Leadership for Better Schools

Leadership for Better Schools

1 Designing Development Plans

  1. What is School Improvement?
  2. Imperatives for School Improvement
  3. Barriers to School Improvement
  4. Characteristics of the School Leaders
  5. Building the Climate for School Improvement
  6. School Improvement and School Planning
  7. School Development Plan
  8. The Development Process

2 Developing Performance Indicators

  1. What are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  2. Good Key Performance Indicators vs. Bad
  3. Goals of PIs
  4. The Paradigm
  5. What is Effectiveness?
  6. Effective Learning and Teaching
  7. Effective Guidance and Counselling
  8. School Ethos
  9. Ultimate Uses of Performance Indicator Findings

3 Managing School Development Plans

  1. School Development Planning (SDP)
  2. The Nature of School Development Planning
  3. Definition of a School Plan

4 Enhancing Pupil Learning and Achievement

  1. Diversity within the Classroom
  2. Reasons for Diversity in Achievement among Children
  3. Helping Under Achievers
  4. Contributors to Bridging the Achievement Gap
  5. The Head Teacher, Parents, and Community Members as a Team
  6. Evaluating the Progress of the Child

5 Managing Socio-emotional Problems

  1. Identifying Socio-emotional Problems
  2. Definitions
  3. Causes for Socio-emotional Problems
  4. Implications for a Head Teacher

6 Managing Differently, Abled and Special Children

  1. Legislative and Policy Background
  2. Diverse Transactional Styles
  3. Case Study
  4. Some Reflections

7 Managing for Equal Opportunities – Pluralism and Gender Issues

  1. Concept of Multiculturalism
  2. What Makes a School Multicultural?
  3. Managing a Culturally Responsive School
  4. Examining One’s Own Prejudices and Biases
  5. Promoting Cross-cultural Interaction
  6. Awareness of the Larger Socio-economic and Political Context
  7. Promoting Critical Thinking Skills
  8. Fostering Cooperative Learning
  9. Using Culturally Appropriate Management Strategies
  10. Building Caring School Communities
  11. Building Effective Intercultural Climate

8 School Managers and Governing Bodies

  1. Educational Administration
  2. Levels of Educational Administration
  3. Areas of Control
  4. Relations with the Ministry of Education and National Parastatals
  5. School and Other Bodies – Role of the Head Teacher
  6. Role of Planning
  7. Decentralized Decision-making
  8. Financial Resource Planning

9 Schools -Parents -Community Interface

  1. Defining ‘Family’, ‘School’ and ‘Community
  2. Why School-Community Interface?
  3. School-Community Engagement – Planning Process
  4. Effective Leadership in School-Community Partnerships
  5. Hurdles to School-Family-Community Partnerships
  6. Evaluating Partnership Efforts

10 School -Industry Interface

  1. Community-based Learning
  2. Elements of Community-based Learning
  3. Learning Strategies
  4. Expected Outcomes of Community-based Learning
  5. Barriers to Community-based Learning
  6. Role of the Head Teacher