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European School Education Platform
News item

School leadership – a collective responsibility?

School leadership plays a crucial role in defining the vision, values, and climate of a school. Horizontal approaches such as distributed or middle leadership are becoming increasingly popular, whereby school leaders foster a culture of collective engagement and responsibility.
colleagues gathered around a table
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Shared leadership in education

 

The concept of teacher leadership has been explored by Marco Snoek, who focuses on the influence that teachers can contribute on matters transcending their own subject area. He argues that teachers’ professional development should be prioritised to strengthen their capacity to enact meaningful change and innovation in schools.

 

Similarly, the Centre for School Leadership (Ireland) outlines ‘networking, communities of practice, mentoring, and coaching’ as important components in the professional development of school leaders. Its research on middle leadership indicates that teachers with leadership roles can ‘directly impact classroom practices’ and improve the quality of pedagogical activities within schools.

 

Shared leadership in practice

 

Within the EU, distributed leadership is a popular model whereby tasks are shared among school leaders, administrative staff, and teachers. Involving school staff in formal decision-making processes facilitates the collective engagement of the wider school community by placing an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration.

eTwinning schools endorse shared leadership in their mission statement, which also promotes values such as inclusion and innovation. By embedding eTwinning values in their policies, these schools act as a model for other schools within the eTwinning community and as a point of reference for local communities. They display a strong commitment to collaboration and actively encourage all staff to engage in eTwinning activities.

 

Steiner Waldorf schools typically practise a form of non-hierarchical, collegialleadership based on Rudolf Steiner’s model of self-governance. A college of teachers shares responsibility for the everyday educational and organisational activities of their schools.

 

Additional information

  • Education type:
    School Education
  • Target audience:
    Head Teacher / Principal
    Student Teacher
    Teacher
    Teacher Educator
  • Target audience ISCED:
    Primary education (ISCED 1)
    Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)
    Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)