autonomy has affected the changing role of school leadership. Developing school leaders in the twenty-first century requires clearly defining their key leadership roles and responsibilities for leading and inspiring teachers to achieve high academic standardsAcademic standards and the quality of the curriculum, and acknowledging their significant role in improving school’s image, as a standards-driven and academically performing institution. School principals are required to lead such evolving performing schools, both locally and globally. The majority of students in OECD countries now attend schools that have high degrees of autonomy in different areas of decision making. School leadership plays a key role in school autonomy. School leaders have the power to lead and define the school’s educational goals, and ensure that pedagogy is directed towards achieving these goals. They are also in a position to provide the necessary inspirational leadership, and motivate teachers to improve the quality of the teaching/learning process. The other key role of effective leadership is the focus on diagnosing the school’s needs, and supporting, evaluating and developing teacher quality. This includes co-coordination of the curriculum and teaching programs, monitoring and evaluating classroom pedagogy, and supporting the on-going teachers’ professional development in terms of excellence and quality. The chapter also examines challenges globalisationGlobalisation creates for twenty-first century school leaders and the coping strategies required to meet them.