Chap 4: Functions of Educational

Leadership and Management

– The nature of educational leadership and
management at school level
– The role of head teacher in school leadership and
management
– Power and authority in education leadership and
management
– Human Resource Management. -Accountability and
staff appraisal
– Leadership and management of Change -Managing
conflicts and crisis
– Community and Parental involvement in School
leadership and management and the role of head
teacher
The Nature of School
Leadership:
 What is educational
LEADERSHIP & management
• Educational management is concerned with the
planning and formulation of educational
policies or programmes with a view to achieving
educational goals.
• The process of deciding on the aims and goal
setting of the institution/school. In some settings,
aims are decided by the principal, often working
in association with senior colleagues and perhaps
a small group of lay stakeholders. (Bush 2003)
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 Basic functions of Education
Administrators
Education Administrators normally perform the
Three basic functions:
• The Chain -of –Command Role
• The Professional Role
• The Accountability Role

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The functions are further detailed as follows:
• As an executive officer
• Organiser
• Communicator
• Liaison officer
• develop academic programs,
• monitor students’ educational progress,
• train and motivate teachers and other staff,
• manage career counselling and other student
services,
• administer recordkeeping, prepare budgets.
• Management and development of the school
• Supervision of teachers and the school plant
• an initiator of programmes in the school
• discipline enforcement officer
• a curriculum consultant
• a legal authority
• financial custodian
 Cont;
• They also handle relations with parents,
prospective and current students, employers, and
the community.
• They set the academic quality and work actively
with teachers to develop and maintain high
curriculum and academic standards,
• formulate mission statements, and establish
performance goals and objectives.

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 The Effective Headteacher

Joseph Murphy, in Leadership for Literacy:

Research-Based Practice, PreK-3 (2003, Corwin
Press), summarizes key qualities possessed by
Headteachers of schools where achievement is
strong as described in subsequent slides:
 Setting Goals
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Has a more child-centered vision Has a more adult-centered vision

Sets manageable, realistic goals Favors broad goals

Sees student performance as central Likes to see things run smoothly

Expresses goals in measurable terms Expresses goals vaguely

Uses goals for planning Refers rarely to goals

Asks parents & staff to help set goals Limits goal setting input
 Communicating Goals
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Periodically reviews & discusses Infrequently discusses goals

Actively clarifies goals Rarely clarifies goals

Has teachers who know goals Has teachers unfamiliar with goals

Has teachers who see themselves Has teachers who see themselves
as good instructors as good managers & colleagues
 Promoting Quality Instruction
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Insists on certain teaching strategies Has less focus on methods

Favors interactive teaching Is content with less interaction

Assigns teachers on the basis of Assigns teachers bureaucratically

improving achievement
 Supervising Instruction
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Relies little on formal observations Values formal observations

Values informal visits and meetings Rarely makes informal visits

Often reads about instruction Seldom reads about instruction

Often provides specific feedback Seldom provides specific feedback

Counsels and assists poor teachers Less likely to confront poor teachers
 Allocating Instructional Time
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Carefully sets time allocations Less likely to set time allocations

Coordinates time allocations Less likely to have uniform schedule

across teachers

Schedules more instructional and Less likely to favor instructional and over
fewer non-instructional activities non-instructional activities

Insists on time for basics Less likely to ensure their coverage

Protects uninterrupted block Less likely to preserve block

 Coordinating the Curriculum
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Is highly involved in curriculum Is less involved in curriculum

alignment alignment

Is concerned with the continuity Tends not to focus on continuity

of curriculum from grade to grade of curriculum from grade to grade
 Monitoring Student Progress
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Supports testing programs Views testing as a necessary evil

Provides test results to teachers Is less timely in reporting results

In a timely manner to teachers

Discusses results with groups and Is less likely to discuss results

individual teachers

Encourages teachers to use test Does not emphasize the connection

results to plan instruction between testing and teaching
 Setting Expectations
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Holds adults accountable for student Does not hold others accountable
learning outcomes

Requires mastery of grade-level Is more likely to socially promote

skills for promotion to next grade students
 Being Visible
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Is often out of the office Spends large amounts of time in

the office

Makes an effort to move about Is less mobile

the campus and in and out of
classrooms
 Providing Incentives
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Recognizes teachers with rewards Seldom acknowledges teachers

such as
 distributing leadership
 showing personal interest
 making public acknowledgements
 giving private praise

Ensures that student rewards are Is less concerned about student

frequent and they go to a large rewards
percentage of students

Focuses rewards on achievement Is less likely to reward achievement

Promoting Professional Dev’t
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Is more likely to be directly involved Often avoids PD sessions

in PD activities

Follows up by ensuring that PD Is unlikely to follow up PD

methods are implemented

Cobbles temporary coalitions Is not adept at working with

of teachers to help implement teacher groups to implement

Encourages professional dialogue Is indifferent to dialogue

Helps teachers attend conferences Resists conference attendance

 Creating a Safe & Orderly
Learning Environment
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Works with teachers to develop Is less focused on management skills

classroom management skills

Establishes a clear and consistent Fails to set up a clear policy

disciplinary policy

Enforces discipline fairly and May be inconsistent in enforcing

consistently discipline

Involves teachers and students Sets rules independently

in setting rules
 Creating a Safe & Orderly
Learning Environment
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Confronts problems quickly and Is hesitant and indecisive

forcefully

Supports teachers with discipline Is unsympathetic to teachers with

problems discipline problems
 Promoting Collaboration
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Encourages teamwork and Allows teachers to function

collaborative efforts independently

Gives faculty a formal role in Excludes teachers from decision making

decision making

Informally seeks teachers’ ideas Is indifferent to the ideas and opinions

and opinions of teachers
 Securing Outside Resources
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Is skilled at influencing district Reacts to district decisions

decision making about resources

Actively seeks resources Is passive about finding resources

Assertively recruits the best Follows standard hiring procedures

teachers (even from other schools)

Allocates money based on goals Makes allocations based on other

factors
 Linking Home and School
The More-Effective HT The Less-Effective HT

Communicates with parents on a Infrequently communicates with

regular basis parents

Involves parents in school activities Is more likely to ignore parent

participation

Establishes programs that promote Fails to facilitate teacher-parent interaction

teacher-parent interaction

Promotes the school to community groups Does not participate in community groups

Provides ways parents can learn Doesn’t care about school

help their children
In summary, an effective school leader should:
• Lead by example – one who can walk the talk.
• Share leadership, does not make himself/herself
indispensable – his/her work is secondary to the
most important activity in the school which is
teaching.
• A good communicator- what and how the HT
communicates either builds or harms the
relationship between him/her and his/her employees.
• Knows his/her students and staff well
• Knows parents and the community well
• Finds balance between flexibility and
decisiveness: willingness to collaborate and
willingness to make tough decisions
• Understand situations: All situations are
different. What you do in one situation will
not always work in another. You must use
your judgment to decide the best course of
action and the leadership style needed for
each situation.

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• Facilitates development, communication,
implementation, and stewardship of a vision of
learning that is shared and supported by the school
community.
• Advocates, promotes, and sustains a school culture
and instructional program conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth.
• Ensures management of the organization,
operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and
effective learning environment.
• Collaborates with families and community
members, responding to diverse interests and needs,
and mobilizing community resources.
• Facilitates development and implementation of the
school improvement plan
 Skills Needed by school leaders
• Instructional leadership
• Knowledge of finance and budget management
• Public relations- team player
• Human Resources
• Strategic Planning
• Data management/analysis
• Knowledge of social welfare service delivery
 POWER & AUTHORITY
• The HT needs to have the power and
authority to execute his or her duties.
– Meaning of power
– Meaning of authority
 Power
• The ability to influence others. Leaders
must be able to influence their followers to
achieve greater performance;
 Authority
• Authority is the right conferred onto an
administrator in a given position to give
commands to those under his supervision
with the expectation that they will willingly
obey. For example, the Headteacher is given
authority to command and to enforce
obedience among the staff and Students.
 BASES (SOURCES) OF
authority
• Legal (by Law)
• Traditional(by Tradition)
• Charismatic (by Charisma)

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 LEGAL authority
 This is also known as rational leadership and the
one who holds this position is backed
fundamentally and primarily by law.
 This is the kind of leadership exercised in school
situation in Rwanda,
 The school being a formal organization is guided
and controlled by a set of policies, principles, laws
and rules.

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 TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY
This is the authority that has its fundamental
basis not primarily in the legal system of the
formal organization, nor mainly in the
charismatic nature of the candidate, but rather
in the traditional status quo.

One key characteristics which is unique with

this type of authority is that it’s inheritance by
ancestry; e.g. Kings in ancient Rwanda, the
queen of England etc..
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 CHARISTMATIC authority
 The basis of charismatic authority is in the
charisma of the leader who may initially not have
any legal or traditional basis for leadership.
 This type of leadership has it basis in the people’s
loyalty to an extraordinary individual who is leader
by virtue of personal trust in him and his exemplary
qualities.
 The leader has a special and unique duty to fulfil
for the innovative change of the social order.
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 POWER
• Power is the ability to do something, or act
upon oneself, another individual or a thing.
• Power is the inner strength that enables a
person to carry out their wishes or beliefs in
spite of the possible disapproval of others.
• It is the ability to affect something or someone
with force or character or strength.
 TYPES OF POWER
• LEGAL POWER
• EXPERT POWER
• REWARD POWER
• REFERENT POWER
• COERCIVE POWER

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Legal Power
 the basis of this power is not questioned by most
people in society.
 The population has a believe that by virtue of office,
the leader has been given certain rights to lead, and
should be followed.
 Agreeing to belong to the organization is tantamount
to signing a contract to recognize and summit to the
power of the leader.
 Legal power is at the core of the stability of the
formal organization
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Expert Power
• This type of power has its basis in the
people’s belief in and recognition of
certain unique talents or skills which the
leader has to enable him accomplish the
goals of the organization in ways not
possible by the ordinary staff. In the
university culture.

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Reward Power
: the basis of this power resides in the
belief of the member organization that if
they behave in certain way, or do certain
things, the system or organization will
reward them.
• In this case, they accept to obey the
dictates of the leader, in hopes of being
rewarded by him.
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Referent Power
• it has its basis in the common people’s
belief that the individual possesses certain
outstanding and rare characteristics which
are attractive and with which they want to
be identify.
• It may also be referred to as charismatic
power.

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Coercive Power (force)
 members of the organization or a group of them
will develop the strong belief that they must obey
and do exactly what the leader wants lest they
suffer severe punishment.
 Coercive power is that which intimidates and
reduces the human person within the organization
to the state of a slave, an object who sees his
primary task as that of pleasing the leader.
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You don’t have to change everything to
change anything.

• Coming together is a beginning,

keeping together is progress, and
working together is success."
- Henry Ford-
END