1 Introduction
It is always a challenge to write a new book on management and leadership , since these belong to some of the most discussed topics of the last few decades. However, in the context of managing educational institutions, there are still a few gaps waiting to be bridged. These gaps are especially visible in small European countries , which might have limitations in developing comprehensive, national educational policy frameworks. Often, public policies can be strongly influenced by political processes, as well as by the economic, social and technological realities, constraining the creative and innovative development of educational leaders. In addition, such limitations can also be exacerbated with numerous battles with straw man arguments, started by not always wholly competent stakeholders.
The motive for this book was to provide inspiration and good practices, by bringing together perspectives on educational policies and practices related to school leadership development from two significantly different European regions—the ‘north-west’ (represented by Nordic and Baltic countries ), versus the ‘south-east’ (represented by West Balkan countries ). We believe that these perspectives matter and add to a growing European literature on education policy where the emphasis is on the specific national context. Benchmarks and good practices are not only to be found in larger countries or drawn from international organisations like the OECD and the EU . On the contrary, smaller countries offer many success stories and valuable lessons and we hope that the reader will find some here.
The first part of the book presents some of the challenges of policy theory in the context of educational leadership . The aim is to compare the contemporary international agenda of educational leadership , advanced by international organisations (often referred to as ‘neo-liberal ’) with the critical scholarship of educational leadership and the way policies are ‘enacted’ by different stakeholders at the school level. In this way, readers are offered a more comprehensive overview of the policy trajectories and actors .
Vlašić and Alfirević open the discussion in Chapter 2 with the challenges faced by the still powerful traditional paradigms of education that emphasise schools as teaching organisations. They critically review the market orientation of the education system and the ‘managerialist ’ approach to education leadership mainstreamed by international organisations . They advocate ambidexterity as an ideal, where teaching and short-term goals are balanced by learning and long-term development. This applies at the level of the teacher, the school manager, and the national policy maker.
In Chapter 3, Kosor, Perović and Golem offer a reflection on the role of international benchmarking in shaping education policy . They look at Estonia and Slovenia as two cases where benchmarking has played a role, and emphasise various precarious issues that need to be taken into account in benchmarking . They show the negative relationship between pupil-teacher ratio and the average PISA score and the positive relationship between the share of government spending per student and the PISA score.
Žiljak continues the discussion on internationalisation in Chapter 4 and analyses the possibilities of the comparative analysis of education policies in relation to school leadership between countries. He offers four models for comparison, with an emphasis on autonomy and accountability . Comparative analysis needs to be sensitive to the national context, in particular when smaller states are compared, as they are under the stronger influence of international policy actors than larger countries.
In Chapter 5, Alfirević, Relja and Popović provide a meta-analysis of the selection and education of school principals . In the European context, they identify three types of countries with regard to the roles of school principals : Nordic countries; post-socialist societies ; and countries with a tradition of strong control at the national level. They conclude that while there are many good examples, the education of school principals is still fragmented in Europe which does not equip them with the necessary leadership skills to improve pupil achievements. Full professionalisation of the job will require transnational networks of school principals supported by further research informed by both the local context and the international perspective.
The second part of the book addresses the challenges of policy inclusiveness in relation to education and democracy , education and information and communication technology , and students with special education needs.
In Chapter 6, Brčić Kuljiš and Gutović analyse the democratic context of educational leadership and management. In their view, democratic school management and leadership should include both education for democracy and democratic education . They discuss the expectations placed on the education system to teach civic values and to prepare students for an inclusive multicultural world. At the same time, they argue that participatory management improves the quality of managerial outcomes and educational effectiveness by involving stakeholders in the decision-making processes within the school.
Information technology and educational leadership are the subject of Chapter 7 where Praničević, Spremić and Jaković look at the role of school leaders vs. national educational policies . They discuss the contribution of ICT in making school management more effective and more decentralised, leading to more interactive and flexible student-centred teaching. For school managers, ICT has potential long-term value but it needs to be integrated into the organisation model and serve to develop more inclusive education .
School principals and educational policies inclusive of students with disabilities and special needs are the topic of Chapter 8. Najev Čačija, Bilač and Džingalašević offer comparative research of education inclusiveness in Croatia , Portugal and Italy at three levels: the national level of education policy , the institutional school level, and the micro level of the inclusive classroom . They show that while national policies have been harmonised, good legislative frameworks do not automatically translate into inclusive education . They conclude that the institutional level is key to the development of inclusive practices and requires both autonomy for the schools and responsible school management and leadership .
The third part presents views on the ch...